The key mission at the heart of this Master’s degree course in Social Work is to enable people in difficult life situations which fall under the target areas of social support to access social opportunity and participate fully in society.
Three central issues shape academic engagement with the overarching topic of people’s participation in society: they are developing people’s capacity to be or become financially self-supporting, exploring ways to build formal or informal support networks, and empowering people to turn their situations around and realise their potential. A dual focus on research and its application, led by an integrative approach to methodology, enables students to extend their social work toolkits.
Good reasons to study Social Work at HAW Hamburg
................................................................................................................................................................................................
- An academic qualification with a firm eye to real-world application
- An internationally recognised degree
- A clear and logical course structure
- Lecturers with strong track records in research and practice and interdisciplinary working approaches
- Individual supervision from academic staff
- The opportunity to qualify as a higher-level public official in the German system (höherer Dienst)
- The chance to proceed to doctoral study if so desired
The right course for you?
................................................................................................................................................................................................
This Master’s degree course is designed to build consecutively on a first degree; we welcome applications from holders of a first degree in social work or a comparable discipline.
Course content and structure
................................................................................................................................................................................................
The course’s curriculum is centred on the key social work objective of promoting people’s full participation in societal life. Working on the basis of problem- and resource-centred approaches, students learn to apply and combine community- and client-centred interventions to achieve this aim. Alongside gaining academic knowledge and a methodological repertoire, students acquire social management skills which give them the capacity to influence the institutional frameworks within which social workers practise. Modules include:
- The science of social work
- Social management
- Person-centred approaches in social work
- Analysing life situations
- Concepts and projects in social work
- Community-centred approaches in social work
- Evaluation
- Electives and workshops
- Master thesis
Admission requirements
................................................................................................................................................................................................
Essential:
- A first degree (Bachelor’s, German Diplom or equivalent) in social work, youth and community work (Sozialpädagogik) or a comparable discipline, worth at least 210 credit points
- Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records
- International applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in the German language at level C1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or above via a recognised language test, which should be one of the following: Goethe Institut C1, TestDaF 4, telc C1 Hochschule, DSH2, Deutsches Sprachdiplom issued by the KMK (Kultusministerkonferenz), or Kleines or Großes Sprachdiplom issued by the Goethe-Institut
Further required documents:
- Letter of motivation
- CV
Further documents you may submit to enhance your application (each of these will have the effect of improving the grade of your first degree, for the purposes of the admissions procedure, by a fictitious 0.1 points in accordance with the German system and therefore increasing your chance of a place):
- Proof of voluntary work in a relevant area (for instance, in the political arena, in your student union or for a social or community cause) of at least one year’s duration
- Proof of any relevant professional experience completed during or subsequent to your first degree, of at least one year’s duration, or relevant experience in academic research, concept design, model or pilot projects or publishing academic work
- At least 6 months’ experience working in a social work setting outside your home country
N.B.: Applicants whose Bachelor’s degrees are equivalent to 180 credit points are required to attain a further 30 credit points within the first two semesters on the course in order to enrol fully. You gain these points by attending courses from the Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at HAW Hamburg, as stipulated by, and subject to the agreement of, the admissions committee for the Master’s course. Your enrolment will be provisional for the first two semesters and full enrolment will be subject to meeting this condition. There are further details in the Admissions and Selection Regulations for this degree course.
Application process
................................................................................................................................................................................................
The degree course admits students for the winter and the summer semesters. Application periods: 1 June–15 July (winter semester) and 1 December–15 January (summer semester).
Applications for all Master's courses must be submitted online. The online application system is only activated during the application period. It is not possible to apply outside of the application periods. You can find more information at Applying for a Master's degree course.
Alternatively, you can contact master-application(@)haw-hamburg.de
Questions about applications, admissions and degree courses
................................................................................................................................................................................................
Applications and admissions:
HAW Master's Degree Course Admissions Office
Stiftstrasse 69, 20099 Hamburg (Berliner Tor Campus)
Tel.: + 49.40.428 75-9898
master-application(@)haw-hamburg.de
Office hours:
Drop-in office hours: Monday/Tuesday: 11:00 am–1:00 pm; Thursday: 2:00–5:00 pm
Infothek opening hours: Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am–4:00 pm; Friday: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Telephone office hours: Moday/Tuesday, 9:00–10:00 am; Thursday: 9:00–11:00 am
Due to the restrictions resulting from the corona pandemic, drop-in office hours are not being offered at the moment. You can reach us by telephone during these times. The Infothek is closed until further notice.
For general queries about degree courses:
Student Counselling Team (Studienberatung)
Stiftstrasse 69, 20099 Hamburg (Berliner Tor Campus)
Tel.: + 49.40.428 75-9110
studienberatung(@)haw-hamburg.de
Advice and information by phone: Monday–Tuesday: 10 am–1 pm; Thursday: 1 pm–5 pm
Contact person for applicants with disabilities or chronic health conditions:
Meike Butenob
Alexanderstrasse 1, 20099 Hamburg, room 4.10
Tel. +49.40.428 75-7220
meike.butenob(@)haw-hamburg.de
Current office hours:www.haw-hamburg.de/inklusion
Contact the department
................................................................................................................................................................................................
Specifically subject-related queries:
Maike Schröder-Lüders, researcher
Alexanderstraße 1, 20099 Hamburg
Tel.: + 49.40.428 75-7081
maike.schroeder-lueders(@)haw-hamburg.de
Prof. Dr. Harald Ansen
Alexanderstraße 1, 20099 Hamburg
Tel.: + 49.40.428 75-7052
harald.ansen(@)haw-hamburg.de