Master of Science in Social Work Research

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

This course combines social policy and its focus on wellbeing with politics and its consideration of power – who exercises it and for whom. Politics drives us to think about how society should be organised and how communities and states interact. This prompts consideration of how wellbeing is unevenly distributed in contemporary societies and the forms of social organisation necessary to enhance our lives.

Both departments encourage strong synergy between research and teaching, resulting in a vibrant learning environment as staff respond in their teaching to new research.

In the politics part of your course, you will study the politics of countries and governments and the relationships between countries, communities and individuals. Politics at Bristol is organised around three themes: political theory, comparative and national politics, and international relations.

In your social policy studies, the first year introduces key skills and concepts within social policy so that you can familiarise yourself with theoretical, comparative and historical analyses. Years two and three allow you to explore your interests in greater depth through a range of optional units.

You will also have the opportunity to spend half a year studying abroad at a partner university. Visit Global Opportunities to find out more about where you can study abroad.

We live and work in a world characterised by rapid technological and societal change on a global scale. To be effective in business and management in a multinational environment requires an understanding of the cultural, linguistic, economic, political and social contexts in which organisations operate, both within and across national borders.

BA International Business Management and Spanish will help you develop the intellectual, analytical, critical and employability skills you will need to succeed as a manager or leader in many careers across different sectors. A knowledge of Spanish, the second most widely spoken European language in the world, will allow you direct access to the cultural production, political debates, and economic data from Spanish-speaking countries.

Your first year will introduce basic concepts and tools for the study of management. Alongside, you will develop your proficiency in Spanish from a beginner's level or post A-level and gain a grounding in the major historical processes and periods that have shaped the Hispanic world from 1492 to the present.

In years two and four, through a combination of core and optional units, you will develop your understanding of international business management and gain some specialisation in an area of interest. At the same time you will combine advanced study of Spanish with optional units in the history, culture and politics of the Hispanic world.

You will spend your third year abroad, which will enable you to refine your language skills and cultural knowledge and gain valuable work experience. For further details of year abroad opportunities visit Global Opportunities.

In the final year you will also undertake a capstone individual research project in which you can combine your linguistic, cultural and management competencies in exploring a case study of interest to you, leading to the development of a business plan.

This degree combines theatre with the study of French, which is spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world. The course offers an enriching experience with exciting intellectual challenges and a wide range of options that will allow you to pursue your own interests.

Both departments encourage strong synergy between research and teaching, resulting in a vibrant learning environment as staff incorporate new research into their classes.

The theatre course will allow you to develop your understanding and practical skills by exploring critical and historical frameworks alongside practical workshops. There are opportunities to engage with professional theatre makers and our museum-accredited archive, the Theatre Collection.

For French, as well as following a structured language course, you will build your practical skills and explore critical and historical frameworks through literature, film, history, thought, politics, linguistics and culture. You will spend your third year abroad in a French-speaking country, extending your language skills and cultural knowledge. Visit Global Opportunities to find out more.

When you return to Bristol for your final year you will have the opportunity to undertake an independent practical or written research project and/or a work placement in the creative industries.

This program creates links between social work research and practice in a range of settings. You will be taught the necessary skills to undertake research into social work and social care as practice-based professionals or as postgraduate research students.

This degree helps you acquire vital tools to maximise your work in addressing real issues of concern with policy makers, managers, practitioners and service users in social work and care.

The program offers a combination of academic rigour, up-to-date practice content and relevant and transferable research skills development. Core units will draw on theories and research methods from across the social sciences - including economics, law and philosophy - providing you with a strong foundation to then carry out your own research.

Optional units build on our particular research expertise and will focus on the skills you will require as a social work researcher engaged with a range of multi-disciplinary colleagues. For example, you may choose to study community development programs in the context of poverty, interventions to tackle domestic violence, or programmes for young offenders. Other optional units focus on the wellbeing of particular groups: children with disabilities, people with severe and long-term mental illness, or asylum seekers and migrants.

We recognise that students will be joining with relevant, albeit varied, experience and there will be opportunities for you to draw on your own experiences as researchers, managers and policy advisers and to share these with other participants on the program. A co-learning environment also gives you the opportunity to interact and share insights with other students studying research degrees in disability studies, policy research and health and wellbeing.