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Advance your social work career to the highest level
Equip yourself to lead in the demanding field of social work. Meet the new challenges of the 21st century.
Massey University’s prestigious Doctor of Social Work (DSW) is designed to advance your social work and social development knowledge at local, national and international levels.
No. A PhD seeks to make a contribution to theory and knowledge generally, while a DSW seeks to make a contribution to practice, policy or social work knowledge. The DSW consists of a combination of four courses (Stage 1) and a 65,000 word research thesis (Stage 2). A Doctor of Philosophy or PhD is achieved solely through a research thesis of 100,000 words. Both qualifications are challenging, require a high level of personal motivation and commitment. They should be undertaken only after careful reflection about the time and resources available to you.
This qualification is particularly relevant for social workers in fields of health, well-being and hauora, including:
The DSW gives you a unique opportunity to develop your social work expertise and undertake policy and practice-based research at an advanced level. You’ll work in an environment that encourages new ideas around innovative social work and social development policy and practices.
You’ll gain advanced research-based knowledge of theory, research, methodology, models and practices of social work and social development. You’ll cover both Aotearoa New Zealand and international contexts. You will become confident in applying this knowledge in practice and policy settings to clients, tangata whaiora and the wider social services sector.
You’ll be able to:
The DSW is offered part-time so you can fit study in with your other professional and personal commitments.
At the moment only New Zealand citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply for the Doctor of Social Work.
Massey University’s Doctor of Social Work provides the highest level of professional development within the field of social work.
This programme will enhance your role as an advanced practitioner, practice leader, policy adviser, specialist practitioner, manager, adviser, trainer or educator. You will lead new thinking and discover better ways to empower change.
You can become a key decision maker and make a positive difference in your community, your iwi, and your country. You can help build a better world through social justice and social equity.
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
To enter the Doctor of Social Work you will:
You will provide verified copies of all academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University.
Academic IELTS score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 - this must be achieved in one sitting; or a minimum TOEFL iBT of 90 overall (minimum of 20 in writing). These tests are valid for two years.
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
From the Schedule to the Degree including:
Completion of Part One Provisional Registration and Part Two Full Registration including:
Participation in required activities including presentation of a proposal at a confirmation event and defending a thesis in an oral examination on the thesis and the subject area.
This is a parts-based qualification. This means there are regulations around your completion of Part One before progressing to Part Two, etc.
See the Courses for this programme section for schedules of courses.
| At least 120 credits from | ||
|---|---|---|
| 179911 | Advanced Social Work and Social Development Theory | 30 |
| 179912 | Advanced Studies in International Social Work | 30 |
| 179913 | Advanced Social Work Research and Evaluation | 30 |
| 179929 | Advanced Directed Study in Social Work | 30 |
| At least 240 credits from | ||
|---|---|---|
| 179930 | Thesis Doctor of Social Work | 240 |
The Doctor of Social Work is a parts-based qualification. That means you must complete the first part (Provisional Registration), before moving to the second part (Full Registration).
A suite of four 900-level courses (120 credits).
A thesis investigation that makes a significant contribution to knowledge and understanding in professional social work.
Progressing to full registration is subject to candidates completing all the course work to a B+ or better standard and passing a confirmation event for which they have submitted a research proposal and orally defended it. Confirmed candidate’s progress will be monitored through a six-monthly reporting process.
You may begin your study either in the first semester (February) or second semester (July).
There are maximum time limits to complete postgraduate qualifications. If you do not complete within the maximum time, you may be required to re-apply for the programme if you wish to continue your studies.
Where your qualification is completed within the stated time limit and to a high standard, you may be able to graduate with a class of Honours, Distinction or Merit.
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
If you already know which courses you are going to take, you can use our fees calculator to get an estimate of your fees.
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.
Current and returning Massey students will find their National Student Number on their student homepage.
You can start your PhD study at anytime throughout the academic year. However normally you will pay full tuition fees from the start of each calendar year, with the exception of the first and final year of your study, which may be a partial year, depending on your start date.
Fees are not charged once you submit your thesis for examination.
The New Zealand government provides all international PhD students with a government subsidized scholarship which allows international students to pay tuition at the domestic fee rate. As part of the Immigration New Zealand student visa requirement, you will need to pay your full first year tuition fee at the time of accepting your Offer of Place and before you can enrol.
If your highest qualification is from an overseas institution you will be required to pay an Admission with Equivalent Status (AES) overseas qualifications fee of NZD$137.00 before your application for admission will be considered. This fee will be refunded to you upon enrolment in the programme.
The Massey DSW is unique in New Zealand, and offers students an opportunity to draw on the range of expertise of the staff of New Zealand's most respected social work programme. Our academic staff brings extensive teaching, research and supervision experience, a passion for social work, and for working with indigenous peoples and international contexts.
Mark Henrickson
Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions.
Review this important information before you apply for this programme. This gives you full details of the rules and regulations about what you need to study and what you must achieve in order to graduate with this qualification. That includes structure, courses and requirements.
Massey’s Graduate Research School administers all doctoral degrees at Massey. They will complete an eligibility assessment based on all documents and qualifications submitted. If you meet the basic entry requirements an academic assessment will be carried out in the academic unit you are applying to.
It is expected that all applicants for the Doctor of Social Work will have had some contact with the DSW programme coordinator prior to their application. This will help you to understand whether you are eligible to apply for the course, how the course is structured and delivered, and to ensure that you have begun to develop some ideas about the focus of your study. These ideas should be reflected in a brief proposal that you will submit with your application.
Contact us through the Enquire button on this page to find out more.
You can apply for the programme using the Apply now button on this page. You will be able to submit any required documents as part of this application process.
Please allow at least four to six weeks for the review process. Please note that significant delays will occur if you don't provide all necessary documents.
You will receive an Admission Offer of Place when you have been accepted into the programme. You need to accept this Offer before you can start the enrolment stage. If necessary you may defer your enrolment for up to a year after you have accepted your Offer of Place.
We look forward to welcoming you to Massey!
If you have any questions, contact us through the Enquire button on this page.
Each Massey programme is made up of courses (in some tertiary institutions they are called ‘papers’).
You will have some compulsory courses and some you can choose from.
Each course is worth a certain amount of credits (often 15 credits, but this does vary). You must gain a set number of credits to be able to graduate from this programme.
There may also be some rules about which courses you need to pass to progress to the next year, or stage, of your study (known as progression). There are also courses you must pass to graduate with a specialisation.
The first three digits of our course numbers show you which subject the course is about.
The second three digits show you the level and course ID number. For instance:
| 1 | 6 | 2 | . | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| Subject area | Level | Course ID number | |||||
Use this tool to help determine how much time you will need each week to complete your studies.
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the programme or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these programmes go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Enquire button on this page if you have any questions.
There are a number of scholarships available for new and current students. They could relate to your situation, achievement or interest.