In Singapore, the minimum educational qualification to be a soc ial worker is a recognised full-time / part-time undergraduate degree in Social Work, a Graduate Diploma in Social Work or a Masters in Social Work from an SASW accredited tertiary institution.
Option 1: NUS Bachelor of Arts (Social Work) /Graduate Diploma in Social Work
Social Work as a subject in the University first started in 1952, when it offered the first professional social work qualification in Singapore, the two-year Diploma in Social Studies. Since then, it has evolved with the changing times, circumstances and requirements of the country into its present form.
The Social Work curriculum follows the modular system in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Besides the undergraduate degree, Social Work graduate education at NUS is also available, both by coursework and by research.
Candidates who wish to read Social Work at the Department must be successful in gaining admission to read BA at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. To read Social Work as a subject major, students must have a strong interest in working with people and should have obtained good results at the GCE 'A' level examinations.
Visit http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/swk for more information
Option 2: Monash University BA/BSW Programme
Monash is one of the group of 8 Australian leading universities. It is also Australia’s biggest university with campuses around the world. It has an international reputation for research and teaching. The Department of Social Work was established at Monash University in 1973. Since that time the department has become one of the most respected social work schools inside and outside Australia. In 1989 Monash established the first flexible learning degree in Social Work in Australia. The commencement of the BSW Singapore in 2004 is the first off shore social work program offered by an Australian University that has professionally accreditation both in Australia and Singapore as the home country.
The Monash Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is approved and accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Singapore graduates will be eligible to practice as social workers in Australia, the United Kingdom and in many other countries. The program is supported by the Ministry of Community Development and Sports and the National Council of Social Services.The degree complies with the requirements of the Singapore Association of Social Workers and SASW accredited the degree in June 2004.
Visit http://www.med.monash.edu.au/bsw/bsw-singapore.html for more information
Option 3: SIM University - Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work
SIM University (UniSIM) is unique in Singapore. It is the country’s first and only private university focusing on the upgrading and learning needs of working professionals and adult learners. The University has a rich education legacy, having evolved out of the highly successful SIM Open University Centre that has graduated more than 5,000 students since 1991.UniSIM fulfills an important mission in reaching out to the diversity of adult learners in Singapore.The School of Human Development and Social Services offers a Bachelor in Social Work. This programme is available at both basic and honours levels.
UniSIM also offer a Graduate Diploma (leading to a Masters) in Social Work degrees.Graduates of the basic degree in Social Work can register with the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW) after they have met the requirements of supervised practical work. Graduates with the Honours degree will qualify for registration immediately.
The Masters of Social Work Programme is a practice-based programme, designed to prepare social workers aspiring to take up leadership positions in the social service sector by equipping graduates with clinical social work skills, administration skills and supervision skills to function at management positions in the sector.
The programme is designed to cater for both graduates with a social work degree and those with other degrees.
For graduates without prior social work training, bridging courses will first equip you with the basic social work knowledge and skills so as to ease you into the Masters programme. You will be required to complete three pre-requisite courses and a supervised practicum on top of the requirements for the Masters Programme. An additional 15 weeks of classes and 400 hours of practicum will be needed for this pre-requisite programme.
This Masters programme also allows flexibility for participants to graduate with a graduate diploma (GDSWK) upon finishing six compulsory core courses within the Masters programme. Re-entry to the Masters programme may be allowed within the maximum candidature of 3 years.
Graduates from the Masters programme (including Graduate Diploma route) will be recognized social work professionals with administrative and supervisory abilities as well as domain specialists, as accepted by the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW) and the main employers of social workers namely the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports (MCYS) and the National Council of Social Services (NCSS).
VWO Capability Fund (VCF) Local Training Grant
The Bachelor/Bachelor (Hons) of Social Work degree programme is supported under the VWO Capability Fund (VCF) Local Training Grant. Candidates approved for VCF funding will be given 30% subsidy of the course fees. Applicant must be a staff with National Council of Social Service (NCSS) member Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs). For more details on the VCF grant, please click here.
The Masters in Social Work programme also enjoys the support of the VWO Capability Fund (VCF) Local Training Grant and NCSS initiatives as stated in the Professionalisation Package.
Option 4: Foreign Social Work Degree Programmes
As far as recognition of foreign degree programmes in social work is concerned, SASW will look into recognising social work programmes completed by full-time or part-time study and also having fulfilled one of these two conditions:
whether the educational institution is accredited at the national level, and that its social work programme is registrable with the national association of social workers where it is located; or
whether the social work programme is accredited by the Council of Social Work Education.
SASW has yet to recognise any undergraduate or graduate degree in social work offered through off-shore study / distance-learning except for the social work degrees offered by Monash University. SASW does not keep a list of foreign social work programmes. For enquiry with respective social work associations on their recognition of social work programmes in their country, please visit here
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