(Full-time)
Message from the Programme Director
Prof. Chan Chun-ho, Randolph
Programme Director
MA Programme in Social Service Management
The Master of Arts in Social Service Management Programme is a one-year full time programme that enhances the managerial competence of social service personnel through quality postgraduate education. The Programme provides a broad-based theoretical foundation on which students can develop the relevant skills and capabilities for the effective management of social service organisations in a rapidly changing social environment.
The curriculum covers an extensive array of social service management topics, including contemporary organisational theories, strategic planning, human resources management, financial management and programme evaluation. Students can also canvass solutions for addressing critical management issues through a research-based social service management project.
The Programme is designed for those who are interested in social service management, or are preparing for greater management responsibilities in the social service sector. Those having an undergraduate degree in social science and experience in the social service sector will have an apparent advantage in admission.
Prof. Chan Chun-ho, Randolph
Programme Director
Master of Arts in Social Service Management
Introduction
With the recent calls for greater accountability in the delivery of social services, and the increasing demands for higher service quality, agency administrators and professional practitioners are increasingly demanded to enhance their competence in managing their agencies efficiently and effectively. This need is particularly evident with the implementation of the Enhanced Productivity Programme and the Lump Sum Grant in the local social welfare sector and the rapid growth of the social work/social welfare sector in Mainland China. As a result, organisational management has become an important part of the core competences of social work administrators. They have to keep abreast of new knowledge and skills in organisational management to enable them provide better services to the public.
In view of these circumstances, the Department offers one-year full-time Master of Arts in Social Service Management (MASSM) Programme to cater for the needs of the social service sector. The Programme intends to help students acquire a good knowledge base on social service management to supplement or complement their job competency.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Programme, students are expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of:
1) The theoretical foundations and conceptual frameworks of social service management;
2) Professional knowledge and skills used in social welfare administration, for example, management theories, strategic planning, resource allocation, financial control, staffing, programme evaluation, and the use of information technology in social service management; and
3) The use of research and other scientific methods in addressing critical social service management issues
Programme of Study
Study mode available
Full-time: 1 year
Part-time: 2 years (not offered in 2026-27)
The Programme consists of 7 required courses and 1 elective course. The courses offered are as follows:
Remarks:
* Students are required to take one elective course.
* Elective courses will be offered in accordance with resources available. Not all elective courses will necessarily be offered in a given year. Only those courses that meet the minimum enrolment quota will be offered.
Scholarships
The following scholarships are available to students of the MASSM Programme:
1) Admission Scholarship: Master of Arts in Social Service Management Scholarship
2) Distinguished Academic Scholarship for Master of Arts in Social Service Management Students