The MA in International Social Work and Community Development is a taught postgraduate programme for students who are already qualified in social work or community development. Students study international social work, research methods, and the two optional modules relevant to social work or community development. Students undertake a comparative research-based dissertation in either social work or community development, based on their experience of at least one other country.

The distinctive feature of the MA in International Social Work and Community Development is that it offers an opportunity for qualified social workers or qualified community development workers from all over the world to share together in learning about social work and community development across the globe. Students are part of a multi-cultural peer group recruited from countries around the world as well as from the locality.

The course content is highly innovative in that it explores and analyses social change and professional responses in a globalised world and equips students for future local or international practice in community development or social work. The dissertation enables students to tailor their research to reflect their own interests and to select their own topic so long as this is comparative. The emphasis is very much on learning from other countries and cultures.

The varied teaching, learning and assessment methods draw on student experience and are underpinned by principles of adult learning, individual responsibility and group support.

A good Hons degree in a relevant subject. Applicants must also have a professional qualification either in social work or in community development. All applicants must demonstrate a clear commitment to social work and / or community development, including previous experience in the field.
A selection is made on the basis of a written application supported by two satisfactory references. It is not based on interviews but communication by e-mail. Decisions will be based on evidence of the following:

• a professional qualification in social work or community development (or nationally accepted equivalent from their own country);
• an indication (e.g. through personal statement) that the applicant has relevant previous experience and that the course is appropriate to future work plans;
• evidence of ability to study at advanced level
• realistic plans for financial support, including during any study or project period abroad.

Note: This is an advanced course and not a conversion course. It is therefore not suitable for applicants without prior qualifications in social work or a related profession or for applicants wishing to gain a basic professional qualification in the UK.
UK applicants should also note that they must be qualified social workers in order to register for this programme as the term "social work" is protected by UK law. UK applicants who are community development workers without social work qualifications may instead apply for the MA in Refugee Studies and Community Development.

In the case of applicants whose first language is not English, then IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required. International qualifications will be checked for appropriate matriculation to UK Higher Education postgraduate programmes.

Students who apply to enter stages of the programme may be admitted through normal Accreditation of Experiential Learning (AEL) or Accreditation of Certificated Learning (ACL) processes, or through an approved articulation agreement. Therefore such applicants must be able to demonstrate and evidence that they have the required learning outcomes as listed in the modules for which they are seeking exemption.

The MA in International Social Work and Community Development programme comprises two core modules ‘International Social Work’ and ‘Researching and Learning’, supplemented by two option modules taken from within a wide range offered by the University. These are followed by a dissertation.
Students are expected to choose two options from a selection of modules that are appropriate to social work or community development. There is an opportunity for students to focus on social work with refugees and asylum seekers, by taking options from the MA in Refugee Studies programme. Students may prefer to focus on community development, and will find a number of international development modules relevant to their interests, for example human rights law. Alternatively, students may simply wish to extend their knowledge by undertaking option modules that have more general relevance to their professional careers, choosing options from a wide range available at Masters level. Teaching on the compulsory ‘Researching and Learning’ module may be shared with other students on MA Programmes in the School.

Intake is in September, with a possible February start for students wishing to undertake the course part-time. The four taught modules are offered across Semesters A and B (that is, over one academic year for full-time students and over two years for part-time students). Students proceeding to the MA undertake a fifth module (the dissertation) in the third (or fifth) semester. The course for full-time students therefore extends beyond a calendar year although students from abroad may return to home countries for the third semester.

The MA in International Social Work and Community Development programme makes use primarily of lectures and seminars in relation to the taught modules, as well as project group meetings in preparation for the dissertation module. Additionally students are expected to contribute significant time to self-directed learning as highlighted in the lectures, seminars and project group meetings. In some modules students are expected to contribute to individual or group class presentations; and all students proceeding to the MA are expected to undertake individual project work, normally outside the UK.

All modules are assessed, usually by a mixture of oral and written assignments with an emphasis on the latter. Written assignments may take the form of seminar papers, essays or reports, and project work in the final module is assessed through a dissertation. Assessment takes place at the end of each semester. Course work may include in-class tests but there are no examinations.

Although this programme does not carry a professional award (since it is assumed that all students already have a relevant qualification) there is an expectation that students will be able to draw on previous or current work experience in class presentations and written assignments as well as preparing students for career change or development.

Preparation for the final dissertation project commences in the Research and Learning module which is scheduled for Semester B when students begin the process of defining their selected research topic and approach. The data collection stage of project work is normally undertaken outside the UK and supported through e-mail contact with a UEL supervisor, as is the writing up stage of the dissertation. Projects should aim to investigate ‘real life issues’ in relevant policy and practice areas and previous examples have included: resettlement programmes for refugees in the Balkan region; evaluation of community responses to disability in Namibia; identification of good practice by NGOs in relation to rehabilitation of children who have been commercially sexually exploited; addressing the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Malta; attitudes to repatriation of Afghan refugees in England and Pakistan; changes in Dublin's children and families statutory social services.
The underlying principle is that UK social workers should undertake research abroad, whilst international students may if they wish undertake research in UK. Research must be international in its context and nature.

A qualification at Masters level is normally essential for people seeking employment in International welfare and humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations and major Non-Governmental Organisations. Successful completion of the MA in International Social Work and Community Development programme has enabled previous students to take up a variety of social work or community development posts in the London region or country of origin as well as in NGOs. Examples of subsequent employment include: work in a UN resettlement programme; as a social work lecturer with special interest in development of mental health services in Bangladesh; as a manager of a social care unit in Greece; and as a social worker with asylum seekers in the Netherlands. The award also lays the basis for progression to further research, which may be either agency based or through PhD study (full-time or part-time). Alternatively students may wish to use this Programme as the basis for moving on to a professional doctorate.

Support to students is provided initially through module leaders who are knowledgeable about their teaching areas, and who are able to monitor the input of students to classes as well as their progress in assessment. The Programme Leader provides more general tutorial support, and the emphasis is also placed on the role of the student group as being both a resource and providing peer support.
Research training is given in relevant selected methods and, given the nature of the course, significant use is made of e-mail communications and the Virtual Learning Environment (UEL Plus). Social Work at UEL has strong collaborative links with the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust which has a national and international reputation in the field of children and families work and mental health, and there is a joint Social Work Research Centre which encourages staff and postgraduate students to have their research published and disseminated. A number of former students on this programme have had their dissertations written up as articles in refereed journals, and staff are delighted to assist with this.

Overseas experience

• opportunity to gain experience of conducting research in another country
• opportunity to share experience with students from other countries

Experience of international agencies or UK social work agencies

• for UK students there is an opportunity to learn first-hand of the work of international agencies or social work organisations in another country
• for international students there will be opportunities to learn first-hand about social work in the UK

potential for dissertations to be written up for publication