Study social work abroad

Social work is an academic discipline that is committed to human rights and social justice by helping those in need. You will learn how to work with vulnerable people across different ages and cultures, and how to build respectful and trusting relationships.

While studying a social work program you’ll cover a range of subjects including sociology, psychology, and law amongst others. Working in social work is a demanding and rewarding profession, that plays a crucial role in communities all over the world. If you have the drive and commitment to improve the lives of others, then social work could be the ideal program for you.

Social work is a popular program that is offered at universities all over the world, including the UK, US, South Africa, Canada and many others. By studying abroad, you’ll get to develop important skills like interacting with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

There are a variety of degree qualifications you can study for in social work at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. At bachelor’s level you can study for a BA, BSc or a BSW (Bachelor of Social Work) over three or four years, depending on where you study.

If you study at bachelor’s level in the US, you can choose to study social work as a major or minor subject. To graduate, you’ll need to earn a certain amount of credits in social work modules.

Most postgraduate social work degree programs are offered as an MA or MSc over two years, but you can also study for a PhD over four years. In the US and some other countries you can study an MSW (Master of Social Work), and some universities also offer PgDip (Postgraduate Diploma) programs.

Social work programs are usually taught through student-led seminars, group workshops and lectures. You will also spend time on placement where you’ll be able to shadow professional social workers and interact with the local community. The program content will be unique to each program, but some of the main areas of study include:

• Introduction to social work
• Equality and diversity
• Law and social policy
• Introduction to psychology
• Professional practice
• Social work with children
• Social work skills

Social work is a vocational degree, and most graduates go on to become practicing social workers in their local community. However, there are several different roles you could pursue, including:

• Social worker
• Care manager
• Persistent offender coordinator
• Family support worker
• Housing adviser
• Support worker

The skills you’ll acquire on a social work degree program like compassion, communication and teamwork are also easily transferable to other areas of work.

If you’re not quite sure what role you want to pursue after you’ve graduated, make use of your university’s career services, who can help you work out which path is right for you.