This programme is designed to meet the needs of graduates from a wide variety of backgrounds who wish to continue their professional development. Students will come to an understanding of how research, policy and practice are critically important in the work of addressing the social challenges that shape our world today.

The aim of the Masters is to develop a critical practice path that is relevant and significant for graduates already working across care, education, health, welfare and related areas and new graduates who want to further develop their skills prior to embarking on a career in their chosen field.

The programme is delivered over two years on a part-time basis in a blended format, with a mix of online and face to face learning.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are required to have a minimum of a 2:2 Honours Bachelor Degree (level 8). Ideally the primary degree should be in Health Care, Social Studies, Education, Early Childhood, Youth and Community Practice or a similarly practice-based discipline or equivalent professional qualifications.

NOTE: Overseas candidates who have not studied their degree through English are required to achieve a TOEFL score of at least 550 or IELTS score of at least 6.0.

Students will learn through a combination of:

• Interaction and exchange of experiences and perspectives with a diverse peer group. A learning community, in which participants enlighten, challenge and motivate each other.
• Students will work with staff whose role is to stimulate learning, facilitate, challenge and question as well as provide specialist knowledge.
• Inputs from practitioners with national and international experience.
• Learning activities and assessments that require participants to reflect on their own practice and experiment with new approaches.
• Learning activities and assessments that enable the participant to analyse and evaluate their own organisations and to compare and contrast with best practice elsewhere.
• Live organisational projects to provide a realism that prepares participants for acting in a context characterised by complexity, continuous change and uncertainty.
• Group working that promotes learning about diversity and the interactive attributes of communication, interpersonal and teamworking skills.
• A range of teaching and learning methods, catering for different learning styles.

The MA in Social Studies (Advanced Professional Practice) affords the participant an opportunity to invest in his/ her own professional development in the sector and will enhance employment and advancement opportunities currently existing within the sector.