Qualification regulations for the Bachelor 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 Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas, and Graduate Certificates.

Part II

Admission

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

(a) meet the University admission requirements as specified;

(b) meet the requirements for registration as set down by the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board in terms of candidates being ‘fit and proper persons to practice social work’;

(c) provide satisfactory evidence of their proficiency in English, if English is not the applicant’s first language, in the form of:

(i) overall academic score of at least 6.5 in an IELTS assessment with no band score less than 6.5 within the preceding two years; or

(ii) A TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) score of 85 or higher with a writing score of 22; or

(iii) at least two years of successful study in a New Zealand secondary school, with at least ten Level 2 NCEA credits in Literacy (five reading and five writing) or equivalent; and

(d) be selected into the programme.

Qualification requirements

2. Candidates for the Bachelor of Social Work shall follow a parts-based programme of study, which shall consist of courses totalling at least 480 credits, comprising:

(a) Parts One, Two, Three, and Four;

(b) at least four years of study;

and including:

(d) attending field trips, workshops, tutorials, and practice laboratories as required.

Specialisations

3. The Degree of Bachelor of Social Work is awarded without specialisation.

Academic requirements

4. Every candidate for the Bachelor of Social Work shall complete the required Field Education courses and at least 120 days of approved supervised field education and associated reports, in accordance with the requirements of the following courses:

(a) 179.255 Introduction to Field Education

(b) 179.355 Field Education I

Student progression

5. Candidates may progress from Parts One to Two, Two to Three, and Three to Four, by passing all courses in the prior part.

6. The Academic Board may, under such conditions as it may determine and taking into account the recommendations of the examiners, admit any candidate to a supplementary privilege (normally an examination) where available in a course in which the candidate failed to gain a pass.

7. Notwithstanding Regulation 5:

(a) Candidates shall not enrol in Part II unless they have passed courses to at least 75 credits. The candidate may on the recommendation of Academic Board, be permitted to enrol in approved courses of Part II in the same year that the candidate is enrolled in the remaining courses of the previous part.

(b) Candidates shall not enrol for Part III unless they:

(i) have passed all the compulsory requirements of the previous parts except that a candidate who has passed all the prerequisites for entry to Part III of the degree, except one of the compulsory courses in Part I or Part II may, with the approval of the Academic Board, be permitted to enrol in Part III;

(ii) have been admitted to Part III by a selection process approved by the Head of School; and

(iii) hold a current full driver’s licence valid in New Zealand unless otherwise exempted.

(c) Candidates shall not enrol in Part IV unless they have been admitted to Part IV by a selection process approved by the Head of School.

8. Candidates must continue to meet the requirements for registration as set down by the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board in terms of candidates being ‘fit and proper persons to practice social work’; Candidates must advise the Programme Coordinator of any change to their circumstances in this regard within 7 days, including any conviction or criminal charges pending. Annual confirmation of eligibility is required.

9. The Degree of Bachelor of Social Work may be awarded with or without a class of Honours.

Completion requirements

10. Any timeframes for completion as outlined in the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates will apply.

11. 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 Diploma in Arts should they meet the relevant Qualification requirements.

Unsatisfactory academic progress

12. For candidates enrolled in the Degree of Bachelor of Social Work, the following will lead to exclusion from the qualification:

(a) Failure to continue to meet the requirements for registration as set down by the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board in terms of candidates being ‘fit and proper persons to practice social work’;

(b) Failure to obtain a pass in either 179.355 or 179.455 on their second attempt;

(c) Persons excluded under clause 12(b) will only be re-admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Social Work with approval of the Academic Board, which may be declined, or granted under such conditions as it may determine.

Transitional provisions

13. Subject to any Maximum Time to Completion regulations and the Abandonment of Studies provisions specified in the Part I qualification regulations, candidates enrolled in the Bachelor of Social Work prior to 1 January 2022 will be granted the following substitutions:

(a) 30 credits of elective courses for 179.120 and 179.121

(b) 279.201 for 179.240

(d) 179.410 for 179.430 and 179.431

(e) 179.420 for 179.432 and 179.433

These transition arrangements expire 31 December 2025.

Schedule for the Bachelor 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 (Choose 120 credits from)

Choose 120 credits from

150103 Nau mai e noho: Engaging with Māori 15

This course will equip students with a range of skills to engage with Māori communities including common expressions in te reo, an understanding of key traditional concepts, customary practices (tikanga), the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi and the nature and structure of Māori social and political organisations.

Regulations for The Bachelor of Social Work - BSW