Considering international social work degree programs abroad can help you cast a larger net for finding the right training to heal human hurts across borders. Initially started in Amsterdam in 1899, social work spread around the globe from Europe to South America and Africa to right injustices. Staying sheltered in the United States won’t necessarily give you the same social work perspective as colleges abroad. After all, the U.S. holds $63.5 trillion of the globe’s $153.2 trillion total wealth according to Fortune. Getting ready to address the harrowing problems of poverty, disease, abuse, and conflict worldwide is best done overseas. Here are six of the best social work degree programs abroad where exposing students to international experiences is prioritized.
Alice Salomon University
Founded by the German social reformer and IWF secretary in 1899, Alice Salomon University is an independent, vocational applied sciences institution located in the Hellersdorf district of Berlin. ASH Berlin offers a seven-semester, 210-credit B.A. in Social Work in German with an international emphasis, including one term abroad and a thesis. The M.A. in Social Work as a Human Rights Profession admits four-semester cohorts each April for 120 credits of full-time, hybrid online courses in English that address global strategies with vulnerable groups. The SWHR program costs €2640 per term for 75 diverse students from Syria to India and USA.
University of Kent
Endowed for £5.98 million, the University of Kentis a public, research-intensive beloff’s plate glass institution founded in January 1965 under Princess Marina that’s now educating 19,670 students in Canterbury, England. The Faculty of Social Sciences has a 94 percent placement rate after its four-year, HCPC-recognized Social Work B.A. Beginning in September, this TEF Gold program emphasizes international practice with 12 months spent abroad. Kent also awards a Social Work M.A. with second-year tracks for Adult Mental Health or Children and Families. The master’s includes the Global Skills Award Programme and 170 fieldwork days.
University of Stavanger
Belonging to the ECIU since 2012, the University of Stavanger is an interconnected, research centre that’s headed by Rector Marit Boyesen to teach 10,888 students on its Ullandhaug campus in Norway’s third-largest metropolitan. The four-term Nordic Master in Social Work and Welfare admits English speakers with 80 ECTS credits each March to prepare for globalized practice on-campus, at Umea University in Sweden, and at Aalborg University in Denmark. Partnered with Lisbon, Gothenburg, and Makerere, Stavanger also has the Erasmus Mundus in Social Work with Families and Children. This 120-credit, four-term thesis program includes international preparation at 25 study places in English.
National University of Singapore
Opened in 1905 as the King Edward VII College of Medicine, the National University of Singapore is a Southeast Asian independent, research-based IARU member of the GEM4 that’s serving 37,969 on its 150 hectares in Pasir Panjang, Queenstown. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences launched the Bachelor of Social Sciences in Social Work with a Human Services Minor in 1952. The four-year, undergrad option includes two 400-hour field placements in agencies domestic and abroad. The Master of Social Work has a 36-month, full-time timetable with Family/Community Studies or Health specializations, 800 practica clock hours, and at least one global exchange.
Kingston University London
Dedicated to “Advancing Through Science,” Kingston University London is a public, polytechnic research institute endowed for £2.3 million under Chancellor Bonnie Greer to instruct 20,885 students at its Penrhyn Road, Knights Park, and Roehampton Vale campuses. The Social Work BA (Hons) is taught in the HCPC-accredited, award-winning Practice Learning Suite for four-year undergrads to master a foreign language and tackle 170 days of fieldwork. The Human Rights BA (Hons) also won The Guardian Teaching Excellence Award. Adhering to the Professional Capabilities Framework, the Kingston Social Work MSW in Nightingale Centre offers a full-time, two-year or part-time, three-year track with five days of practicum weekly.
University of Delhi
Headed by the Vice President of India, the University of Delhi is a public, research-intensive central college opened in 1922 that’s now divided into 16 faculties to teach 132,435 students atop 28 hectares in New Delhi. The Delhi School of Social Work has 85 seats each year for its competitive practice-oriented, four-semester M.A. Social Work. Elective specializations are offered in Disability, Women’s Welfare, Youth Work, Correctional Services, Employee Relations, and Gandhian Social Work for the two-year, research-based M.Phil. Social Work. The Ph.D. in Social Work is another Delhi program open each January and July for advanced specialists to conduct dissertations in the Social Sciences Faculty.
According to HotCoursesAbroad.com, there are 659 institutions offering undergrad and/or post-grad social work degrees with cross-border opportunities. Other great schools dotting the social work map include the University of Leeds, University of Witwatersrand, University of Sydney, University of British Columbia, and University of Buenos Aires. The best international social work degree programs abroad will vary greatly based on your dream destination.
