The Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) Bachelor of Arts (BSW Hons BA) is a 5.5-year Dual degree. The BSW Hons BA provides an opportunity for students to undertake the courses required for the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) program, as well as courses from the Bachelor of Arts program, including an approved major and minor stream, providing you with all the benefits of an education in the Humanities, Social Sciences and the Creative and Performing Arts.

Please refer to the program objectives as listed for the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) program 4033 and the Bachelor of Arts program 3403.


Requirements for the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) in Dual Mode

The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (168 UOC) are:

Dual Mode with Bachelor of Arts - General Education Requirement

Because both Dual programs are internal to UNSW Arts and Social Sciences the General Education (GE) Exemption for Dual programs does not apply.

For students completing the BSW (Hons) in Dual mode the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Elective in the BA is replaced with an approved GE course to meet 6 UOC of the GE requirement. The other 6 UOC is to be taken by replacing ARTS1870 Rethinking the Social with an approved GE course. This completes the 12 UOC GE requirement.

Core

Level 1

Directed or independent research is integrated into SOCW4014 to meet the requirements of both AQF Level 8 Bachelors degree with Honours and the AASW.

Field Education

An integral aspect of the program core is organised learning in the field and this is a basic requirement for the professional recognition of the degree. In the field education courses, a field educator, usually in a social welfare agency, is responsible for a student learning to apply the principles of professional practice in an actual practice setting. From level 3, a total of 140 seven-hour days are taken up in this way. Forty of these days are scheduled during academic recess periods. A student's two field education placements are in more than one type of practice setting. The settings vary and can include medical, psychiatric, local government, community health, community, family and child welfare, services to groups with disabilities, services to the aged, services to migrants, income security, and corrective services. Non-government social welfare agencies and all levels of government are utilised. For some students, their second field education placement may be located outside the Sydney metropolitan area. SOCW3011 and SOCW4014 are the designated field education courses.

General Education

General Education is the completion of two courses (12 UOC) offered outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. This requirement is met if an external major or minor (for example, Economics) is completed. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) can be studied as General Education only if students are not following a major or minor in Indigenous Studies within the BA program.

University Medal

An honours student in this program may be nominated for a University Medal in line with the University Medal Policy http://www.gs.unsw.edu.au/policy/documents/medalspolicy.pdf and Procedures http://www.gs.unsw.edu.au/policy/documents/medalsprocedure.pdf.

Academic Rules

Dual Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) level, a student must:

Honours

Honours will be awarded in the following classes, based on the student's WAM rounded to the nearest whole number:

• Honours Class I (selective WAM of 85 or higher)
  
• Honours Class II division 1, (selective WAM of 75-84)
  
• Honours Class II division 2 (selective WAM of 65-74)
  
• Honours Class III (selective WAM of 50-64)

The award will be calculated on the basis of the WAM for Level 3 and 4 Program Core courses in Social Work, with the selected Honours course (SOCW4015 or SOCW4016) weighted as 24 units of credit to recognise integration of learning with professional practice in SOCW4014.

Exit Strategies

Students unable to meet the requirements of either SOCW3011 or SOCW4014 may exit the program and enrol in the Bachelor of Welfare Studies. It should be noted that this program does not provide eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

Security Checks

It is a requirement that students who are undertaking placements in certain government departments and related organisations undergo a criminal record check.

Professional Recognition

Graduates with the degree of Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) from UNSW are eligible for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Dual Mode

Program Structure

The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (96 UOC) are:

Details of the home major and minor streams available can be found on the Bachelor of Arts 3403 program page.

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Arts at Pass level, a student must:

General Education

General Education is the completion of two courses (12 UOC) offered outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. This requirement is met if an external major or minor (for example, Economics) is completed. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) can be studied as General Education only if students are not following a major or minor in Indigenous Studies within the BA program.

Award with Distinction

You are eligible for the award of your Pass Degree "with Distinction" if you achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 75 in all courses and complete at least 50% of the requirements of your award at UNSW.

After completion of 144 UOC including all of the requirements of the Bachelor of Arts dual degree, high achieving students may apply for admission to the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the stream(s) seeking to be further studied.

Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.

The Academic Rules for the BSW Hons BA and the online enrolment facility provide students with a wide range of course choices. The online enrolment facility checks that students meet the enrolment requirements for individual courses but not that a course complies with Program Rules. Students are responsible for ensuring they are enrolling in accordance with the Academic Rules outlined above. Students should not assume that because they have enrolled in a course online that the course is automatically credited to their degree program.

Contact the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre for advice.
Tel: + 61 2 9385 2289
Email: arts@unsw.edu.au
Location: Room G1 Ground Floor, Morven Brown building (C20)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Frequently asked questions