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Department Building, Environment and Society

Social Work

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Degree Programme
Curriculum
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Key subject areas

The part-time Master’s degree programme in Social Work deals with sustainable solutions for social and individual problems and teaches ways of designing professional psychosocial support with a focus on social transformation. The Master’s degree programme in Social Work at FH JOANNEUM offers two specialisations: ‘Social Work and Social Transformation’ and ‘Social Management and Social Transformation’.

Theory and social research as connecting courses in all four semesters

Theory courses from the range of social work topics cover fundamental and current topics and approaches for the macro, meso and micro levels of social work in depth.
Research courses on empirical social (work) research are structured in such a way that they balance out different levels of experience in empirical social research and students with a lot of research experience can deepen their knowledge and skills.

Customised introductory phase in the first semester

In the first semester, there is a customised introductory phase, depending on previous qualifications:

Admission A: For students who have completed a College of Social Pedagogy or who have completed a relevant degree programme at another university and have at least three years of professional experience in the field of social work.
Admission B: For students who have completed the Bachelor’s degree programme of the same name at FH JOANNEUM or at another university of applied sciences.

Elective modules from the second semester

From the second semester onwards, students have the opportunity to choose from elective modules each semester. ‘Social Work and Social Transformation’ or “Social Management and Social Transformation” are the two specialisations.

Elective module 1: Social work and social transformation

In the specialisation ‘Social Work and Societal Transformation’, you will focus on all areas of traditional social work with clients. You will also work on innovative projects to actively and adequately address current social issues such as increasing social inequality, the risk of poverty and increased migration. The focus is on working with the dialogue group. During the programme, you will reflect on your professional thinking and actions against the background of international values and modern knowledge as well as the requirements of social work.

Elective module 2: Social management and social transformation

In the ‘Social Management’ specialisation, you will focus on socio-political and economic topics. Key content such as the management of social organisations, law, sustainable entrepreneurship, quality development, human resources management and leadership will equip you for challenging activities in the management of social institutions.

You can find more information and the curriculum here.

The research project – the Master’s thesis

Your research project, the Master’s thesis, is at the heart of the programme. You prepare for this in courses on social research methods and are supported in the process of writing your Master’s thesis by courses and supervisors.

Tip

Professionalisation of social work and focus on selected fields of action: The profession of social work has been significantly upgraded through its academisation and the Designation Protection Act. Since 2024, the protection of designations has ensured transparency for the qualification of specialists and serves as a quality feature of the training and the competences acquired with it. Our Bachelor’s degree programme enables you to acquire this basic qualification for practising social work. In the Master’s degree programme, you will delve deeper into specific fields of activity, compile your training from selected modules and specialise your skills portfolio. The Master’s programme also prepares you for complex challenges and development requirements.

Why study the Master’s degree programme in Social Work at FH JOANNEUM?

In the programme…

  • … you will acquire a deep understanding of social structures and be able to apply theories of action, actors and socialisation effectively in social work. You will develop the ability to critically analyse and interpret social phenomena and individual behaviour, paying particular attention to psychodynamic and unconscious processes.
  • … you will be able to critically scrutinise traditional social work methods and approaches and develop innovative and sustainable solutions for new and changing needs. You will learn to think outside the box and integrate forward-looking perspectives.
  • …. You will acquire the skills to think and act in an interdisciplinary manner by incorporating theories and methods from various scientific fields into your practical work. In addition, you will strengthen your ability to self-reflect and critically reflect on social practices, which is essential for effective and ethically reflective professional practice in social work.
  • … you will develop comprehensive methodological skills in both qualitative and quantitative social (labour) research. You will learn advanced techniques and methods for collecting, analysing and interpreting empirical data. If you have little previous research experience, this will be compensated for and your knowledge will be deepened according to your individual level of experience. You will take part in the research workshop and specialised courses such as evaluation and biographical research and will be able to plan and carry out complex research projects independently.
  • … you will gain the ability to actively incorporate research into participatory processes and thus integrate the voices of those involved directly into the research work. You will be supported in the process of writing your Master’s thesis by experienced teaching staff at the Institute. By writing the Master’s thesis and preparing for the Master’s examination, you will demonstrate your ability to conduct independent research at a high academic level and to critically evaluate and present your results.
  • … deepen your knowledge in one of the compulsory elective subjects and expand your expertise.

 

What graduates say about the programme

‘It shows how you can bring about positive change with expertise and compassion – step by step, in small and big moments. It’s not just about finding solutions, but also about accompanying people on their journey and creating new perspectives together.’
Julia Gumhold BA, MSc, MA
‘The Master’s programme opens up more career opportunities for me and expands my professional options to include a number of fields of activity. It also broadened my skills and enabled me to develop personally and professionally. Bonus: lots of new, lovely and interesting people.’
Breitler-Tobisch, Anneliese Bakk phil., MA

Study and work

You will learn cooperatively, reflectively, collaboratively, interdisciplinarily, asynchronously (with tasks) and synchronously (in face-to-face courses). You will acquire application-oriented skills through lectures, reading circles, problem-based learning, research workshops, self-reflective practice units, in-depth theory courses and application-oriented seminars and exercises.
Here you can find more information about part-time study programmes.

You choose

From the second semester onwards, you choose your compulsory electives. The modules are recommended as a combination of the specialisations and are coordinated with each other.

Read more

Curriculum

To make your education as wide-ranging and practice-oriented as possible, the course content is divided into modules of different subject areas. Here you can find an overview of all modules and the associated courses.
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