University College Dublin

• The minimum standard for entry is the equivalent of an overall Second Class Honours Grade II in the applicant's primary (Level 8) degree

• Applications should hold a BSocSc degree with a major in Social Policy or a BSocial Work or equivalent; or another undergraduate degree, at least half of which has involved the study of Social Policy or Social Policy related subjects.

• Alternatively, applicants must hold a level 8 primary degree together with a Second Class Honours (or GPA equivalent in the institution which awarded the degree) in a postgraduate (level 8) Higher Diploma in Social Policy or equivalent.

• If your degree grade is given as a GPA, the standard for entry is the GPA equivalent of a Second Class Honours Grade II in the institution which awarded your degree. You should note that this may vary from institution to institution. For degrees awarded by UCD it is a GPA of 2.48.


Written Test

There will be a short written test included as part of this year's application process, on the same day as the group interview. Further information about this will be provided closer to the time. If you have a disability or specific learning difficulty e.g. Dyslexia, and require exam accommodations, please contact the admissions administrator at least one week before the interview so that appropriate exam accommodations can be put in place. Students are required to provide evidence of their disability in order to receive accommodations.


Work Experience

In addition to the academic requirements described above, we expect applicants to have been involved in relevant paid or volunteering experiences to demonstrate their commitment to a career in helping people. For this reason we expect them to have completed at least 250 hours of relevant paid or voluntary employment experience at the time of submitting their application, and in total 420 hours by the time the programme begins (end of August in the year of application). You will be asked to complete details of this on the application under an 'Employment History' section. Please download and complete the template online.


You should note that UCD reserves the right to check the information submitted on your online Work Experience form with your employer or the organisation that you are volunteering with.


We regard a variety of types of paid or voluntary work experience to be relevant to the application. It is important that applicants can demonstrate that they have had access to supervision over the course of your experience. Relevant experience should generally be interactive and involve direct contact with service users.


The following are suggested, but not exclusive, types of relevant paid or voluntary work experiences:

• Working in social care settings with adults or children in day care, residential or community based settings

• Working with people in health care settings

• Working with people in criminal justice settings

• Working with young people in educational and youth services

• Working with voluntary sector organisations that are involve in advocacy services for disadvantaged groups

• Working with voluntary sector organisations involved in online helping


Current students in the final year of their degree or higher diploma programme may apply for the MSocSc (Social Work) FT or MSocSc (Social Work) PT programme if they meet the work experience requirements. Places on the programme will be offered subject to the attainment of the required admission standard in their degree/higher diploma programme.


Shortlisting for Interview

Applicants will be shortlisted for interview on the basis of academic results and relevant work experience. Interviews will take place in the February of the calendar year before the programme commences. As the programme tends to be over-subscribed we regret that not all eligible candidates will be shortlisted / interviewed.

Students who successfully complete the MSocSc (Social Work) FT , the MSocSc (Social Work) PT or the Graduate Diploma in Social Work programme and are eligible to graduate may apply to CORU for registration as a professionally qualified social worker.


English language requirement

• You will normally be required to have a minimum IELTS score of 7.0, or its equivalent on other similar English-language tests recognised by UCD, with a score of 6.5 or above on all individual bands. In addition, proficiency in spoken English may be assessed by interview and will be taken into account for selection purposes.


International Applicants

The Professional Masters in Social Work includes extensive fieldwork placements and is widely recognised abroad as a professional social work qualification. Graduates with this degree have successfully registered as professional social workers in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among other countries. If you are unsure what the requirements are for professional social work registration in the country in which you hope to practice, you should check with the relevant registration body in that country.


Admission requirements

For graduates of UK universities, grading of undergraduate degrees is similar to that used in Ireland and the academic requirements defined in the initial screening criteria set out above apply directly.


For North American students, the minimum academic standard for entry equates to a GPA of around 3.0 on undergraduate degrees from most universities. To be competitive for entry, North American applicants would normally require a GPA of at least 3.5, though since work experience and orientation to social work are also taken into account, the level of academic qualification required for final selection is not fixed.


To qualify under initial screening, primary degrees must be the equivalent of an honours level Bachelor's degree. Such degrees are defined as Level 8 qualifications in the Framework of Qualifications for the European Higher Education Area (also known of the Bologna Framework ). Degrees classed 'ordinary level' (Level 7 in the Bologna Framework) are not considered as eligible for entry to the Professional Masters in Social Work. Applicants are required to submit transcripts from all previous bachelors or masters programmes as well as a personal statement, references and details of work experience (the form on which to do this can be found below). Also applicants should submit a copy of either their birth certificate or the photo page of their passport for nationality verification purposes.


Interviews

Interviews will be conducted in the second stage of selection for entry. In exceptional circumstances to facilitate international applicants, the interview may be conducted by audio-visual link or Skype, subject to it being possible to make suitable arrangements. Arrangements in this regard will be made on a case-by-case basis.


English language requirement

If you have not completed a primary degree in an institution where the language of instruction is English, you will be required to show evidence of English language ability. In view of the role of professional placement in the training programme for the Professional Masters in Social Work and the language demands which effective participation in placement requires, a high level of proficiency in spoken/conversational English is required in addition to English reading and writing. You will normally be required to have a minimum IELTS score of 7.0, or its equivalent on other similar English-language tests recognised by UCD, with a score of 6.5 or above on all individual bands. In addition, proficiency in spoken English may be assessed by interview and will be taken into account for selection purposes.