The Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong (HKU-SWSA) welcomes students to choose between a two-year full-time and a three-year Part-time Master of Social Work (MSW) Programme. Our MSW Programmes have a rich tradition in providing social work education across the Asia-pacific region. We provide students with training applicable across the breadth of the profession and prepare them for the diverse roles that social workers can play in multiple areas of direct practice, in policy, in research, in administration, and in community and organizational change. Our mission is to foster the social work leaders of tomorrow and to promote efforts and activities that support social work education in areas of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. We prepare students to lead the fields of clinical social work and social administration and to be change agents in the family, community, organisation, and society. Our graduates are eligible for professional registration with the Hong Kong Social Workers Registration Board.
Our Faculty is internationally and locally renowned in social work research, education and practice, and we take it as our mandate to serve the underprivileged and vulnerable and to improve the quality of life for all people in society. We dedicate ourselves to working collaboratively with the social work academics and practitioners in the community. By combining world-leading research with community engagement, our programmes offer opportunities for social work students to critically examine and generate knowledge and develop evidence-based practices for individuals, families, and communities around the world.
HKU-SWSA is the first local university offering specialization in social work education. Since 2014, we have launched a specialization curriculum for our social work students. We offer five concentrations in the advanced concentration curriculum. Besides being trained as general social work practitioners, students can also choose to declare their concentrations in the advanced concentration curriculum: Children & youth; Family social work; Gerontology; Health & mental health; or Policy, research & management. After completing their concentration in the programme, students will be able to implement critical problem-analysis and practical problem-solving skills with reference to their substantive area.
The MSW programme was established in 1972. Graduates of our programmes are equipped with social work knowledge, skills and ethical, evidence-based practices, and are dedicated to making a critical contribution for the betterment of health and mental health of the people, in response to the ever-changing challenges in the society and around the globe.
We look forward to preparing contemporary social workers across fields and methods of practice to be effective agents of change.
Prof. Lum Y.S. Terry
Professor / Henry G. Leong Professor in Social Work and Social Administration
Department of Social Work and Social Administration
Director, Master of Social Work Programme