Program

Social Work (Honours)/SR&P - 4044

Program Summary

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Contact: Dr Joanne Spangaro

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Typical Duration: 5.5 Years  

Typical UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC Per Semester: 6

Max UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC For Award: 264

UAC Code: 422402

Domestic Entry Requirements: See Domestic Entry Requirements

International Entry Requirements: See International Entry Requirements

Award(s):

Bachelor of Social Research and Policy (Major)

Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)

View program information for previous years

Program Description

This program is for students commencing from 2016.

Students commencing prior to 2016 should refer to the program rules for the year they started.

The Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) Bachelor of Social Research and Policy (BSW Hons BSRP) is a 5.5-year Dual degree. The BSW Hons BSRP provides an opportunity for students to undertake the courses required for the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) program, as well as the core program of study in social science, policy analysis and research methods, including a major in a particular social science discipline.

Program Objectives and Graduate Attributes

Please refer to the program objectives as listed for the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) program 4033 and the Bachelor of Social Research & Policy program 3420.


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

Program Structure

The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (168 UOC) are:
  1. Program Core (162 UOC)
  2. General Education (6 UOC)

Dual Mode with Bachelor of Social Research & Policy - 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 this Dual mode the Social Research & Policy Prescribed Elective 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.

Double Counting in Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) and Bachelor of Social Research & Policy

24 UOC of the core courses in Social Research & Policy, SRAP1000, SRAP1001, SRAP2002 and SRAP3000 are also part of the core for Social Work (Honours). Therefore these four SRAP courses will be double counted towards this dual degree.

A further 12 UOC of the core courses in Social Research & Policy, SRAP3006 and DIPP1112 have similar content to SOCW3011 and SOCW3009 respectively. Therefore SRAP3006 and DIPP1112 will be substituted with 12 UOC of Social Research & Policy Prescribed Electives.

Core

Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
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.

TAFE Credit Transfer

Students admitted to the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) who have completed an approved TAFE diploma are eligible for credit transfer. Slightly different credit transfers apply to students enrolled in dual degrees. For further information see https://socialsciences.arts.unsw.edu.au/disciplines/social-work/tafe-credit-transfer/.

Participation and Enrolment Requirements

Working with Children Check

The Working With Children Check is valid for five years. It is a requirement for all students and is specifically designed for people who work or volunteer in child-related work. It involves a national criminal history check and a review of findings of workplace misconduct. The result of a Working With Children Check is either a clearance to work with children for five years, or a bar against working with children. Cleared applicants are subject to ongoing monitoring and relevant new records may lead to the clearance being revoked. The Working With Children Check is fully portable so it can be used for any paid or unpaid child-related work in NSW for as long as the worker remains cleared.

You can apply for their Working With Children Check (WWCC) number on the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian website. To be eligible for a WWCC you will have to show proof of identity to a NSW Motor Registry or Council Agency. For more information you may access the online tutorials and fact sheets at http://www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/Working-with-children/working-with-children-check

National Criminal Record Check

A National Criminal Record Check is valid for three years. You must undergo a National Criminal Record Check and provide an original copy of the Check results to the Work Integrated Learning Unit. The result of a Working With Children Check is either that there are ‘no disclosable outcomes’, or that there are ‘disclosable outcomes’ which are then detailed in the certificate. If you have a disclosable outcome(s) on your criminal record check you will need to undergo a risk assessment. Please contact the Work Integrated Learning Unit for further information about this.

All placement students are subject to ongoing monitoring and must disclose new ‘disclosable outcomes’ to the Work Integrated Learning Unit. Some agencies (e.g NSW Health) only accept National Criminal Record Checks obtained through specific accredited agencies.
Compliance with NSW Health Vaccination Requirements (NSW Health funded placements)

In order to undertake placement in a NSW Health funded facility, you need to demonstrate evidence of protection against the following diseases:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough)
• Hepatitis B
• Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Tuberculosis (TB) - As specified on the Vaccination Card, this check is only required if you were born in a country with a high incidence of TB, or you have lived or travelled in a high risk TB country cumulatively for 3 months or more.

Evidence of protection against these diseases must be recorded on the NSW Health vaccination card by a GP and serology reports must be provide for some diseases (reports from your doctor where protection is measured in your blood).

Green P Drivers Licence

Many agencies require that students have a Green P Drivers Licence or above. Although it is not compulsory to have a NSW Drivers License to undertake placement, it is an essential requirement for social work tasks in most agencies. Not having a Green P or unrestricted Driver’s License will significantly limit student placement options.

