Social Work Studies (MSc)

Entry requirements

Academic requirements A minimum of a second class honours degree (2.1 preferred) or equivalent in a relevant subject. Practical experience in a social care setting is essential. Registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is a requirement for commencing and remaining on the programme (further information on how to apply will be provided to successful applicants who accept a place on the course). Enrolled students must also be a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme. International entry requirements View the entry requirements for your country. Application procedure The application process for this course has two stages. First, prospective students should submit an application form via the webpage. Applications are reviewed against the requirements for social work and processed for the second stage task. This task provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of social work and your suitability for undertaking the course. English language requirements If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills: IELTS Academic or UKVI 7.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in each sub-skill. Pearson Test of English (Academic) 67 overall with a minimum of 60 in each sub-skill. TOEFL exams taken before 21 January 2026: 95 overall with 20 in reading, 19 in writing, 19 in listening and 22 in speaking. TOEFL exams taken from 21 January 2026: 5 overall with no less than 4 in any band. Last updated: 26 February 2026 See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements. Pre-sessional English language courses If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, University of Stirling International Study Centre offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree. Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses .

Course details

The taught course consists of nine modules which include two periods of assessed practice. All students have a personal tutor during the course. During Semesters Two and Four you’ll undertake a placement in full-time supervised practice. The dissertation leading to the Masters involves undertaking empirical research and is submitted in April of year three. Modules Teaching The course is delivered through lectures incorporating small group discussion, student-led project work, and micro-skills teaching workshops. The course is run in partnership with statutory and non-statutory agencies in Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Edinburgh City, Midlothian, West Lothian, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders. Your learning is greatly assisted by the contribution to teaching and practice learning of staff from local voluntary and statutory agencies. You’ll also benefit from contributions by service users and carers and from the range of research and teaching interests within the Faculty of Social Sciences, in which Social Work is located. Particular strengths include community care, criminal justice, children and families, skills teaching, values and comparative approaches. Assessment A wide range of assessment methods is used: essays analytical accounts of practice filmed assessment of practice skills class presentations an oral examination on social work practice an assessment of the two practice learning opportunities Classroom hours You will attend classes on campus for three full days per week. Course director Dr Duncan Helm , Course Director Key staff Staff are all qualified social workers with a strong commitment to the profession in terms of teaching and research. This is demonstrated by membership of a range of international and national social work organisations within the staff group. Additionally, we have partnerships with local agencies that facilitate exchange of knowledge between academia and practice. As a result we have strong representation of practitioners and other agency staff on our assessment boards and in teaching.

Fees and funding

Fees and costs University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship . Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship . If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees. If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry. For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy . Eligible students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students. If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees. If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry. For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy . Fees for January 2027 entry UK and Republic of Ireland students International students Fee per year for PGDip £10,100 £21,800 Dissertation fee £TBC* £TBC* *This continuation fee is charged if you want to continue from PGDip to MSc. If you need to extend your period of study or repeat study, you will be liable for additional fees. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course. This fee is charged as an annual course fee. For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fees policy . Additional costs There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees . As part of your course you will undertake two full time practice placements (75 and 95 days’ duration). We partner with placement agencies across central and South East Scotland but do not usually have access to placements in the West of Scotland. Students should, therefore, be prepared to travel to placement. Many settings require students to drive and have access to a car and some have pool cars which students can use. It is advantageous, therefore, to hold a UK driving license. A smaller number of placements can be undertaken using public transport. It is not possible to guarantee practice placements close to the University so many students have to travel to other towns and cities in order to undertake their placements. Please be aware that students without a bursary, including international students, have no access to travel expenses for placements. Postgraduate students in receipt of a bursary will have a book and travel allowance included (£510 in 2022, at the time of writing). No further travel expenses are available. Depending on where placements are located, the cost of travel could amount to something in the region of £3,700 over the two years. (This calculation is based on the example of train and bus fares between the University and the City of Edinburgh.) Scholarships and funding Funding If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances. Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships. Postgraduate tuition fee loans Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £13,900 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs. English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,858 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme . Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £19,255 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales . Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 from Student Finance NI . International students may be able to gain additional funding from loan providers. Currently, bursaries are available from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) for Postgraduate Social Work students. Applicants who are offered and accept a place will be given information about applying for a bursary. The University of Stirling is not responsible for allocating these. Further information about this funding can be found on the SSSC website . The current bursary covers most of the fee for the course, however there is a shortfall for which you’ll be responsible. NHS Social Work Bursary The NHS Social Work Bursary is available for students domiciled in England. Find out how to apply . Cost of living If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income. International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support. Find out about the cost of living for students at Stirling Payment options We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay

