At Charles Sturt you can create a world worth living in. Let's do it together.
Domestic on campus
Commonwealth grant scheme (CGS):
Full-time - $11,232.00 pa
Part-time - $5,616.00 pa
Domestic online
Commonwealth grant scheme (CGS):
Full-time - $11,232.00 pa
Part-time - $5,616.00 pa
The Bachelor of Social Work at Charles Sturt University is a highly regarded and practical course that enables you to enter a profession of critical importance in addressing social injustice at local, national and global levels.
If you choose to study at our Dubbo or Port Macquarie campuses, your degree will be integrated with TAFE NSW. This means you can attain a Diploma of Community Services after two years of study. You get credit for the diploma as you undertake the second half of your bachelor's, so you graduate with two qualifications in the same time it typically takes to gain a degree. You'll also be well-placed to gain work experience as you complete your studies.
Charles Sturt University is a leading provider of social work education, and is number one in Australia for social work graduates who get jobs.* While Charles Sturt University social work graduates can work throughout the world, they are often found at the heart of communities in rural and regional areas. Our academic staff are highly regarded in social work education, drawing on their extensive industry experience to support your learning. Your studies will also incorporate academic research that's impacting on contemporary policy and social work practice. *Good Universities Guide 2022/23
Develop strong practical skills and hands-on learning through 1,000 hours of supported work placements (or ‘field education’), which offer unique opportunities to observe, question and model social work behaviour. This course includes subject areas such as child protection, cross-cultural and Indigenous studies, ethics, human rights, law, mental health, psychology, social policy, social justice, sociology and in-depth study of the methods and theories of social work.
Students with relevant diploma qualifications may earn a credit transfer into our online and on-campus programs.
This course is professionally accredited by -
Please refer to the Charles Sturt Professional Accreditation resource for specific information and a link to the accreditation body.
When you graduate from your social work course, you'll be ready to explore a wide range of career outcomes, including:
For each 8-point subject you are enrolled in, you should expect to spend 10 to 12 hours per week working on assignments and assigned readings, tutorial assistance, individual or group research/study, forum activity, workplace learning, and attending lectures, intensive schools, or examinations. If you are studying four subjects per session, this is equivalent to a full-time job. The workload for some subjects may vary as a result of approved course design.
You may need to attend an online or on-campus intensive school for certain subjects in this course. These schools usually involve lectures, tutorials and practicals that will give you a deeper understanding of your subject.
| Credit to the value of 64 points is granted upon entry to applicants who have successfully completed the Diploma of Community Services or as listed in the credit arrangements. | ||||
| HCS10C | Social Work Credit Package 10 | 64 credit pts |
| IKC101 | First Nations Foundations: Knowing, Relating and Understanding Country | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS221 | Human Rights and Law for the Human Services | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL118 | Human Services Organisations | 8 credit pts | ||
| PSY111 | Foundations of Psychology for Health and Human Services | 8 credit pts | ||
| PSY113 | Child and Adolescent Psychology | 8 credit pts | ||
| SOC101 | Understanding the Social World | 8 credit pts | ||
| SOC102 | Social Inequality | 8 credit pts | ||
| SOC308 | Community Analysis | 8 credit pts |
| HCS102 | Communication and Human Services | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS104 | Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS111 | Introduction to Human Services | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS200 | Social Work Theory and Practice 1 - Foundations of Practice | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS202 | Social Work Theory and Practice 2 - Micro Practice | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS204 | Research Methods | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS300 | Social Work Theory and Practice 3 - Mezzo Level Practice | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS305 | Power, Oppression, Violence and Trauma | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS310 | Mental Health | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS321 | Welfare Practice with Children, Young People and their Carers | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS400 | Social Work Theory and Practice 4 - Macro Practice and Professional Identity | 8 credit pts | ||
