Interested in studying Social Work? Stellenbosch University offers top programmes
Friday, 13 March 2020
Do you enjoy working with people? Do you have a strong desire to help them? Then you should consider pursuing a career in Social Work. Social work is an academic discipline and profession that concerns itself with individuals, families, groups, and communities in an effort to enhance social functioning and overall well-being. Stellenbosch University is a top university in South Africa that offers the best programmes in social work, ranging from a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a Doctor of Philosophy.
What is Social Work?
The profession of social work seeks to improve individuals’ quality of life and to effect system-wide change through the pursuit of social justice. It is focused on the person-in-environment model and its emphasis on social justice. Social workers not only consider individuals’ internal struggles, they also work with people to examine their relationships, family structure, community environment, and the systems and policies that impact them in order to identify ways to help address challenges.
Social work also emphasizes a strengths-based approach in which all individuals have strengths and resources and the social worker’s role is to help build upon a person’s skills and support systems. The profession of social work is varied serving people young and old, from every walk of life, in a number of settings such as hospitals, schools, neighborhoods and community organizations. It involves work with families, couples, groups, organizations, and communities.
Why study Social Work at Stellenbosch University?
Social Work degrees don’t only focus on supporting people, but on training and cooperating with them in an effort to change their environments and create better living conditions. Social workers help community members to develop new skills or improve existing ones, which changes people’s mindset and encourages them to embrace a proactive attitude.
Stellenbosch University’s programmes will provide a deep insight into this profession and will enable the student to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to become the best social worker available.
Here are the bachelor’s degree, the master’s degree and the doctor of philosophy degree offered by Stellenbosch University:
This four-year bachelor’s degree will provide you with the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to deal positively with problems that arise in the interaction between people and their environment, and to empower those involved to deal with their challenges in a self-reliant way. This bachelor’s degree leads to a variety of career opportunities in government departments at national, provincial and local level, as well as in voluntary welfare organisations and non-governmental organisations that employ social workers.
This research-based master’s degree in social work enables students to undertake independent research with the guidance of a supervisor, leading to a thesis that constitutes 100% of the programme's final mark.
The doctoral programme aims to increase students' advanced knowledge of and skills in research, equipping them to undertake independent research within the disciplines of social work theory and social work practice. This Doctor of Philosophy programme takes at least two years and consists primarily of self-study and consultation with the supervisor about the research and the dissertation, which carries a weight of 100%.
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