Entry requirements
The minimum academic qualification required for this course is a BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) at grade 2:2 or above. Applicants whose degree was awarded outside the UK will have their qualifications checked by the University of Nottingham International Office to ensure equivalency.
Applicants must also have Maths and English qualifications at Key Skills 2 level. This is equivalent to a grade ‘C’ at GCSE.
All applicants who wish to be considered for a place on the MA in Social Work programme at the University of Nottingham must have the equivalent of 18 months full time experience of working in social work, social care or a closely related field. This is broadly equivalent to 2500 hours work. This work experience must have been gained within the five years prior to an application being made, unless you have taken a career break for health reasons or to fulfil caring responsibilities.
The work experience criteria must be met in full by the UCAS application deadline of 15th January. This requirement applies equally to those who are applying for entry in the year of application and those who are applying for deferred entry.
Why is work experience an entry requirement?
There are several reasons why we require applicants to have work experience before joining the social work programme. Most importantly, it both demonstrates a commitment to social work and provides practice experience on which students can draw upon during the course of their studies, including during group discussions and reflective exercises.
What counts as work experience?
Work experience may include paid or voluntary work undertaken on a full-time or a part-time basis. Work experience must involve direct work with service users. The purpose of your paid or voluntary work with service users should primarily be concerned with one or more of the following:
Other types of work experience, including teaching or teaching assistant roles; administrative positions in social work teams; nursing or healthcare assistant roles; or caring for family members, may also provide valuable additional insights into various aspects of the human condition. However, these experiences are not automatically counted as relevant work experience for the purposes of this course.
What does not count as work experience?
Experience gained as part of a previous course of study – ‘work experience’ or ‘practice learning’ or ‘placements’ – does not count as relevant experience for this course.
Experienced gained whilst under 18 (e.g. voluntary work undertaken as a school pupil or FE college student) does not count as relevant experience for this course.
Not all voluntary work can be counted as work experience. Voluntary work which did not involve direct work with service users (e.g. fundraising activities; environmental work; running student societies) does not count as relevant experience for this course.
How to get paid work experience
Look for job adverts which ask for unqualified social workers; family support workers; community care officers; support workers; social care assistants; playworkers, etc. Ask at your local Job Centre Plus.
Many local newspapers have a designated day for advertising jobs (e.g. Nottingham Evening Post advertises jobs every Wednesday). Jobs are also advertised in The Guardian newspaper ‘Society’ section on Wednesdays and in professional magazines, such as Community Care. Newspapers and magazines are available for you to browse for free in most public libraries.
Look online at job vacancies within your local authority or within larger independent sector support provider organisations, such as housing associations and charities.
How to get voluntary work experience
CSV (Community Service Volunteers) is the biggest organisation in the UK which supports voluntary work of all kinds. Click on the ‘volunteer’ link to find out about full and part-time volunteering opportunities.
Most local authority areas have Council for Voluntary Services, which may offer volunteering opportunities in your local area. The following organisations are local to the University of Nottingham:
Many smaller, local voluntary organisations will also need volunteers. Look on notice boards in your local library; place of worship; community centre; Post Office or supermarket.
How to apply
Applications must be made online via UCAS (University Central Admissions System). Applications can be made from September each year, for entry the following autumn. Early application is strongly advised.
Make sure that you list your degree, and your Maths and English qualifications, on your application form in the appropriate space. There is designated space on the UCAS form for applicants to list their employment to date. Use this to list hours worked in both paid and voluntary work experience particularly where this is undertaken on a part-time basis.
There is also space for applicants to make a personal statement. Ensure that your personal statement includes evidence of how you meet the work experience criteria. Give as much information as possible about the type of work you have done, including length of employment/volunteering; who you were working with (e.g. juvenile offenders; people with mental health difficulties); and the nature of the work you undertook. Be sure to demonstrate how your work experience has prepared you for social work.
At the point of application, a satisfactory reference is required. There are two types of reference which meet our requirements at this stage:
1. An academic reference, from the institution at which you gained your Bachelor’s degree, indicating your suitability for academic study at Masters level
2. A reference from a current or recent employer/volunteer co-ordinator. This person needs to be able to comment on your ability to work effectively with service users.
Personal references, from friends, colleagues or ex-employers are not acceptable and may result in your application being rejected.
If you have any criminal convictions, including police cautions, then this should be declared. Not all criminal convictions preclude being accepted on this course; every case will be judged individually, taking into account the nature of the offence, the circumstances in which it arose and time elapsed without further convictions.
Everyone who gains a place to study social work will be required to undergo an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check and will be required to register with the ISA (Independent Safeguarding Authority). Failure to declare at interview any criminal convictions or workplace disciplinary offences which subsequently become apparent through CRB or ISA processes may lead to termination of studies.
Applicants from countries other than the UK will be required to obtain evidence from their previous country of residence to confirm that they do not have criminal convictions.
All applications received by the UCAS deadline of 15th January will be assessed by the Admissions Tutor. Applications made after this date will be assessed only if places remain available.
Applications will be assessed on the information provided on your UCAS form. Failure to include relevant information – such as details of qualifications held – will result in automatic rejection.
Personal statements form an important part of the assessment process. They should provide an explanation of why you wish to become a social worker; how you meet the work experience criteria; and what you can offer the profession. Applications which include inadequate or poorly written personal statements – as indicated by frequent errors in spelling and grammar – are likely to be rejected.
No applicant will be offered a place on the MA in Social Work without first being interviewed.
Further information about the interview process will be provided at the point at which candidates are invited to interview.
Applications from students with disabilities are particularly welcome. The building where we are based is wheelchair accessible with lifts to all floors. The main library is also equipped with a lift as is the main student union building, where catering facilities are situated. There are induction loops for people with hearing difficulties in some, but not all, classrooms. Should a student with a hearing disability be accepted we will negotiate with the university to ensure that a loop is located in all teaching rooms that the programme uses. The library has a Kurzweil machine for users with visual impairments while the Cripps Computing Centre has a Braille embosser, to which other computers can be connected. The General Social Care Council will also provide specific hardware and computer software to assist students with a disability.
In the case of students with dyslexia, specific assistance in the preparation of written work is provided by the University’s Student Services Centre. The impact of the dyslexia on a student’s performance is also taken into account at every stage of the course. The Student Services Centre also provides excellent support and guidance for students seeking help with academic study skills.