| SWK423 | Ethics and Social Work Practice | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL218 | Developing Cross Cultural Competencies | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL427 | Transformative ecosocial change in human services | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL429 | Indigenous Australian Practice for Human Service Workers | 8 credit pts |
| Students complete 1000 hours of field education, which meets the requirements set by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Students selecting HCS424 require prior approval of Course Director. | |||||
| HCS323 | Social Work Field Education 1 | 16 credit pts | |||
| HCS411 | Social Work Field Education 2 | 16 credit pts | |||
| OR | |||||
| HCS424 | Social Work Field Education 2A | 16 credit pts | |||
| Select three (3) subjects from the following: | ||||
| HCS205 | Child Abuse and Child Protection | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS406 | Social Work and Human Rights | 8 credit pts | ||
| HCS410 | Legal Issues in Child and Adolescent Welfare | 8 credit pts | ||
| HIP203 | Health and Development through the Lifespan | 8 credit pts | ||
| HIP423 | Transition to Allied Health Practice | 8 credit pts | ||
| JST204 | Young People and Crime | 8 credit pts | ||
| LES202 | Contemporary Issues in Community Development | 8 credit pts | ||
| POL213 | Understanding Australian Political Life: Actors, Institutions and Policy | 8 credit pts | ||
| POL305 | Power, Politics and Propaganda in the Media | 8 credit pts | ||
| PSY214 | Health Psychology | 8 credit pts | ||
| PSY216 | Psychology of Ageing | 8 credit pts | ||
| SOC215 | Gender, Family and Society | 8 credit pts | ||
| SOC301 | Policy, Power and Social Action | 8 credit pts | ||
| SWK414 | International Social Development | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL206 | Facilitating Positive Behaviours | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL217 | Social Dimensions of Disability | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL229 | Introduction to Addiction Studies | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL231 | Holistic Eco-Social Approaches in Mental Health | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL409 | Grief, Loss and Change | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL418 | Case Management | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL425 | Addiction - clinical practice in human services | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL426 | Disaster Recovery: A Human Services Perspective | 8 credit pts | ||
| WEL428 | Building Sustainable Communities | 8 credit pts |
Charles Sturt University's Bachelor of Social Work provides graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to work in a wide range of social welfare agencies. Areas of future practice may include case management, counselling, individual and family work, group and community work, practice with Indigenous Australians, child protection, aged care, disability, mental health, community services and corrections.
Students who complete the first three years of the degree with a grade point average of 5.0 or higher may be invited to participate in our integrated Honours program. Your Honours study, which involves completing a 16-point dissertation subject in the final year of the course, will help you to further hone your research and investigative skills under the expert supervision of an experienced academic, on a topic of your choice.
As a Charles Sturt University student, throughout your course you have a responsibility to continue to develop skills in English language, literacy and numeracy as appropriate to your discipline. This ongoing development will enable you to effectively participate in your course and graduate prepared to enter the workforce.
This is an estimate
To be eligible for this scholarship you must be:
65
Learn about how our selection ranks are calculated (including ATARs and adjustment factors).
View the course profile for this course.
Integrated Bachelor of Social Work
Articulated Bachelor of Social Work
Students may also be admitted to the course on the basis of a completed accredited Diploma in the human services discipline, including, but not limited to those listed below:
English Language Proficiency requirements apply. International students who have not completed an AQF Certificate IV or higher qualification in the English language consistent with the requirements for admission to an AQF Level 7 degree course in Australia must have a minimum score of 7.0 or higher in each component (listening, reading, writing and speaking) of the Academic IELTS test upon application.
If you’ve completed relevant tertiary study, or work experience related to your course, you could receive credit towards your degree. Which would mean completing your qualification quicker. Find out how to apply for credit and see our credit policy.
Check your eligibility for credit
We also have several admission pathways to help you take the step into your preferred course, even if you don't quite meet the entry requirements at first. Find out what admission pathways are available to you.
Applying to Charles Sturt University is easy. Choose how you want to apply below, or get in touch with Charles Sturt University and we can help you with your application.
Important dates
Check out our direct application closing dates
