Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Summary

The Social Work programme at the University of Otago offers two main qualifications designed for different career stages of professional social workers:

• The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is designed for students wishing to obtain a first qualification in Social Work that qualifies them to apply for registration as social workers in New Zealand.
• The Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is designed for mid-career social workers who are already registered but wish to undertake further professional development in a more focused area of professional practice.

Entry into the BSW programme via one of two pathways:

1. Students can undertake a four-year undergraduate programme by first enrolling as Social Work Pre-professional students (under the BA programme) and then applying for entry into the third-year stage of the BSW programme (the Social Work Pre-professional years count as the first two years of a four-year BSW programme).
2. If students have already completed another bachelor's degree majoring in a relevant subject such as Psychology or Sociology (other options may be suitable), they can apply for admission directly into the third-year stage of the BSW programme.

For more information about Social and Community Work:

Social and Community Work programme