Studying for Your Master’s Degree in Social Work

An essential guide for all students studying for a Master’s degree in social work, whether they have come directly from their undergraduate studies or after a period of employment.

This book focuses specifically on the skills needed to study social work at Master’s level, helping students get to grips with the academic rigour required at this higher level of study. This includes research skills, writing style, tone, the emphasis on self-reflection and the need to communicate in both academic and professional contexts. Pedagogical features and activities provide opportunities to explore, analyse and reflect on what has been learnt. The book will help cultivate a social practice approach to writing, raise awareness of the choices available, and aid understanding so that readers can produce the types of discourse required at Master’s level in social work.

Patricia Cartney is the Head of Social Work at the University of Manchester where she oversees all of their pre and post-qualifying Social Work programmes. In particular, she is the Programme Director for the MA in Social Work. Patricia has many years’ experience as a social work practitioner and over twenty years’ experience as an educator of Social Work students. Patricia’s ultimate goal is to help students become skilled, compassionate and effective social workers who make a difference.

Jane Bottomley is a freelance writer, teacher and educational consultant. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Senior Fellow of BALEAP, the global forum for English for Academic Purposes practitioners. She has helped students from a wide range of disciplines to improve their academic skills and achieve their study goals, including 14 years as a Senior Language Tutor at the University of Manchester. Jane is the editor of the Critical Study Skills series, which covers nursing, education and social work. This series includes books on critical thinking, and all books in the series are characterised by a critical approach to study.