Social Work PGDip

Why study Social Work PGDip at Middlesex University?

The Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work is an academic and professional qualification where you will experience an integration of practice and research. Social workers have a key role in working with other professionals to offer support to some of society's most vulnerable citizens.

This innovative and accelerated postgraduate social work course, approved by Social Work England, offers the opportunity to engage with an intensive and immersive programme of teaching and learning integrating practice placements. Over the duration of the programme, you will develop into a competent and enthusiastic social work practitioner ready to engage with the rigours of this dynamic and exciting profession.

We have excellent relationships with local employers through our long-standing stakeholder group. As a result, some of your teaching with be co-delivered by practising social workers and service users.

This programme offers an accelerated route to becoming a professional social worker for highly motivated recent graduates or for career changers looking for new challenges and opportunities. You will be able to develop into an excellent and valued social worker with the capacity to work in all statutory social work settings and in a wide variety of private and voluntary workplaces in the UK. You will also be able to take advantage of high quality placements in both adult and children’s services including a final 100 day placement where you will undertake statutory interventions.

• Teaching and learning will be on campus with the use of on-line platforms.

Course highlights

• You will benefit from high levels of tutor contact time through extended teaching sessions, interactive workshop style seminars and e-learning resources
• You will be taught by staff from within our Department of Mental Health & Social Work, where prominent and pioneering research projects in the disciplines of social work and mental health is undertaken
• As a student of this course you'll receive a free electronic textbook for every module, free printing and copying, 24 hour library services and access to a range of other valued resources.

Approval and registration

This programme is approved by the regulatory body for the profession, Social Work England. Graduates with PGDip Social Work are able to eligible to register as social workers once their qualification has been published by the university.

What will you study on PGDip Social Work?

You will be studying a range of social work theories and will learn the skills to apply these in different practice contexts. This will include psychosocial perspectives, sociology, psychology and human development. There will be a focus on relationship based practice as well as systemic theories. You will study relevant aspects of legislation and the application of these in practice. The curriculum is mapped against SWE Professional Standards, the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) and the Knowledge and Skills Statements (KSS) for both children and adults.

For more information, please download the Social Work PGDip course specification (PDF).

Teaching

We are regularly reviewing and updating our programmes to ensure you have the best learning experience. We are taking what we've learnt in recent years by enhancing our teaching methods with new and innovative ways of learning.

How is the Social Work PGDip taught?

You will learn through research, reading and critical reflection, workshops, tutorials and class discussions. As part of the North London Social Work Teaching Partnership we have a range of academics delivering teaching as well as service users, careers and social work practitioners.

Due to the accelerated nature of the programme teaching blocks will be intensive and you can expect an immersive education experience. Holiday and study periods have been timetabled at regular intervals of the programme to ensure you can plan your studies. You should anticipate that the 14-month period of study will be focused and dedicated to your social work education. Please see below for an indicative programme flow chart. Please note that this is indicative only and dates are subject to change.

Teaching and learning 

Your timetable will be built around on campus sessions using our professional facilities, with online sessions for some activities where we know being virtual will add value. We’ll use technology to enhance all of your learning and give you access to online resources to use in your own time.

The table below gives you an idea of what learning looks like across a typical week. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on campus sessions.

You'll receive full information on your teaching before you start your course.

Outside of these hours, you’ll be expected to do independent study where you read, listen and reflect on other learning activities. This can include preparation for future classes. In a year, you’ll typically be expected to commit 1200 hours to your course across all styles of learning. If you are taking a placement, you might have some additional hours.

Definitions of terms

• Live in-person on campus learning –This will focus on active and engaging sessions that are both: 
  • Led by your tutors including lectures, seminars, workshops and demonstrations. We’ll schedule all of this for you
  • Student-led by you and other students, like small group work and presentations.
• Live online learning – This will include lectures, tutorials and supervision sessions led by your tutor and timetabled by us. It also includes student-led group work that takes place online
• Tutor set learning activities – This covers activities which will be set for you by your tutor, but which you will undertake in your own time. Examples of this include watching online materials, participating in an online discussion forum, completing a virtual laboratory or reading specific texts. You may be doing this by yourself or with your course mates depending on your course and assignments. Outside of these hours, you’ll also be expected to do further independent study where you’ll be expected to learn, prepare, revise and reflect in your own time.

Support

You have a strong support network available to you to make sure you develop all the necessary academic skills you need to do well on your course.

Our support services will be delivered online and on campus and you have access to a range of different resources so you can get the help you need, whether you’re studying at home or have the opportunity to come to campus.

You have access to one to one and group sessions for personal learning and academic support from our library and IT teams, and our network of learning experts. Our teams will also be here to offer financial advice, and personal wellbeing, mental health and disability support.

Student support

We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health, and disability support.

Additional needs

We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.

Wellness

Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.

Work while you study

Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.

Careers

How can the PGDip Social Work support your career?

Once qualified, our graduates have gone onto work as Social Workers in a range of settings working closely with vulnerable people from groups such as:

• Older adults and later life
• Teenagers with mental health problems
• Young offenders
• Adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems or physical disabilities
• People with alcohol, drug or other substance misuse problems
• Refugees and asylum seekers
• Children who are at risk of abuse or neglect

Our Social Work graduates have gone onto work in local authorities, charities, voluntary sector organisations and private/ independent sector organisations, with many finding employment with our placement partners within neighbouring London boroughs and beyond.

Fees and funding

The fees below are for the 2025/26 academic year.

Applicants should be aware that they are responsible for meeting the costs of travelling to and from placement and that these costs cannot be reimbursed by the University or the placement.

UK students¹

Full-time students: £11,850

International students²

Full-time students: £14,500

Additional costs:

The following course-related costs are included in the fees:

• All printing and copying required for your study
• Self-service laptops available for loan for a maximum of 24 hours
• Audio-visual equipment available for loan, including digital stills cameras, digital video recorders, digital audio recorders.

Fees disclaimers

1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase postgraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.

We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.

Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.

Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.

At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.