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Doctor of Social Work

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Acquire highly developed knowledge and skills to improve the quality of life of individuals and the community. Undertake research projects in the workplace that link practice and learning with professional development, and develop your critical, conceptual and analytical skills. Our purpose-built children's services and interactive laboratory for social work and psychology will help you to focus on assisting and empowering others.

An alternative pathway into the course is to complete the first semester of the Master of Social Work and then apply for a transfer.

Course Essentials

How to apply

Applications have closed for this course.

Already a VU student?

You can transfer into this course through our internal transfer process.

For more info contact the
College of Arts

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Careers

  • ·         director of health programs and services
  • ·         health and family policy maker
  • ·         family services researcher
  • ·         senior social work practitioner

Learn more about your career options on the Australian government's Career Information and Resources website.

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Course Objectives

The professional doctorate in social work aims to provide qualified and experienced social workers with opportunities to:

  1. Extend understandings of research, theory and social policy, as they relate to social work practice, to expert levels of scholarship;
  2. Develop advanced skills in independent practice-based social research; and
  3. Make a significant original contribution to the existing body of social work knowledge and practice.
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Units and electives

Students must complete 288 credit points

Year 1 Semester 1

or complete these TWO units:

plus select either:

All students also need to complete a total of 240 credit points of either full-time or part-time thesis units.

Full-time students enrol in:

Year 1 Semester 2

Year 2 Semester 1

Year 2 Semester 2

Year 3 Semester 1

Year 3 Semester 2

Part-time students enrol in:

What's a unit?

A unit or 'subject' is the actual class you'll attend in the process of completing a course.

Most courses have a mixture of compulsory 'core' units that you need to take, and optional 'elective' units that you can choose to take based on your area of interest, expertise or experience.

Credits

Each unit is worth a set amount of study credits based on the amount of time you study. Generally, 1 credit is equal to 1 hour of study per week.

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Admission Information

  • Mature: Professional Qualification (MSW) and five years practice with at least two years as senior practitioner.
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How to apply for this course

Applications have closed for this course.

Please contact the College of Arts for the next course intake date.

You can also contact us directly:

  • Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development Student Centre
    Phone: +61 3 9919 4409
    Email:  artscourses@vu.edu.au
  • Course Coordinator
    Assoc Prof Marty Grace PhD
    Phone: +61 3  9919 5022 
    Email: Marty.Grace@vu.edu.au
  • Ring us on +61 3 9919 6100
  • Find answers and ask questions at GOTOVU

Get in touch

Contact us to discuss your course options:

Ring us on +61 3 9919 6100

Find answers and ask questions at GOTOVU

At Victoria University, we make every reasonable effort to make sure the information displayed online about our courses is accurate and complete. We continually look to provide innovative courses. Those courses are shaped by a number of things including your feedback and changes in Government funding arrangements. As a result there may be changes to the courses we deliver and fees charged. We will update the website regularly to reflect any changes.

Information about course fees, articulation and credit transfer, recognition of prior learning, admission and enrolment procedures, examinations, and services available to students can be accessed on the University’s website or by contacting the University directly on +61 3 9919 6100.

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