Bachelor
The desire to help the needy and vulnerable in our society is more than just a job. Our Bachelor of Social Welfare is focused on achieving positive social change and community wellbeing. It is also the pathway to a deeply satisfying career in the human services sector.
We'll help harness your empathy and enhance your communication skills with a view to delivering great outcomes across social welfare practice. You can choose to specialise through a major focusing on children and young people, the health and disability sector, mental health or Indigenous knowledge.
You will gain on-the-job experience through extensive placements, working with individuals and organisations that share your commitment and are working to improve people's lives.
Graduates will emerge with transferrable skills for a variety of career options in human services - from working directly with people in their homes or facilities, to creating policy. You can also continue your studies in a linked Masters program that offers a pathway to professional accreditation as a social worker.
Please note: As of 2021, this course will be renamed the Bachelor of Community Welfare. If you enrol in the Bachelor of Social Welfare in 2020, unless you advise otherwise, you will automatically transition to the Bachelor of Community Welfare course after your first year. The name change signals a move to a broader core curriculum, away from major areas of study. Graduates of the Bachelor of Community Welfare degree will be equipped with knowledge and skills across a range of fields of practice including youth work, mental health, disability and child protection. For more details about these course changes, please contact the future students team.
Applicants from non-English speaking backgrounds who have less than 2 years of high school education in Australia or other English speaking country must be able to demonstrate proficiency of English with an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no less than 6.0 across each of the bands of reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Particular emphasis is placed on social justice and human rights as the basis for social welfare practice.
In addition to core units that cover counselling, welfare law, social research and community development, students choose a major area of study from the following options:
Please note that some units in this course are offered exclusively online.
As welfare and community workers in various roles within the community services sector. These include government and non-government positions in fields such as child protection, disability services, housing services, youth work, aged care, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, community engagement, mental health services, and domestic violence services.
The Bachelor of Social Welfare articulates with a range of VET awards. It can also provide a pathway to our Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying), which is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). The Masters degree is for graduates who have undertaken prior study in the social sciences, social welfare, psychology, or related fields. Graduates of this Masters degree will qualify as social workers in Australia and may also be eligible to apply to work as social workers overseas.
To be eligible to receive the Bachelor of Social Welfare, students must complete the equivalent of 24 units (288 credit points), comprising:
Exit Awards
Students may be eligible to exit with an Associate Degree of Social Welfare after completing the equivalent of 16 units (192 credit points) from the Bachelor of Social Welfare.
Students may be eligible to exit with the Diploma of Social Welfare after completing the equivalent of 8 Core units (96 credit points).
Inherent Requirements apply to this course as defined on the Student Access & Inclusion website. If you have a disability or health condition which may impact on your ability to meet these requirements please refer to the Student Access & Inclusion website for further information and contact details.