Bachelor of Social Work

Course Overview

If your passion is human rights and social justice, and changing lives for the better this course is for you. Our four-year BSW informed by trends in international and local contexts where social work takes place has a contemporary curriculum designed to develop your knowledge and skills for creating meaningful change with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organisations. Importantly, as you undertake your studies you will learn to critique and respond to social injustices, reflect on your practice, and develop yourself as a professional social worker.

In addition, careers in social work are growing with Job Skills Australia suggesting that future job opportunities within the social work field will grow by 23.2% by 2026.

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) has been designed and developed by Acknowledge Education, a leading Institute of Higher Education (PRV 12146). The Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors (AIPC) delivers the course on behalf of Acknowledge Education.

Social Work is a wonderful profession focused on bringing about real change in the lives of the people and communities with which we work. Social Work is a career that has a real impact on the world. Come and join us to begin your journey towards a career full of meaning and purpose.

Course Description

The Bachelor of Social Work course will be conducted over eleven trimesters: three trimesters in each academic year, with three concurrent units in each trimester. Full-time students will complete the course in four years’ time.

The course will require you to complete two separate placements at an approved field education agency, for a combined total of 1000 hours. These placements are consistent with the requirements set out by the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) (ASWEAS March 2020 V 2.2 Updated August 2023) Standards & Guidelines | AASW and adhere to the placement guidelines and protocols.

Course Structure

This qualification requires the successful completion of 420 credit points including the units listed in the recommended sequence below comprising 25 Core units and 3 Elective units.

Units

Introductory Social Work (INT)

BSWINT101 Introduction to Sociology
BSWINT102 Introduction to Social Work
BSWINT103 Working with Diversity
BSWINT104 Human Development Across the Lifespan
BSWINT105 Foundations of Psychology
BSWINT106 Introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Systems, Policy and Social Justice (SPS)

BSWSPS101 Australian Society, Welfare Systems and Services
BSWSPS102 Human Rights and Social Justice
BSWSPS303 Developing Social Policy

Health and Well-Being (HLT)

BSWHLT201 Mental Health and Wellbeing
BSWHLT202 Health, Ageing and Disability

Professional Practice (PRP)

BSWPRP101 Social Work Theories for Practice 1
BSWPRP202 Skills for Social Work Practice 1
BSWPRP203 Social Work Theories for Practice 2
BSWPRP204 Skills for Social Work Practice 2
BSWPRP205 Social Workers and the Law
BSWPRP306 Skills for Social Work Practice 3
BSWPRP307 Transition to Professional Practice
BSWPRP309 Field education 1
BSWPRP409 Field Education 2

Applied Social Work Research (SWR)

BSWSWR301 Social Research Methods
BSWSWR402 Social Work Thesis/Project (elective)

Social Work Practice in Context (SWP)

BSWSWP201 Child Wellbeing and Protection
BSWSWP202 Group Work
BSWSWP203 Community Development
BSWSWP304 Working with Families
BSWSWP305/SWP405 Domestic Violence (elective)
BSWSWP306/SWP406 Young People and Crime (elective)
BSWSWP307/SWP407 Alcohol and Other Drugs (elective)
BSWSWP308/SWP408 Grief, Loss and Trauma (elective)
BSWSWP309/SWP409 Working with Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants (elective)
BSWSWP310/SWP410 Digital Technology in Social Work (elective)

Academic Requirements

The minimum criteria for admission vary depending on the applicant’s education background. You must have ONE of the following:

1.1. Applicants with recent secondary education (within the last 3 years)

Applicants who have recently completed Year 12 and meet the following criteria can apply for entry into this course.

Admission Criteria

Evidence of successful completion of a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education to Year 12 or equivalent*, including Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or 20 in any other English and an ATAR of 68. *This includes all Commonwealth, State and Territory final year secondary school certificates of education as well as an International Baccalaureate (IB).

Students who have completed their secondary education overseas, which are equivalent to an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, will be assessed for their suitability for the course on a case-by-case basis.

1.2. Applicants with Vocational Education and Training (VET/TAFE) Study

Applicants with previous VET study who meet the following criteria can apply for entry into this course.

Admission Criteria

Full or partial completion of an Australian Advanced Diploma or Diploma (or equivalent) in any discipline.

OR:

Full completion of a Certificate IV in a related discipline.

1.3. Applicants with Higher Education Study

Applicants whose highest level of study since leaving secondary education is a higher education course and who meet the following criteria can apply for entry into this course.

Admission Criteria

Full or partial completion of an Australian Higher Education award (or equivalent).