After you graduate

After completing the Social Work Studies course, you’ll have a ‘license to practice’ as a qualified Social Worker with the regulatory council of the country in which you work. In Scotland and Northern Ireland you'll also be qualified for Social Work in prisons and criminal justice teams. Social Work offers a wide range of professional options that you can move between throughout your career. There are more than 1.5 million people working in the social care sector in the UK in a huge range of different settings. Potential employers include: Social Service and Social Work departments across the UK GP practices, hospitals and hospices Children’s Homes Private sector nursing homes Prisons Education settings Social Worker salaries Social Worker salaries start at around £33,000. In the NHS, the typical starter salary band for Social Workers is £35,392 - £42,618. As a senior Social Worker you can earn in the region of £39,000 to £45,000 in local authorities, and £43,742 to £50,056 on Band 7 in the NHS (prospects.ac.uk). Stirling graduates Our graduates have gone on to work for some of the following organisations: Fife Council Falkirk Council Talking is Mental CIC City of Edinburgh Council Glasgow City Council First Step Community Project NHS Fife Social Work roles our graduates work in include: Senior Practitioner Justice Social Worker Social Worker Researcher Testimonial quotes It has been my experience and that of my practice teaching colleagues that social work students coming from Stirling are of exceptional calibre and bring with them a high level of knowledge and skills which they appear to easily transfer to practice. This of course has been enabled by the quality of teaching that they receive from both tutors and practitioners who are involved in various aspects of the course prior to students undertaking a practice learning opportunity. Vivian Fitzsimmons Practice Teacher/Coordinator, Falkirk Council Employability skills The MSc/PgDip Social Work Studies is a professional course which requires you to undertake two practice placements, along with your academic modules. It's on these placements that you'll gain experience in direct work with service users and learn essential transferrable skills for your future employment within the social work profession. Placements are provided by local authorities such as Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross, as well as voluntary organisations located near Stirling. During the course you'll also gain experience of presentation skills, research methodology, as well as being taught specific and relevant skills to prepare you for employment in a variety of social work settings. On your practice placements, you’ll be supported and assessed by Practice Educators who are qualified or undertaking their Practice Educator training. Companies we work with The course is run in partnership with statutory and non-statutory agencies in Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Edinburgh City, Midlothian, West Lothian, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders. We’re fortunate to have strong connections with our partner agencies within a 60-mile radius of the University. They contribute to the teaching on the course and provide a range of placements across both statutory and voluntary social work services. Examples of these are the local authorities in Forth Valley, Fife, and Perth and Kinross, and voluntary agencies such as Barnardos and Multi-Cultural Family Base. University of Stirling Social Work Service Users and Carers’ Group; “UNITY”,  was established in 2005 in recognition of the important contribution that people who use services have to make to social work education. UNITY members are involved in many aspects of the Social Work Studies postgraduate course including direct teaching and selection processes. They have produced video resources for teaching purposes, have contributed to University wide awareness raising events for World Mental Health Day and made a significant contribution to a successful Inter-University conference on Service User and Carer involvement in professional education which was hosted by the University of Stirling. The group is also a founder member of the Scottish Inter-University Social Work Service Users and Carers’ Network.