Master of Arts in Social Work (M.A.)
The consecutive Master’s degree program in Social Work has been offered since Summer Semester 2012 by the Department of Social Work and Health Care at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society. The program has been fully accredited and given the official seal of the Accreditation Council.
Program Aim
The program expands and furthers the (technical) knowledge, research skills, and understanding of treatment methodologies acquired during student’s first degree program (Bachelor or Diplom). It enables comprehensive scientific analysis of the operational areas in social work. Students will be able to independently conduct extensive applied research projects in the field of social work.
In particular, the program qualifies students for positions:
- In the areas of project management, development, implementation, and evaluation, especially for responsibility in further conceptual development of operational areas in the field of social work.
- As specialists at social work institutions and associations.
- As research associates and staff employees at social work institutions and associations, non-profit organizations, universities and institutions of higher learning, in social services administration, and in business.
Master’s degree programs open the door to higher civil service positions. A Master’s degree also opens the door to doctoral studies. For Master’s program graduates, the path into doctoral studies has been eased through cooperation agreements with other universities.
Program Organization and Structure
This three-semester, full-time program is modularly structured and contains a total of six modules.
The program consists of a methodological-methodical thread (Module 1: Research and Theory in Social Work and Module 2: Applied Practical Research) and a theoretical-content thread (Module 3: Subject-oriented Perspectives in Social Work, Module 4: Social-political, societal, and institutional conditions / Interplay of Social Work, and Module 5: Practice and Theory Formation of Social Work – Reflection and Opening). The program concludes with the Master’s thesis (Module 6: Master’s thesis and social research).
The program consists of a methodological-methodical thread
- Module 1: Research and Theory in Social Work
- Module 2: Applied Practical Research
and a theoretical-content thread
- Module 3: Subject-oriented Perspectives in Social Work,
- Module 4: Social-political, societal, and institutional conditions / Interplay of Social Work
- Module 5: Practice and Theory Formation of Social Work – Reflection and Opening).
The program concludes with the Master’s thesis:
- Module 6: Master’s thesis and social research.
Degree
After successfully completing of the program, graduates are awarded the academic degree “Master of Arts” (M.A.).
Info event Master Social Work
We cordially invite all prospective students to our information event on the Master of Social Work on June 6, 2024 from 5.30 pm. Further information can be found here. Registration is not necessary.
Profile
The social science-based Master's degree course in Social Work at the School of Business and Society is research-oriented. Interested students can research social work in its social-institutional (self-)integration, conflict and tension relationships together with dedicated lecturers. From a (power) critical perspective, they analyze and reflect on these relationships and the positions of the actors within them and explore possibilities for transcending ideological and structural (self-) limitations.
Current far-reaching social changes in regimes of domineering restructuring and authoritarian regulation of social conflicts, which have to be analyzed again and again, affect people in their possibilities of a self-determined and participatory life practice. They also exacerbate the contradictions in which social work operates - often (re-)producing these contradictions. In particular, forms of social work that aim to strengthen people's ability to act in the realities of their lives are faced with new challenges as a result of these developments.
At the heart of the Master's degree course is an intensively supervised practical research project, which - in addition to deepening the ability of academic reflection - serves to address the students' own social work issues and interests. Interesting research projects are carried out in the field of social work, the content of which can be found in the course catalogs and here. Other focal points of the degree programs are the theory modules on social work, on everyday life and the subject and on social conditions and interactions.
Teaching and studying at the Department of Social and Health Care at the School of Business and Society is embedded in a departmental culture that promotes reflexivity, the joy of discussion, constructive cooperation between students and lecturers as well as political participation and spaces for student involvement.
The structures of the degree program enable students to adapt their degree programs to their personal study situation and to study individually and flexibly.
Qualification and Degree
The degree programs aims to deepen research and methodological skills as well as skills in project development, project organization and project implementation. Students carry out their own (practical research) projects and are closely supervised. By teaching skills in analysis, project organization and reflection, the degree programs qualifies students for work in social work institutions and associations, in social administration, non-profit organizations, universities of applied sciences and in the business sector and opens up access to higher service.
Reflection on the science and practice of social work prepares graduates for work, for example as a specialist consultant, advisor or research assistant. Degree of the Master's program creates the prerequisite for the possibility of a doctorate.
Upon successful completion of the course, graduates are awarded the academic degree "Master of Arts (M.A.)".
Structure
The program is designed as a 3-semester full-time study program. It is possible to study the program in individually flexible models. For advice in this regard, please contact the Student Advisory Service (contact on the right sidebar).
The program consists of 6 modules:
Module 1: Research and Theory Formation in Social Work
Module 2: Applied practice research
Module 3: Subject-oriented perspectives and social work
Module 4: Social, socio-political and institutional conditions and interactions of social work
Module 5: Social work as an institution and professional and scientific practice - reflection and opening up
Module 6: Master's thesis and social research
Prospective students/applicants
Study place application
| Start of studies | In the summer semester |
| Application deadline | January 31 for the following summer semester |
| Application procedures | From November online via the application portal |
| Admission restricted | No |
Information on application procedures
If you have any questions about the application , prospective students can find general information about the application processhere https://www.hwg-lu.de/studium/uebersicht-studiengaenge (including information about theapplication and application documents to be submitted to /fileadmin/user_upload/fachbereiche/fachbereich-4/Studiengangsmaterialien/MA_Soziale_Arbeit/2023/einzureichende_Unterlagen_Master_NC-frei.pdf). Once you have gathered all the information you need, you can find everything you needto register for the online application procedure here https://www.hwg-lu.de/international/studieninteressierte/registrierung-dosv#s|dosv . If you meet the admisson requirements, you will be enrolled directly; if necessary, the examination board will decide on enrolment. Applicants who meet the admisson requirements and submit all application documents in full and on time can be enrolled directly in the degree programs.
If you have anyquestions about the content of the degree programs (structure, internships, support services during your studies, etc.), please contact Stefanie Gora's specialist advisory service. If you have any questions about the application process, you can contact Timo Schweitzer from Application Management (contact on the right sidebar).
Admisson requirements
- The consecutive Master's degree program in Social Work requires a first professionally qualifying degree in a degree program in the field of Social Work (Bachelor of Arts; Diplom) at a university in the Federal Republic of Germany or such a degree at a foreign university, for which 210 ECTS points must generally be proven.
- Applicants who have a degree mentioned under the first indent but have achieved fewer than 210 ECTS points for this degree may be admitted to the degree programs. In this case, the examination board will check whether the applicant has equivalent skills. Missing competencies can be compensated for by transferring credits earned at a university or outside of a university.
- In accordance with the regulations of the General Examination Regulations (Section 2 (3)), applicants may also be admitted if they do not yet have an undergraduate degree but can guarantee that they will obtain the degree within one semester of enrolling on the 'Social Work, Master of Arts' degree program (the number of outstanding credits must not exceed 30 ECTS points). In this case, applicants must prove at the time of application that they have already registered their thesis for the undergraduate degree programs.
- The application procedures for the Master's degree program in Social Work (M.A.) were administratively simplified in summer semester 2020. By lifting the admission restriction, it is possible for applicants who meet the admisson requirements and submit all application documents in full and on time to be enrolled directly onto the degree programs.
Students
All information for students in their first semester can be found on the freshman information page.
General information for your studies (contact persons, activities abroad, library, student representation, etc.) can be found here.
For the course-specific page for examination matters, please click here.
If you have any questions or need individual advice, please contact the Student Advisory Service by phone, e-mail or in person (for contact details, see right sidebar).
