PhDPsychology
Doctor of Social Work
UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
About this program
UNSW's Doctor of Social Work is a professional doctorate combining specialised coursework, taken through the Master of Counselling Social Work, Master of Development Studies or Master of Public Policy and Governance, with doctoral research building social work knowledge, structured as one-third coursework and two-thirds research across a three-year full-time equivalent program. The 50,000 to 60,000-word thesis develops sophisticated research skills for an original contribution to social work knowledge, building on the advanced practice study completed in the coursework component and the candidate's existing professional experience. Coursework enrolment is part-time only for the Master of Counselling Social Work stream, while the Development Studies and Public Policy streams allow full-time or part-time study, with the same flexibility available for the thesis component. It suits experienced social work practitioners ready for research and practice leadership roles who want to combine advanced specialised practice study with genuine doctoral research capability.
Fees & duration
English test scores
Verified handbook.unsw.edu.au ↗
Course structure
- Students must complete 144 UOC when taken as a standalone program
Career & PR pathway
Which careers in Psychology lead to skilled migration depends on the occupation, not the degree title. See the skilled occupation lists guide for which occupations are on each list, and the points calculator to check where you stand.
Admissions
There are 3 requirements for admission to the Social Work (PrDoc) degree and all 3 requirements must be met A social work qualification established by eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers, or membership of an equivalent overseas professional social work association A minimum 2 years post-qualifying professional social work practice experience A first or upper-second class (Distinction) thesis research Honours degree (minimum thesis wordlength: 10,000 words) OR a Masters (Coursework) degree with a distinction average and a significant research component, minimum equivalent 18 unit of credit content, consisting of methodology training and a stand-alone research project. See Additional Information below for details on alternative qualifying and Advanced Standing entry pathways. For further information, see the Admission to Higher Degree Research Prog...
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