Professional Master of Social Work

The programme is taught by research-active academics with broad teaching and practice experiences. Modules will address topics such as social work counselling skills, social work theory and methods, human development and behaviour,  justice and human rights, working with children, families and adults, research methods, as well as working with groups and communities. We have very strong practice partnership arrangements that enable us to deliver high quality placements for students

Social work has had a long and distinguished presence in University College Dublin. Over many decades our social work programmes have graduated highly qualified professionals that have been employed in many social, health and community settings, both in Ireland and internationally. We enjoy very strong partnership arrangements with a range of local and national social work, health and community agencies.

The Professional Master of Social Work offers generic professional training in social work.  The aim of the Programme is to build on students’ prior learning and experience to develop their practice expertise. 

• The curriculum is planned as an integrated whole, delivered by staff who possess a wide range of practice and research experience.The content of the curriculum meets regulatory body standards in terms of university and practice learning curricula.
• The Programme enables students to apply university based learning through the completion of two professionally supervised, three month, practice placements.
• Reflecting UCD’s University for All ethos, we are proud of the fact that our programme at UCD always has a very diverse student group – for example, diverse in terms of age, gender, nationality,ethnicity, socio economic background, ability, disability and neurodivergence . Our programme includes students who have recently completed their undergraduate degrees from across Ireland, students who are returning to education or changing career, Irish students of different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, and international students from different countries and continents. This diversity of student cohort is widely regarded as a key strength of the programme, resulting in opportunities to learn from peers with different perspectives and life experiences.
• Upon successful completion of this masters programme, graduates are eligible to apply for registration with CORU, the Social Workers' Registration Board as well as other international registration boards and upon registration with the relevant registration boards can then pursue a career in social work in Ireland or in many other jurisdictions.

• Graduates with this degree have successfully registered as professional social workers in Ireland, the  United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among other countries.


• Graduates obtain employment in a range of social work practice contexts including criminal justice, child welfare and protection, community based social work, and health-related social work. They work with communities, children and families, older people, offenders, people with disabilities, and people with mental health difficulties, amongst others

Practice Placements: 

Students will undertake two, full-time fourteen-week placements, one in Year 1 and one in Year 2. Placements are sourced by our Practice Learning Team through an extensive network of long-standing relationships with agencies across Ireland. All placements meet the requirements set out by CORU, with ongoing-training provided to all placement supervisors (practice teachers).

Placements reflect the diverse areas of practice in which social workers work and aim to meet the learning needs of the individual students concerned. Placements offer students the opportunity to apply their learning from college to the practice context and this application of theory to practice is supported by both the professionally qualified social worker who supervises the student on placement and by a UCD Practice Tutor

UCD is strongly committed to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), embedding sustainability in teaching, research, operations, and community engagement. Sustainability principles are integrated into this programme, ensuring students graduate equipped to address global challenges. UCD’s leadership in this area is internationally recognised, ranking 49th globally and 1st in Ireland in the QS World University Rankings for Sustainability 2024. UCD also leads impactful research in areas such as climate action, clean energy, and social equity, supported by a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy focused on reducing emissions, enhancing biodiversity, and fostering a sustainable campus culture.

Here are the SDGs which align more visibly with this programme:

• The Professional Master of Social Work is a full-time programme approved by CORU (The Social Workers’ Registration Board www.coru.ie), leading to a professional social work qualification.


• Upon successful completion of this masters programme, graduates are eligible to apply for registration with CORU, the Social Workers' Registration Board as well as other international registration boards and upon registration with the relevant registration boards can then pursue a career in social work in Ireland or in many other jurisdictions.


• With this qualification graduates are eligible to apply for professional registration which is a requirement to practice social work in Ireland. The Masters is also recognised internationally.

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. The UCD Access and Life Long Learning website has information about Cothrom na Féinne scholarships and Sanctuary scholarships.  UCD also offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships. 

• 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, with at least the equivalent of a major component in 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. A level 9 Masters in a relevant discipline may also be considered.
• 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 Piece

There will be a short written piece included as part of this year's application process, on the same day as the  interview. This will involve writing a short reflection on your participation in the group interview process. 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.The template can be downloaded from the “Graduate Programmes” page of the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice website in the section for “Professional Master of Social Work. Placements completed as part of your eligibility degree programme CANNOT be counted in these hours.

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 2nd (BSocSc Social Policy and Sociology - Social Work and Professions pathway only) or final year of their degree or higher diploma programme may apply for the Professional Masters in Social Work (Full Time) 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. Eligible candidates will receive invitation to interview with further details.

Students who successfully complete the Professional Master of Social Work 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.

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EU) applicants: Yes

This programme will be of interest to you if you are passionate about human rights and social justice, wish to better understand societal problems, and want to be actively involved in working with people and communities to overcome challenging situations and to enhance their well-being. Full attendance is a programme requirement. This, combined with the professional nature of the programme, demands a considerable commitment from students for its duration, both in terms of lecture attendance, completion of coursework, and attendance at placement.