Undergraduate & honours qualifications
Bachelor of Social Work
| Qualification code: |
99309 |
| NQF level: |
8 |
| Total credits: |
516 |
| SAQA ID: |
62459 |
| APS/AS: |
21 |
Rules:
This qualification consists of 40 modules with Social Work as the MAJOR.
NO new registration will be accepted from 2016.
Students should note that during the course of their studies they would be required to have access
to a computer or laptop, printer and the internet.
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Purpose statement:
The purpose of this professional four-year qualification is to equip learners with:
Skills to challenge structural sources of poverty, inequality, oppression, discrimination and exclusion.
Knowledge and understanding of human behaviour and social systems and the skills to intervene at the points where people interact with their environments in order to promote social well-being.
The ability and competence to assist and empower individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities to enhance their social functioning and their problem-solving capacities.
The ability to promote, restore, maintain and enhance the functioning of individuals, families, groups and communities by enabling them to accomplish tasks, prevent and alleviate distress and use resources effectively.
An understanding of and the ability to demonstrate social work values and the principles of human rights and social justice while interacting with and assisting the range of human diversity.
The understanding and ability to provide social work services towards protecting people who are vulnerable, at-risk and unable to protect themselves.
Knowledge and understanding of both the South African and the global welfare context and the ability to implement the social development approach in social work services.
Understanding of the major social needs, issues, policies and legislation in the South African social welfare context and the social worker`s role and contribution.
The skills to work effectively within teams, including social work teams, multi- and inter-disciplinary teams as well as multi-sectoral teams. |
| This qualification will be presented using both online and distance learning modes. |
| Qualification offered until 2026, and ONLY for students previously registered for this qualification. |
Who can register?
- Applicants (new applicants & Unisa students who applied for admission to a new qualification) may only register if they have received an offer of placement from Unisa and have accepted the offer online. Unisa reserves the right to not process and / or to cancel your registration if it is found that you were incorrectly admitted to a qualification.
- Re-registering students may register for the 2025 academic year once the registration period opens.
Please note: Should you wish to start a new qualification, please apply online for the alternative qualification during the prescribed application period.
How to choose your modules
Each Unisa qualification is structured in such a way that you need to pass a certain number of NQF level credits within a certain amount of time in order to graduate.
You may not register for more than the allowed maximum number of credits / modules per academic year and / or semester: 60 credits per semester or 120 credits per academic year.
The maximum number of credits do not include supplementary and / or aegrotat examinations from a previous semester. Modules taken for non-degree / non-diploma purposes also count towards the maximum number of credits allowed.
You must take your available time into consideration when choosing your modules, as this will impact your academic performance. You need approximately
- 6 to 8 hours per week for semester modules.
- 4 to 6 hours per week for year modules.
Click here for more information on managing your studies.
Curriculum for this qualification
While you are deciding on the modules for which you will be registering, write down the module names and codes so that you have something to refer to when completing your registration.
Please click on the modules below to see further information (eg semester/year module, NQF level)
First level
TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS/EQUIVALENCES:
DVA1601 is equivalent to DVA1502
ENN103F is equivalent to ENG1503
SCK1501 is equivalent to BSW1501
SCK1502 is equivalent to BSW1502
SCK1503 is equivalent to BSW1503
Second level
TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS/EQUIVALENCES:
MGG2601 has been replaced with CSP2601
MGG2602 has been replaced with SOC2604
DVA3702 is equivalent to DVA2603, BUT students must enrol for DVA3706 in order to complete the
ten-modules major in Development Studies in a Bachelor's level programme.
