The Social Work degree teaches you to understand people, giving you the skills to help them through challenging times such as homelessness, addiction, abuse, mental illness, poverty, ageing and discrimination.

Studies in the areas of social work practice and social and behavioural sciences equip you to find practical solutions to help people reduce stress and improve their quality of life.

There is a strong emphasis on practical skills, with professional-practice courses running from the first year, while field placements provide opportunities to apply classroom learning to real-life situations, either in Australia or overseas.

• Policy analyst and adviser
• Research officer
• Project manager
• Social worker

Professional accreditation

The UNSW Bachelor of Social Work degree qualifies graduates for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) which is required by many employers.

Our Social Work graduates can be found in the following organisations:

Health :

• public hospitals including general and mental health services
• community health services

Government :

• state and federal government departments including Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services, Health, Social Security, Community Services, Probation and Parole
• local government organisations focused on social-planning and delivery of services for local residents

Non-government organisations :

• United Nations (UN) agencies such as UN Development Programme, UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF
• Save the Children, International Red Cross and AusAid
• community, peak (representative) councils, private, charitable and religious organisations

Private organisations :

• corporate settings including unions, state transport services, banks, the armed services and private industry
• counsellors, psychotherapists, planning and social policy