Undergraduate - CourseBachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work (with Honours)

This honours course allows students who are enrolled in 3426 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work to undertake social work honours in the fourth year of the double degree. Entry to honours is by invitation to students who have achieved grades of at least distinction level in third year social work units.

The course aims to develop skills necessary for research by studying the methodological, theoretical and ethical issues that underpin social work research. Students are provided with the same learning and practice opportunities as students in the pass degree, however, the honours program also aims to reward academic excellence. Students in the honours program are expected to develop and complete a research project which will include a critical literature review, ethics approval where indicated and a 10,000 - 12,000 word thesis.

Refer to the outcomes for the single degrees 0002 Bachelor of Arts and 3864 Bachelor of Social Work (with Honours).

Credit will be granted for units successfully completed in the first three years of 3426 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work.

Entry to honours is by invitation to students who have achieved high grades in third year social work units.

Special requirements

Students must refer to the information available on the special requirements outlined below. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they have the correct documentation.

Police checks

Students must have a current Police checkPolice check (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/police-checks.html) regarding their suitability to undertake placements.

Working with Children checks

Students must have a current Working with Children checkWorking with Children check (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/wwc-check.html) regarding their suitability to undertake placements.

Immunisation and infection requirements

In accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council recommendations, this course requires that students comply with the faculty's Immunisation and vaccination policy and procedures. These are designed to provide maximum protection against the increased risk of some vaccine preventable diseases for students, patients and workers in a health care setting.

This policy, and the associated procedures require that students have certain specified vaccinations, and have their blood borne virus status determined, before they commence a clinical placement. Students who have not complied with this policy may not be able to undertake clinical placement, with the attendant academic consequences.

Prospective students are provided detailed information on the effect of blood borne virus infection on the scope of practice of health care workers. Students who test positive to a blood borne virus (including HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C) will be required to consult a specialist medical practitioner approved by the faculty to provide advice on any necessary restrictions on work practices to protect patients and others from infection.

Fieldwork practice units

This course requires students to undertake off-campus fieldwork placements. In the fieldwork setting students will have an opportunity to apply theory to practice under supervision. Attendance is mandatory for the fieldwork component of each unit.

Where a student's skill or knowledge is found to be inadequate, access to the fieldwork component of the unit will be denied. A student may be withdrawn from a fieldwork practicum if required skills and knowledge are deemed inadequate, or on other grounds deemed appropriate by the head of school.

Fieldwork expenses

Students are responsible for all travel and accommodation expenses during fieldwork placements.

This course has been accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers.

This course includes two units of study of 'the individual' (psychology or behavioural studies) and two units of study of 'society' (sociology) and at least one unit in Australian Indigenous studies.

The course is undertaken in the following sequence:

(a.) first year is composed of seven arts and one social work unit

(b.) second year is composed of five arts units and three social work units

(c.) third year includes three arts units (which complete the arts major); the rest are social work units (including the first field placement)

(d.) the final year is composed of social work units only, including the second field placement and the honours component.

Arts component

The arts component must include a major and minor study as follows:

• arts discipline major (48 points)
• arts discipline minor in a different area of study (24 points)
• additional arts units (18 points)

Requirements for majors/minors can vary. Students should refer to the 'Areas of study'.

Social work component

All social work units are compulsory core units.

First year

Semester one

• ATS1365 Introduction to sociology 1
• PSY1011 Psychology 1A or ATS1261 Understanding human behaviour
• SWK1011 Introduction to human services practice
• one first-year arts unit sequence

Semester two

• ATS1251 Introduction to Australian Indigenous studies
• ATS1366 The individual and society
• PSY1022 Psychology 1B or ATS1262 Introduction to social behaviour
• one first-year arts unit sequence

Second year

Semester one

• SWK3220 Social work in society
• SWK3230 Social work research
• two second-year arts units

Semester two

• SWK3440 Leadership in social work and human services
• two second-year arts units
• one second or third-year arts unit*

Third year

Semester one

• SWK3400 Critical social work 1 - individual and families: Context and theory
• two third-year arts units

Semester two

• SWK3410 Critical social work 2 - community work: Context and practice
• SWK3180 Supervised professional practice 1
• one third-year arts unit

Fourth year

Semester one

• SWK4001 Honours research methods
• SWK4030 Human rights, law and ethics contexts for social work practice
• SWK4032 Working with complexity: Honours
• SWK4400 Critical Social Work 3 - Group work and community engagement: context and practice
• SWK4451 Social policy and social justice: Honours

Semester two

• SWK4002 Honours project seminar
• SWK4003 Honours dissertation
• SWK4401 Critical social work 4 - individual, health and society: Context and practice
• SWK4560 Supervised professional practice 2

Arts majors, minors and sequences

Refer to the faculty's areas of studyareas of study (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/index-byfaculty-arts.html) page in this Handbook.

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Social Work (with Honours)