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Take your social work career to the next level
Enhance your social work career with Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work.
Take your social work practice and your career to the next level. The Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work meets an increasing professional demand for a post-qualifying pathway for professionally qualified and registered social workers.
Massey is the only university in New Zealand that offers post-qualifying social work courses by distance. Which means you can study wherever you like, to fit in with your other commitments.
On this programme, you’ll extend your knowledge of your chosen area of social work and apply this knowledge to your own contexts.
You’ll learn to read and appraise the latest social work research. You will master methodological and theoretical issues and research methods. You’ll also deepen your knowledge of cultural competence as it relates to research and practice principles with Māori and other diverse cultural groups.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work will prepare you for leadership in specific areas of social work practice. This is through the dissemination of information in workplaces. It is also through clinical supervision and mentoring of students and beginning practitioners.
You’ll already be employed as a social worker. The Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work strengthens your professional development as an advanced practitioner and specialist in your field of practice.
Study at postgraduate diploma level can lead to a Master of Social Work and then to a doctorate.
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
To enter the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work programme you will:
You will provide verified copies of all academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University.
To study this programme you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, we have courses and programmes that may help.
If you need to do a course before you start your programme, there may be options for you in Summer School.
From the Schedule to the Diploma including:
Schedule courses
See the Courses for this programme section for schedules of courses and the Regulations for more details.
| 120 credits | ||
|---|---|---|
| 179702 | Advanced Research Methods | 30 |
| 179736 | Substance Misuse and Addictions | 30 |
| 179740 | Social Service Supervision: Theory and Practice | 30 |
| 179741 | Social Service Management | 30 |
| 179761 | Current Issues and Theories in Social Service Practice | 30 |
| 179763 | Clinical Practice | 30 |
| 179771 | Child Welfare | 30 |
| 179773 | Disability Studies | 30 |
| 179777 | Disability, Consumer Rights and Advocacy | 30 |
| 179778 | Mental Health and Social Work | 30 |
| 179783 | Māori Development and the Social Services | 30 |
| 279703 | Social Policy Studies | 30 |
The Master of Social Work requires you to have a B average from the four taught courses and at least a B grade in 179.702 Advanced Research Methods.
Please see the Master of Social Work webpage for more information.
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.
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. These regulations should be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including the below.
General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Postgraduate Certificates.
If you are ready to apply, have a look at our application checklist. It will help you get prepared with what you need. Please also check the entry requirements carefully before you apply.
You will apply for the programme using the Apply now button on this page. You’ll also choose your specialisation (major, subject or endorsement) if applicable.
Some programmes have additional requirements such as the submission of a portfolio or CV. Click on Apply now and you will be able to submit those documents as part of the application process.
You will receive an Admission Offer of Place when you have been accepted into the programme. You need to accept this before you can enrol in your courses. International students also need to pay their fees at this point.
You’ll then get access to your own student homepage (also known as the student portal). This is where you can enrol in courses. Any updates on your application or enrolments will also be on your student homepage. Make sure you check this regularly.
When you choose courses, ensure you check for any requirements that apply including:
Each of our courses has its own webpage where you can find this information. You can use our course search to find course pages.
More information on courses is in the ‘Courses for this programme’ section on this page.
You can find information on application due dates and semester dates on the key dates page.
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 be 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.