Additional admissions and course advice - MSc Social Work

Our academic team is committed to providing a challenging and enjoyable learning experience for you. We have extensive experience as practitioners and researchers and use this to inform our teaching. Learning and teaching take a number of forms including traditional lectures, small group seminars, interactive tasks and problem-based learning activities, the latter of which include university and community based self-directed learning activities.

Service users and carers from our Insight Service User and Carer Network and experienced practitioners from partner agencies all take an active part in course delivery. On accepting a place you are required to formally sign up to active participation in learning activities and placements.

Whilst studying with us you will have a the opportunity to participate in integrative and child observation seminars, critical reflection groups and two practice learning placements in social work or social care agencies. 

You will be studying full-time, incorporating university-based days, self-directed learning and placements day. Teaching takes place at our Central London campus in Senate House or Bedford Square.

Timetables are subject to change but largely follow a standard format, with breaks for the festive season and Easter. Due to placements your timetable will include 70 days on placement in Year one and 100 days on placement in Year two. 

Indicative timetable (subject to change):

Year one:

Year two:

Please see the current fees on our coursefinder entry. 

If you are a Royal Holloway graduate you will automatically qualify for a 15% fee reduction.

Subject to eligibility and residency criteria you may benefit from a Department of Health social work bursary. Our MSc Social Work course is allocated a number of bursaries each academic year, which are allocated based on your performance during the selection process. The availability of bursaries is subject to change and government policy and there are more places on the course than bursaries. To find out about social bursaries and eligibility please see the NHSBSA website for more detail.

If you are not allocated a bursary place you may be eligible for a fixed contribution towards your placement travel expenses through the Placement Travel Allowance (PTA) or you might qualify for one of the Royal Holloway postgraduate scholarships.

You are advised to prepare for additional financial commitments that may occur during your course. Examples of these could be travel, resubmission or repeat placements. We would advise that you budget in advance for any unexpected costs or fees, which are subject to an annual review.

You can find out more on our Fees & Funding pages.

Shortlisting is based on your personal statement and demonstration that you meet essential minimum requirements for the course. 

The overall selection process is informed by the Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work for England (BASW, 2018) and is based on candidates demonstrating the following during the selection process:

• Good standards of written and verbal English
• Initial understanding of the professional social work role
• Capacity to reflect on and analyse relevant social care and personal experience
• Understanding of and commitment to the values and ethics of social work
• Capacity to consider and prepare for the ethical dilemmas and conflicts of the social work role
• Capacity to reflect on and be open to learning and developing knowledge

Shortlisted applicants are invited to attend a selection event which includes four elements:

1. Brief presentation about the MSc Social Work course
2. Written exercise - applicants will be provided with brief reading material on a topic relevant to social work. They will then complete a written task in response to a question on this topic. In this task you should demonstrate your ability to write clearly and accurately, demonstrating a good standard of written English and the capacity to write coherently and logically in response to the set question.
3. Group exercise - applicants will undertake a group task in which they will be invited to discuss a topical question as a group. In this task you should demonstrate your personal and interpersonal communication skills and capacity to engage in group work.
4. Individual interview - each applicant will undertake an individual interview with an academic, a service user/carer representative and/or a practitioner.

Personal statements should be written clearly and concisely. If you experience any difficulty with uploading documents or have queries on the technical process of application please contact study@royalholloway.ac.uk.

Your personal statement is a central part of the screening and selection process. Before writing your personal statement you should prepare by considering your knowledge and understanding of contemporary social work.

Social work is a challenging and rewarding profession in which qualified social workers work with individuals and families across the lifespan in difficult and often distressing circumstances. It involves working collaboratively with service users, carers and professionals to address and resolve problems and needs in contexts of social inequality and injustice.

Your statement should tell us why you are pursuing a career in social work and how your previous education, work and life experience contribute to this. Your statement should make very clear what relevant social care experience you have gained (formal or informal, including time periods and details, particularly if part-time), and show how this meets essential requirements for selection. Reflecting on your experience and motivation for social work, you should indicate how you are developing and preparing for professional social work training.

Education providers have overall responsibility for ensuring that social work students are and remain fit to practise. Applicants for social work courses are required to make personal health and circumstances declarations to comply with professional regulatory requirements set by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

If you attend a selection day you will be invited to complete a declaration form which covers your personal health, previous cautions or convictions, including spent convictions* and any prior or current contact with children’s or adults’ social work services. Our department welcomes a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and does not automatically exclude students who have a criminal or disciplinary record, who have experience as service users or carers or have previously experienced poor health. In many instances, there is no simple criterion of suitability and each case will be assessed individually. We recognise that prior life experience provides valuable skills and knowledge relevant to motivation and learning.

Declaration forms are dealt with separately to the rest of the admissions process. The declaration form will only be reviewed if your performance in the selection process meets our criteria to offer a place. At this point if relevant declarations have been made our Admissions Tutor will discuss further with you as necessary. You may be invited to meet with the Admissions Tutor and Placement Development Manager to ensure that your circumstances will not constitute a barrier which would prevent successful allocation of placements during the course or registration with the HCPC on completion. If you have any queries about this aspect of the admissions process you can consult the admissions tutor. Declaration forms from applicants who are not offered a place are destroyed.

* Once you accept a place on the course you will be contacted prior to the start of the academic year to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This criminal records check is completed by our Placements Administrator to comply with HCPC Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students.

DBS clearance is required for learning activities in term one in addition to placements. Having key documents with your UK address is an important element in the DBS process and will avoid delay. A list of all required documentation is available from the Placement Administrator whom you are advised to contact once you accept a place on the programme.

Our department adheres to Royal Holloway’s Fair Admissions policy.