OR:

Completion of two units of Higher Education studies.

OR:

Completion of a bridging or enabling course, for example, Foundation course or equivalent.

2. Applicants with Work & Life Experience

Applicants who have left secondary school more than three years ago and who have not undertaken VET or higher education study since then can also apply for entry based on other evidence of academic capability judged to be equivalent, for example relevant work or life experience.

Admission criteria

Five years (minimum) work/life experience in Human Services or similar.

OR:

Applicants that completed an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate more than two years ago.

PLUS:

Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or 20 in any other English (or equivalent).

Applying for Credit Transfer (Domestic and International Students)

Students who have completed relevant prior tertiary studies may be eligible for some credit exemptions. This is further outlined in the Awarding of Credit Policy. The granting of credits (academic units) will be made in accordance with the ASWEAS (March 2020 V 2.2 Updated August 2023) section 5.3. The granting of recognised prior learning (RPL) for Field Education placements will be made in accordance with the ASWEAS (March 2020 V 2.2 Updated August 2023) section 4.7.

3. Special Admission

Our special admission program covers a range of access and equity schemes that allow applicants from participating schools or disadvantaged social, economic or cultural environments to receive additional consideration.

Applicants who fall under the following categories will be encouraged to discuss their admission and course options with the admission team prior to applying. Each application will be assessed on merit and the applicant’s capacity to successfully complete the course will be carefully considered in this assessment. The categories include recognition as an Indigenous Australian, applicants whose school or home location is in rural or isolated areas, applicants with non-English speaking background, applicants with difficult living circumstances that have impacted their preparation for post-secondary study, applicants with disadvantaged financial background and applicants with a disability or medical condition affecting their education.

4. Additional Requirements

Additional Requirements

Other requirements to be met prior to commencing fieldwork placements:

• COVID-19 Vaccination Record – Student must complete all required doses and to be taken 2 weeks apart from the flu vaccination.

• Immunisation Record

• National Police Record Check and/or Police clearance from country of residence

• Working with Children Check

Immunisation

• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis – one documented dose of adult dTpa vaccine within the last 10 years

• Measles, Mumps & Rubella – Student must be confirmed immune to measles, mumps and rubella via serology report or supply documented evidence of 2 doses of MMR at least 28 days apart

• Varicella – Student must be confirmed immune to varicella via serology report or have documented evidence of 2 doses of varicella given at least 28 days apart.

• Hepatitis A – Serology report shows evidence of Hep A antibodies or a course of 2 Hep A has commenced or been completed or a course of 3 Twinrix has commenced or been completed.

• Hepatitis B – Serology report shows a protective level of Hep B surface antibodies following completion of a primary course or a course of 3 Hep B or Twinrix has commenced. Those without protective level of Hep B will require review by infectious diseases specialist.

• Flu vaccination – Annual vaccination required and to be taken at least 2 weeks apart from COVID-19 vaccination.

Required screenings

If any tests for infectious diseases below are positive, the student must be referred to an infectious disease specialist.

• Hepatitis B Surface Antigen

• Hepatitis C

• HIV

• Tuberculosis

FOR ENTRY INTO FIRST YEAR

Completed Year 12 or equivalent. The minimum age is 18 years old.

You must also have achieved ONE of the following:

1. VCE or equivalent with a score of no less than 30 in EAL or other English course; OR

2. Successful completion of a Diploma (minimum 1 year) or an Advanced Diploma course taught in English in Australia AND have passed an AE internal English test; OR

3. Successful completion of 1 year of a Bachelor degree or higher taught in Australia AND have passed an AE internal English test; OR

4. Official Academic IELTS test scores with an overall score of 7.0 and a minimum of 7.0 in each band or equivalent. It is possible to combine the results of two tests from the same provider to achieve the requirement, as long as the tests are within 6 months. For example, you could use scores from two IELTS tests to meet the requirement for English proficiency across the four IELTS components.

Please note: You are not required to sit an AE internal English test, if you have completed a full Bachelor or more than 1 year of a Higher Education course.

For further information, please refer to our Intentional Students Admissions policy on our website.

Additional Requirements

Other requirements to be met prior to commencing fieldwork placements:

• COVID-19 Vaccination Record – Student must complete all required doses and to be taken 2 weeks apart from the flu vaccination.

• Immunisation Record

• National Police Record Check and/or Police clearance from country of residence

• Working with Children Check

Immunisation

• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis – one documented dose of adult dTpa vaccine within the last 10 years

• Measles, Mumps & Rubella – Student must be confirmed immune to measles, mumps and rubella via serology report or supply documented evidence of 2 doses of MMR at least 28 days apart

• Varicella – Student must be confirmed immune to varicella via serology report or have documented evidence of 2 doses of varicella given at least 28 days apart.