PYC2604 is equivalent to PYC2614
| Module (Please click on the module to see further information) |
Pre-requisite/Co-requisite/Recommendation |
| Group A. Compulsory |
| APY2613 - Anthropology in an African Context
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| RSC2601 - Research in Social Sciences
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| SCK2601 - Facilitative Communication in Groups and Communities (Offered until 2023)
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| SCK2602 - Practical Work (Offered until 2023)
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| SCK2603 - Welfare Policy (Offered until 2023)
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| SCK2604 - Counselling Skills (Offered until 2023)
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| Group B. Select 1 from the following: |
| CSP2601 - Care and Support for Personal and Social Well-being
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| Group C. Select 3 modules if CRIMINOLOGY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| CMY2601 - Crime Risk Perspectives
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| CMY2602 - Principles of Crime Prevention, Reduction and Control
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| CMY2603 - Child and Youth Misbehaviour
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Recommendation:CMY1501, CMY1502, CMY1503, CMY2601, CMY2602 |
| CMY2604 - Dealing with Young Offenders
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| Group D. Select 3 modules if COMMUNICATION SCIENCE is your SECOND MAJOR |
| COM2601 - Organisational Communication
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| COM2602 - Integrated Organisational Communication
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| COM2603 - Intercultural, Development and Health Communication
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| COM2604 - Media Studies: Mass Communication and Media Theory
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| Group E. Select All 3 modules if DEVELOPMENT STUDIES is your SECOND MAJOR |
| DVA2601 - Projects and Programmes as Instruments of Development
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Recommendation:Students to complete DVA1501 and DVA1502 before they enrol for this module |
| DVA2602 - Community Development and the Basic Needs Approach
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| DVA2603 - Urban Development
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| Group F. Select All 3 modules if PHILOSOPHY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| PLS2601 - Critical Reasoning
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| PLS2602 - African Ethics and Politics
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| PLS2607 - Philosophy of Science
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| Group G. Select PYC2605 plus 2 modules if PSYCHOLOGY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| PYC2601 - Personality Theories
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| PYC2602 - Child and Adolescent Development
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| PYC2603 - Adulthood and Maturity
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| PYC2605 - HIV/AIDS Care and Counselling
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| PYC2606 - Basic Measurement and Questionnaire Design
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| PYC2614 - Community psychology: Building foundations
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| Group H. Select All 3 modules if SOCIOLOGY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| SOC2601 - Theories of Social Change
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Recommendation:Students to complete SOC1501 and/or SOC1502 before they enrol for this module. |
| SOC2602 - Globalisation and Social Change in South Africa
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Recommendation:SOC1501, SOC1502, RSC2601 |
| SOC2604 - Sociology of Families and Social Problems
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Recommendation:SOC1501, SOC1502, RSC2601 |
Third level
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| Module (Please click on the module to see further information) |
Pre-requisite/Co-requisite/Recommendation |
| Group A. Compulsory |
| SCK3701 - Social Case Work (To be offered until 2026)
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Pre-requisite:SCK2604 |
| SCK3702 - Social Group Work (To be offered until 2026)
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Pre-requisite:SCK2601 & SCK2602 |
| SCK3703 - Community Work (To be offered until 2026)
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Pre-requisite:SCK2601 & SCK2602 |
| SCK3704 - Practical Work in Social Case and Group Work (To be offered until 2026)
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Pre-requisite:SCK3705 |
| SCK3705 - Practical Work: Community Work (To be offered until 2026)
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Pre-requisite:SCK2601 & SCK2602 |
| Group B. Select All 5 of the following if PHILOSOPHY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| PLS3701 - Theoretical and Applied Ethics
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| PLS3702 - Modern Philosophy
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| PLS3703 - Advanced African Philosophy
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| PLS3705 - Political Philosophy
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| PLS3709 - Advanced Western Philosophy
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| Group C. Select All 5 of the following: if PSYCHOLOGY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| PYC3701 - Social Psychology
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| PYC3702 - Abnormal Behaviour and Mental Health
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| PYC3703 - Cognition: Thinking, Memory and Problem Solving
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| PYC3704 - Psychological Research
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Pre-requisite:RSC2601 |
| PYC3705 - Transformative Counselling Encounters
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| Group D. Select 5 of the following: if CRIMINOLOGY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| CMY3701 - The Explanation of Crime
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| CMY3702 - Crime Typologies
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| CMY3704 - Formal Reaction to Crime
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| CMY3705 - Victimology
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| CMY3706 - Contemporary Criminological Issues
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| CMY3708 - Qualitative Research Methodology in Criminology
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| CMY3709 - Quantitative Research Methodology in Criminology
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| Group E. Select All 5 modules if DEVELOPMENT STUDIES is your SECOND MAJOR |
| DVA3701 - Development Theories
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| DVA3703 - Development Policy and Strategies
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| DVA3704 - Development Planning
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| DVA3705 - Empowerment and Popular Initiatives
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| DVA3706 - Rural Development
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| Group F. Select 4 of the following: if COMMUNICATION SCIENCE is your SECOND MAJOR |
| COM3701 - Marketing Communication
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| COM3702 - Media Studies: Institutions, Theories and Issues
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| COM3703 - Media Studies: Content, Audiences and Production
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| COM3704 - New Media Technology
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| COM3706 - Communication Research
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Pre-requisite:RSC2601 |
| Group G. Select 1 additional module from COMMUNICATION SCIENCE SECOND MAJOR |
| COM3705 - International Communication
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| COM3707 - Political and Government Communication and Media Ethics
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| COM3708 - Advertising and Public Relations
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| Group H. Select All 5 of the following: if SOCIOLOGY is your SECOND MAJOR |
| SOC3701 - Thinking Sociologically: Research Methodology
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Recommendation:RSC2601, SOC2601. SOC2604, SOC3705 |
| SOC3702 - Industrial Sociology
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Recommendation:Any one or both of the following: SOC2601 and/or SOC2602 |
| SOC3703 - Sociology of Education
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Recommendation:RSC2601, SOC2601, SOC2602, SOC2604, SOC3705 |
| SOC3704 - Group Dynamics
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Recommendation:RSC2601, SOC2601, SOC2602, SOC2604, SOC3705 |
| SOC3705 - Theorising Modernity: Classical and Contemporary Social Theory
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Recommendation:SOC2601, SOC2602, SOC2604, RSC2601 |
Fourth level