Qualification regulations for the Master of Social Work

Qualification Regulations

Part I

These regulations are to be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.

Part II

Admission

1. Admission to the Degree of Master of Social Work requires that the candidate will:

(a) meet the University admission requirements as specified; and

(b) have been awarded or qualified for the Bachelor of Social Work or Bachelor of Social Work with Honours or equivalent; or

(c) have been awarded or qualified for the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work with a B grade average across all courses, or equivalent.

Qualification requirements

2. Candidates for the Degree of Master of Social Work shall follow a parts-based programme of study, which shall consist of courses totalling at least 240 credits, comprising:

(a) Part One and Part Two as prescribed in the Schedule to the qualification degree;

and including:

(b) courses selected from the Schedule to the Degree;

3. Notwithstanding Regulation 2, candidates admitted under regulation 1(c) shall follow a programme of study which shall consist of courses totalling at least 120 credits, comprising:

(a) Part Two as prescribed in the Schedule to the degree;

and including:

(b) the compulsory course 179702, unless this course has already been completed as part of the qualifying postgraduate diploma.

Specialisations

4. The Degree of Master of Social Work is awarded without specialisation.

Student progression

5. For progression to Part Two of the degree, candidates must have achieved a minimum of a B grade average over the courses completed in Part One.

6. The Degree of Master of Social Work may be awarded with or without a class of Honours.

Completion requirements

7. The timeframes for completion as outlined in the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates will apply.

8. Candidates may be graduated when they meet the Admission, Qualification and Academic requirements within the prescribed timeframes; candidates who do not meet the requirements for graduation may, subject to the approval of Academic Board, be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work or the Postgraduate Certificate in Social Work should they meet the relevant Qualification requirements.

Unsatisfactory academic progress

9. The general Unsatisfactory Academic Progress regulations will apply.

Transitional provisions

10. Subject to any Maximum Time to Completion and the Abandonment of Studies provisions specified in the Part I regulations for the degree, candidates enrolled in the Master of Social Work prior to 1 January 2024 may substitute a course which has already been successfully completed for one of 179730, 179731 or 179732. Candidates who have not completed any of 179761, 179763, 179771 or 179778 may substitute a course which has already been successfully completed for one of these, provided the course to be substituted has not already been substituted for another course.

11. These transition arrangements expire 31 December 2027.

Schedule for the Master of Social Work

Course planning key

Prerequisites: Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites: Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions: Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Key terms for course planning

Courses: Each qualification has its own specific set of courses. Some universities call these papers. You enrol in courses after you get accepted into Massey.
Course code: Each course is numbered using 6 digits. The fourth number shows the level of the course. For example, in course 219206, the fourth number is a 2, so it is a 200-level course (usually studied in the second year of full-time study).
Credits: Each course is worth a number of credits. You combine courses (credits) to meet the total number of credits needed for your qualification.
Specialisations: Some qualifications let you choose what subject you'd like to specialise in. Your major or endorsement is what you will take the majority of your courses in.

Part One

Compulsory course

179702 Advanced Research Methods 30

An examination of research methods, traditions and techniques used in social work, social policy and health research. The course is designed to assist in developing a research proposal for a thesis, or research project.

Regulations for The Master of Social Work - MSW