Undergraduate · Psychology
Bachelor of Social Work
Southern Cross University, Lismore/Gold Coast/Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
About this program
Two supervised field placements, in two different human service organisations, totalling 1,000 hours, sit at the centre of this degree: that's the Australian Association of Social Workers' (AASW) accreditation requirement, and SCU structures the whole course around building toward those placements rather than treating them as an add-on at the end. Placement I runs 500 hours in one organisation, Placement II runs 600 hours in a second, deliberately different setting, so graduates leave having practiced in two distinct parts of the human services sector rather than specialising narrowly before they've even started work.
Because SCU's placement network draws on regional NSW and Gold Coast community organisations, students often end up placed in settings that a metro-based social work degree's placement pool wouldn't typically reach, such as remote community health, regional Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, or rural family services. Before placement starts, students need to clear Working with Children and National Police Certificate checks, and local placement isn't guaranteed even for students who live nearby.
Graduates are eligible for AASW accreditation, the qualification employers actually check for when hiring into social work positions across health, child protection, and community services.
Cost & duration
English test scores
Course structure
5 terms of coursework
- Core units: Introduction to Social Work Practice, Human Behaviour and the Social Environment, Social Policy and Social Justice, Social Work Theory and Methods, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives on Social Work, Research for Social Work Practice, Mental Health and Social Work, Working with Families and Groups
Social Work Placement I
- 500 hours supervised WIL in a human service organisation
Social Work Placement II
- 600 hours supervised WIL in a second, different organisation
- Mandatory compliance checks (Working with Children, National Police Certificate) required before each placement
- Total WIL across the degree: 1,000 hours, meeting AASW accreditation standards
Admissions
ATAR ~65+ (or equivalent Year 12), plus Working with Children Check