• Hepatitis A – Serology report shows evidence of Hep A antibodies or a course of 2 Hep A has commenced or been completed or a course of 3 Twinrix has commenced or been completed.

• Hepatitis B – Serology report shows a protective level of Hep B surface antibodies following completion of a primary course or a course of 3 Hep B or Twinrix has commenced. Those without protective level of Hep B will require review by infectious diseases specialist.

• Flu vaccination – Annual vaccination required and to be taken at least 2 weeks apart from COVID-19 vaccination.

Required screenings

If any tests for infectious diseases below are positive, the student must be referred to an infectious disease specialist.

• Hepatitis B Surface Antigen

• Hepatitis C

• HIV

• Tuberculosis

Students are encouraged to apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL) – also known as exemptions or credit transfers – for studies completed at another higher education provider, as well as time you may have spent working in the relevant industry. Your eligibility and quantity of exemptions will be determined by a number of factors such as the similarity of your prior completed studies with your Acknowledge Education course, and the equivalence of your prior studies and/or experience with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Please note that as per the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) Standards & Guidelines, RPL is not permitted towards the core units of this course, but may be sought towards the elective units of this course.

Approved exemptions for previous study or work experience may reduce the overall cost and study load (duration) of your course.

For further information, including the maximum amount of exemptions permitted for your course, please refer to Acknowledge Education’s Recognition of Prior Learning Policy.

How do I apply for recognition of prior learning

Individuals must complete a Recognition of Prior Learning application form , and once complete, submit the completed form and all supporting evidence to Acknowledge Education. While applications for RPL can be accepted at any time, you must continue to attend classes until your application has been assessed and exemptions have been either granted or denied.

Evidence requirements

The evidence that you’re required to submit to support your application include (where relevant), and must be translated into English where relevant:

• Copies of subject outlines, translated into English where applicable (information must include; learning outcomes, weekly structure, topic list, assessment details, contact hours/student workload).
• Certified English translation of your qualification and academic transcript.
• Recent CV/resume and work references.Please note your application won’t be assessed if the required evidence hasn’t been included.

How will my application be assessed?

Acknowledge Education will undertake an academic review of your RPL application based on your supporting evidence and may contact you if further details are required to review your application, which may result in a delay in the assessment of your application.If your RPL application is approved, exemptions may be granted for the relevant subjects. If your application for RPL is declined, you’ll need to enrol into, and complete, the relevant subjects in order to complete your course.

Can I appeal a RPL decision made by Acknowledge Education?

You may appeal the outcome of a decision made by Acknowledge Education in accordance with the Complaints and Appeals Policy published on our website.

The Bachelor of Social Work, delivered by the Australia Institute of Professional Counsellors (AIPC) on behalf of Acknowledge Education, has been awarded Conditional Provisional accreditation by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

This is an AASW-accredited qualification. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards.

The program meets the requirements of the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) and is recognised as an entry qualification into the social work profession in Australia. Students enrolling in a course with Conditional Provisional accreditation are eligible to apply for membership of the AASW, subject to meeting the Association’s membership requirements.

For further information about accreditation and membership, please visit the AASW website.

Upon completion of the course, you are eligible for the Australian Association of Social Work (AASW) full membership. For more information, please visit the AASW website.

Occupational titles for graduates with this qualification may include:

• Social Worker

• Program Coordinator

• Child Protection Officer

• Mental Health Practitioner

• Family Counsellor

• School Counsellor

• Case Manager

• Youth Worker

• Juvenile Justice Officer

• Child and Family Practitioner

• Community Development Worker

2 March 2026, 4 May 2026, 6 July 2026, 2 November 2026

You can study Acknowledge Education’s Bachelor of Social Work at our Melbourne campus.

After graduating from your social work degree, occupational titles can include:

• Social Worker

• Program Coordinator

• Child Protection Officer

• Mental Health Practitioner

• Family Counsellor

• School Counsellor

• Case Manager

• Youth Worker

• Juvenile Justice Officer

• Child and Family Practitioner

• Community Development Worker

Discover more about these 11 social work careers here.

A Bachelor of Social Work degree is one of the most common entry-requirements for people looking to become a qualified social worker. If you already have a recognised bachelor’s degree in a related field, you could also consider studying the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) at Acknowledge Education, which typically takes around two years to complete.