Master of Social Science Programme in Social Work (MSSc)

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Programme Information

Programme Description 

The Master of Social Science Programme in Social Work (MSSc) is a professional social work training programme. Students of this Programme are eligible to be Registered Social Worker (RSW) in Hong Kong upon graduation. For details, please visit here.

Remarks:
If you are already a Registered Social Worker and wish to learn from the emerging innovative practices in tackling local and global challenges and social issues, you may consider applying for the Master of Social Work Programme (MSW).

  

Qualification for Admission

  • Academic Qualification 
    Applicants shall have:
    • graduated from a recognized university and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in any disciplines, normally with an honours not lower than Second Class or achieving an average grade of not lower than "B"; or
    • completed a course of study in a tertiary educational institution and obtained professional or similar qualifications equivalent to a Bachelor's degree.

    Those who expect to obtain a Bachelor's degree in the current academic year may also apply for admission.

    Applicants with degrees awarded by overseas universities by distance learning or by completing a self-financed undergraduate programme of short duration may be required to provide assessment report from the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) on the level of qualification obtained.

  • English Language Proficiency
    Please refer to the Graduate School’s website for details:
    • Website
    • Section: “English Language Requirements for Admission”

 

Target Group of Applicant

  • Bachelor’s degree holders (in any disciplines) who wish to pursue a professional career in social work.
  • Practicing professionals in either private or public sectors, who wish to develop a professional career in social work.

 

Study Mode and Study Length

 

Medium of Instruction

  • Lecture: English, Cantonese; Local Field Placement: mainly Cantonese

Arrangement of Fieldwork

The MSSc Programme requires students to fulfill not less than 900 fieldwork hours, which includes 100 hours of field preparation and 800 hours of field practicum. We offer various choices of service for students to gain experience in specific areas. They are:

  • Community development
  • Family and child welfare services
  • Medical social services
  • Rehabilitation services
  • Services for elderly
  • Services for young people
  • Special services
  • 100 hours field preparation
    Field selection briefing, pre-placement workshop, agency visits, field laboratory, agency orientations, etc. 

  • 800 hours of field practicum
    The 800 hours field practicum is separated into two courses, SOWK6415 Field Instruction I & SOWK6416 Field Instruction II, of 400 hours each. There are two modes of placements:
    • Block Placement: Normally 5 days (10 sessions) per week; Lasts for about 3 months
    • Concurrent Placement: Normally 2 days (or 4 sessions) per week; Lasts for about 6 months

    Full-time students will be arranged to take one block placement in Summer Term of the first year (June to August) and one concurrent placement in Term 1 of the second year (September to March).

    Part-time students will be arranged to take one concurrent placement in Term 2 of the second year (January to June) and another concurrent placement in Term 1 of the third year. Placement can be arranged in weekday evenings and weekends so that students having full-time job can still fulfil the 900-hour supervised field practicum requirements.

    Students can also choose non-local placement (block placement) to practically explore the social welfare systems of other countries (e.g. Canada, Australia, Singapore and Taiwan). (Non-local Placement Sharing Booklet)

 

Tuition Fee

The tuition fees for students admitted in 2023-24 are as follows:

  • Full-time: HK$295,500 for the whole programme (HK$59,100 per installment x 5 installments)
  • Part-time: HK$275,500 for the whole programme (HK$34,437.5 per installment x 8 installments)

Remarks: Students taking courses beyond the normative study period shall pay extra tuition fees calculated according to the tuition fee of students admitted in the academic year when the courses are taken.

 

Student Hostel

In view of the current shortage in hostel places, no on-campus accommodation can be provided for students taking self-financed taught postgraduate programmes.