Bangor University has a long established tradition of offering social work education. The fundamental purpose of such programmes is to equip students to take up professional posts within the social work workforce. To achieve this, the 2 year programme of study includes a suite of core academic modules and a requirement of at least 200 days of assessed practice learning over the two years. The programme must satisfy the requirements of Soclal Care Wales’ ‘Framework for the Degree in Social Work in Wales’ (2012), and successful completion of the programme enables students to register as qualified professional social workers. To enable us to deliver a programme of this nature, we work closely with Gwynedd, Ynys Môn and Conwy local authorities, who provide most of the placements for our students.

The modules and practice learning opportunities are designed to provide students with the required knowledge, skills and values to prepare them for practice as newly qualified social workers. They are informed by the QAA Benchmarks for Social Work (QAA 2016), and the National Occupational Standards for Social Work (Social Care Wales 2012).

Key features

• Condensed timetable of 2-3 days per week
• High level of support
• Practice placements arranged for you
• Bilingual*
• Jobs available at the end of the course starting from approximately £25,000–30,000 per annum

To enable us to deliver a programme of this nature, we work closely with Gwynedd, Ynys Môn and Conwy local authorities, who provide placements to our students. Our partners ask that the students they host have bilingual Welsh / English skills. This requirement is in order to meet the needs of their communities and to comply with the right to a Welsh language service under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. This means that you need the ability to follow lectures that are predominantly though the medium of Welsh with bilingual slides and to converse naturally in Welsh with bilingual individuals. However we are not talking about ‘perfect’ Welsh (if there is such a thing!) and our students are able to submit their assessments in their preferred language. If you’re interested in applying for a place on the programme, but unsure if your Welsh is ‘good enough’, please come to talk to us. We can help assess your skills and ensure that you don’t miss out if your skills are good enough, or find out if you could benefit from some support to build on your current skills.

The University has been exploring the possibility of further partnership arrangements with other local authorities, so that we can continue to offer an English medium route on the MA Social Work. However, at this stage we are unable to guarantee placements for non-Welsh speakers will be available.

We regret that we are unable to accept applications from international students for this course. 

Research Opportunities

The School of Social Sciences works in partnership with Gwynedd, Ynys Môn and Conwy Local Authorities to develop, deliver and manage this Social Work programme. Partner local authorities are involved in recruitment, student selection, contributing to teaching and assessment of students. The primary partners also provide practice learning opportunities, along with other employing agencies and ensure that students develop a strong understanding of social work practice in North Wales, alongside their academic development. This is also a good opportunity to identify the future workforce.

What will you study on this course?

The programme is delivered via a wide range of teaching methods and learning opportunities. These will include participation in lectures, seminars, group work, role play and student-directed learning projects. Practice learning opportunities enable students to learn from skilled and experienced practitioners within a structured and supportive learning environment.

Year 1

• Knowledge and Skills Base for Social Work

• Social Policy for Social Work Practice
• The Life Course
• Values and Ethics for Social Work Practice
• Law for Social Work 1
• The Research Process
• Practice Placement 1 (100 days)
• The Literature Review

Year 2

• Social Work with Adults
• Social Work with Children, Young People and Families
• Law for Social Work 2
• Practice Placement (100 days)
• The Social Work Dissertation

Dissertation: The Dissertation provides students with an opportunity to conduct a small-scale yet significant piece of individual research supervised by a research supervisor. Students identify a research question, and collect and analyse data that bears on the research question, utilising an appropriate analytical framework. They then address the research question in the light of their findings. The research undertaken is presented in the format of a 20,000 word dissertation employing usual conventions.

After qualification there are opportunities to take up posts in a wide range of health or social care settings, often working alongside other professionals in multidisciplinary teams. Our links with employers mean that in many years all our graduates secure employment contracts before completing their studies. Currently typical starting salaries for these posts are between £25-30K.

Links with employers

The University works in partnership with Gwynedd, Ynys Môn and Conwy Local Authorities to develop, deliver and manage this Social Work programme. Partner local authorities are involved in recruitment, student selection, contributing to teaching and assessment of students. The primary partners also provide practice learning opportunities, along with other employing agencies and ensure that students develop a strong understanding of social work practice in North Wales, alongside their academic development. This is also a good opportunity to identify the future workforce. We also work with carers and individuals who use social services in recruitment, assessment and management elements of the programme.

Social policy is an exciting subject to study because of its relevance to society – its structures and everyday life. You will explore the academic roots of social policy in the UK as well as expanding far beyond a historical context to explore current day trends and issues, including inequality, democracy, capitalism and the role of the state.