Social Work Course Details - Fees, Subjects, Syllabus, Duration, Eligibility, Career Scope

What is Social Work

Social work is a highly fulfilling career for people who are passionate about social causes and taking care of those in need. It entails addressing social issues, fighting against social discrimination, and taking care of the rights of victims of the same. While working with NGOs may be what many visualise social work to be limited to, many social workers also work individually, in communities, and with families.
 

The practise of social work promotes development, change, cohesion, and empowerment of communities and people. Professionals in this field of work aim to boost the overall well-being of different communities and people, as well as helping them meet their basic needs and exercise their basic rights in the face of injustice.

One might say that a career in Social Work means a lifetime of helping people and enforcing a much-needed change in society. 

Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Social Work

The eligibility criteria for admission to Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work courses may differ from institute to institute, but the basic requirements usually posed by a majority of colleges are: 

• Aspirants must have passed Class 12 from a recognised board with a humanities and science background.

• SC/ST candidates must have achieved a minimum of 40% marks in their qualifying examination, i.e. class 12 or any equivalent. This minimum percentage can vary depending on the college.

• Since most admissions are merit-based, candidates must have acquired good marks in their higher secondary exam to gain admission into a good college.

For Master’s Course in Social Work:

• Completed a Bachelor's degree in Social Work with a minimum of 50% marks in the qualifying examination.

• Candidates from Science/Management/Humanities/Social Science backgrounds are also eligible if they acquire a minimum aggregate score of 50% from a recognised board or university. 

Entrance Exams for Studying Social Work 

To begin a career in Social Work, one requires at least a Bachelor's degree in this domain. BA in Social Work or Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is a three-year course offered by many good colleges across India. Admission to these courses is purely merit-based with a minimum cut-off, while only a very few conduct basic Aptitude tests.

Direct Admissions are available through Management quota as well, in certain universities like Amity University. Another means of admission is Lateral Entry, which offers students the chance to get admission directly into the 2nd or 3rd year of the course in certain colleges like Delhi Institute of Professional Studies.

Those wishing to pursue higher studies in Social Work can opt for a Master's in Social Work (MSW) either in regular mode or in distance learning mode. In Master of Social Work courses, once again, admissions are conducted based on the marks obtained in the qualifying examination (Bachelor's in any degree) followed by a Skill Assessment Test or Common Admission Test, and finally an interview. 

Required Skillset for Social Work

Social Workers are essentially those who reach out to and help others. Empathy is a very important trait for such professionals to have; they must personally feel the urge to do something to change lives for the better. This, and many other skills are required for a successful career in social work, for instance: 

• Empathy: As mentioned above, empathy is an essential trait of Social Workers because one must be able to understand and identify with another person's experience and emotional state to discern how best to extend help. One must be able to step into another's shoes to recognise their perceptions, views and unique experiences to build strong relationships with clients and determine their needs.

• Communication: Another seemingly obvious requirement, communication (both verbal and non-verbal) is important because social workers communicate regularly with many different kinds of people. Effective communication ensures that they can correctly understand and therefore advocate for their client's needs.

• Critical Thinking: It isn't enough to just want to help those in need, one must have the ability to observe, communicate and gather information, which they can then analyse. Critical, prejudice-free thinking helps social workers arrive at informed decisions, formulating the best possible means of going about helping their clients to the best of their abilities.

• Organisation: Busy schedules and multiple responsibilities, supporting multiple clients, documentation, billing, reporting, collaboration- a social worker's day isn't exactly easy. Without good organisation skills, one can very easily overlook important information and thereby arrive at negative outcomes.

• Active Listening: A thorough understanding and identifying a client's needs requires special active listening skills. Any detail, however small, can be important in determining how to help someone.

• Cultural Competence: Social workers work with people from different backgrounds, which requires them to be understanding and respectful of all cultural practices and beliefs. They must have some knowledge of a client's background and possess a non-judgemental approach when interacting with them.

• Patience: Certain complex cases require a great deal of patience, especially with clients who take longer than others to show signs of progress/improvement. Hasty decision-making and frustration can harshly get in the way of one's work and can result in poor outcomes and errors.

• Professional Commitment: When faced with an array of challenges and difficult circumstances, social workers must uphold their commitment to ethics and work values and strive continuously to develop their professional competence. This commitment is essential to ensure a sustained journey of enhancing the well-being of humans and helping them meet basic needs.

• Advocacy: "Fighting" for people's rights essentially means employing advocacy to promote social justice and empower clients. With good advocacy, social workers can represent their clients and argue for them, connect with them and help them find opportunities and resources within their reach, especially when clients are unable to advocate for themselves.