Bachelor of Social Work
at The University of Western Australia, Western Australia.
An AASW-accredited four-year social-work degree. Includes 1000 hours of supervised field education and leads to eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.
ATAR cutoff history
Published cutoff data for the The University of Western Australia Bachelor of Social Work. We never invent figures; entries marked "not published" mean the university or admissions centre has not released a verified cutoff for that intake.
| Intake year | ATAR cutoff | Admissions centre |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ATAR cutoff not published | TISC |
| 2023 | ATAR cutoff not published | TISC |
| 2022 | ATAR cutoff not published | TISC |
No verified cutoffs are available. Confirm the latest figure on the official TISC cutoff release.
Prerequisite Year 12 subjects
Brush up on each prerequisite with our state-syllabus explainers and dot points.
What you will study
The UWA Bachelor of Social Work is a four-year AASW-accredited professional degree that leads directly to eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers. Early years build the foundations of social-science and practice knowledge: human development across the lifespan, sociology and social policy, communication and interviewing skills, ethics, and an introduction to the values and history of the social-work profession. Theory is grounded in the Australian welfare, child-protection and community-services context. Middle years move into applied practice methods: casework and case management, group work and community development, mental-health and trauma-informed practice, working with families and children, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in practice. Research methods, evidence-based practice and social-policy analysis run alongside the practice strands so students can evaluate interventions and contribute to service design. Field education is central. Across the degree students complete 1000 hours of supervised placement in two major blocks, working alongside qualified social workers in agencies such as hospitals, child-protection services, community-health centres and not-for-profit support organisations. Final year consolidates advanced practice, professional supervision and the transition to accredited practice, meeting AASW accreditation requirements.
Example first-year subjects
- Introduction to Social Work
- Human Development Across the Lifespan
- Sociology and Social Policy
- Communication and Interviewing Skills
- Ethics and Professional Practice
- Australian Society and Social Issues
How you will be assessed
- Supervised field-placement reports and competency assessment
- Practice-skills role-plays and recorded interview assessments
- Case-study and case-formulation written assignments
- Social-policy analysis essays and reports
- Reflective practice journals and professional portfolios
- Research methods and evidence-based-practice assignments
Career outcomes
- Graduates work as registered social workers in child-protection, mental-health, hospital and family-support settings.
- Common destinations include state-government child-safety roles, community-health centres and not-for-profit support agencies.
- Many alumni progress into clinical specialty practice, policy roles or accredited mental-health social work after further study.
Professional accreditation
- AASW accredited
Typical first jobs
- Child-protection caseworker with WA government child-safety services
- Hospital or health social worker in metropolitan and regional services
- Mental-health social worker in community and inpatient settings
- Family-support and domestic-violence support worker
- Community-services and not-for-profit program worker
- Aged-care and disability social worker
- Youth, homelessness or alcohol-and-other-drugs support worker
Graduate starting salary
$62,000 - $72,000 per year
Source: https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/graduate-outcomes-survey-(gos). Last reviewed 2026-05-24.
After graduation
Unlike UWA's broad undergraduate degrees that feed postgraduate-professional pathways, the Bachelor of Social Work is a direct-entry professional qualification: graduates are eligible for AASW membership and can practise as a registered social worker on completion. Most enter the workforce directly in child-protection, hospital, mental-health, family-support or community-services roles, often with WA government departments or not-for-profit agencies. Further study is optional rather than required, but common pathways include the AASW accredited mental-health social work credential, graduate certificates in fields such as child and family practice or alcohol and other drugs, the Master of Social Work, and research progression through Honours, a Master of Philosophy or a PhD for those moving into policy, academia or advanced clinical practice.
Is this the right degree for you?
You probably thrive here if
- Students committed to social justice, advocacy and helping vulnerable people
- Those with strong communication, empathy and active-listening skills
- People comfortable with emotionally demanding placement work
- Students willing to work in child-protection, mental-health and crisis settings
- Reflective learners who can apply theory to real practice situations
It is probably not for you if
- Students wanting a desk-based career without direct client contact
- Those uncomfortable with emotionally confronting or high-stress situations
- People who dislike extended supervised placement and field assessment
- Anyone seeking a purely theoretical or research-only degree
- Students who prefer maths-heavy or lab-based study
Related courses at UWA
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and ATAR cutoffs on the The University of Western Australia handbook and on TISC before applying. Page generated at https://examexplained.com.au/uni/uwa/bachelor-of-social-work.