Academic Rules

Dual Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) level, a student must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Social Work and complete 168 UOC;
  2. complete the core requirements
  3. complete 6 UOC of General Education

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 Social Research & Policy in Dual Mode

Program Structure

The basic requirements for the degree in Dual mode (120 UOC) are:
  1. Core Social Research and Policy courses (42 UOC)
  2. Prescribed Social Research and Policy electives (12 UOC)
  3. One major stream (60 UOC) from the approved list
  4. General Education (6 UOC)

Core

Compulsory courses (42 UOC) made up of:

Level 1
Level 2

Prescribed Social Research and Policy electives

Students should choose two courses from the following list:
Or an appropriate course as agreed to by the Program Convenor.

Streams

60 units of credit from any of the Internal Streams or External Streams (denoted with '*') listed below.
 
Media, Culture and Technology
Indigenous Studies Politics
International Relations
Marketing (48 UOC)* Sociology and Anthropology
 * denotes majors offered by Faculties other than UNSW Arts and Social Sciences.

External Streams

Human Resource Management, International Business, and Marketing: Students who choose any of these streams are required to complete 12 UOC of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives.

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives are any courses chosen from the offerings of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. Students can add depth to their major or minor stream (above the minimum requirements) or undertake other courses from other areas of study within UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) cannot be studied as UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives.

Prescribed Social Research and Policy Elective

A Prescribed Social Research and Policy Elective is any course chosen from the list of Social Research and Policy offerings of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences.

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 in Indigenous Studies within the BSRP 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.

Honours

After completion of 144 UOC including all of the requirements of the Bachelor of Social Research and Policy dual degree, high achieving students may apply for admission to the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504 or the Bachelor of Social Research and Policy (Honours) 4507 if undertaking the Social Research and Policy honours stream. 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
Bachelor of Social Research and Policy (Honours) program 4507

Academic Rules

Dual Mode

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Social Research and Policy, a student must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Social Research and Policy and complete 120 units of credit;
  2. complete the requirements for the core
  3. complete the requirements for prescribed electives
  4. complete the requirements for one stream
  5. complete 6 UOC in General Education
  6. complete at least 30 units of credit of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses
  7. specify their major stream at the time of enrolment into Level 2
  8. complete at least 48 UOC, including 6 UOC at Level 1 and 6 UOC at Level 2 in their major stream, before enrolling in Level 3 courses.

Standard Program

Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) Bachelor of Social Research & Policy - Standard Program
LEVEL 1 - 48 units of  credit
S1SOCW1001 Introduction to Social Work (6 UOC)PSYC1001 Psychology 1A
(6 UOC)
SRAP1000 Policy and Society (6 UOC)SRAP Major
(6 UOC)
S2SOCW1004 Lifespan and Health (6 UOC)ARTS1871 Cultural Experience (6 UOC)SRAP1001 Social Research and Society (6 UOC)SRAP Major
(6 UOC)
LEVEL 2 - 48 units of credit 
S1SOCW2008 Culture, Identity, Diversity (6 UOC)SOCW2100 Aboriginal People & Social Wk
(6 UOC)
SRAP2001 Qualitative Social Research
(6 UOC)
SRAP Major
(6 UOC)
S2SRAP2002 Policy Analysis (6 UOC)SRAP Major (6 UOC)SRAP Major (6 UOC)SRAP Major
(6 UOC)
LEVEL 3 - 48 units of credit
S1SOCW2003 Sole Clients and Groups (6 UOC)SRAP3000 Policy and Social Theory (6 UOC)SRAP3001 Quantitative Social Research
(6 UOC)
SRAP Major
(6 UOC)
S2SOCW2006 Soc Work Pract:Community Work
(6 UOC)
SOCW2009 Sole Clients and Families
(6 UOC)
SRAP3002 Social Research and Policy Project (6 UOC)SRAP Major
(6 UOC)
LEVEL 4 - 48 units of credit 
S1SOCW3011 Level Three Placement (18 UOC)SOCW3009 Ethics and Reflective Practice (6 UOC)
S2SOCW3006 Socio-Legal Practice (6 UOC)SOCW3010 Organisational Practice (6 UOC)SRAP Major (6 UOC)SRAP Major
(6 UOC)
LEVEL 5 - 48 units of credit
S1SOCW4003 SOCW Practice Methods (6 UOC)SOCW4011 Evi/Prac Based Research
(6 UOC)
SOCW4012 Mental Health and Trauma
(6 UOC)
SOCW4013 Child and Family Practice
(6 UOC)
S2SOCW4014 Level 4 Placement (18 UOC)SOCW4015 Honours Research Thesis (6 UOC) or
SOCW4016 Social Work Honours Portfolio (6 UOC)
LEVEL 6 - 24 units of credit
S1Prescribed SRAP Elective (6 UOC)Prescribed SRAP Elective (6 UOC)General Education
(6 UOC)
General Education
(6 UOC)

Fees

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

Important Information

The Academic Rules for the BSW Hons BSRP 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.

Further Information

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

Glossary of Terms


Area(s) of Specialisation