Modern society is in a constant state of development and places high demands on the ability to act and the performance of its individuals. It is not always possible to meet these high demands. Social work as an indispensable pillar of the welfare state supports people through planning, counselling, accompanying and caring activities to find a more successful and independent way of life. In the Master's program, the already acquired disciplinary knowledge is deepened and supplemented with practical skills in order to give professionals the necessary competences for this important task - also in higher positions.
Study contents
The "Carinthian" Master of Social Work combines current discourses of social work with action-oriented approaches, thus bringing theory, research and practice closer together. Four elective modules allow students to set individual priorities. In "Empirical Research" techniques of qualitative and quantitative social research are taught, while the critical further development of the state-of-the-art in daily work with addressees, for example through retrospective-reflexive case work in the "Case Workshop", is dealt with under the elective topic "Innovative Methods".
In the second module complex, students choose between the specializations "Social State" and "Leadership and Management". The in-depth examination of innovative theoretical models of social work, the significance of human rights, but also social planning and social management and the subject area of organisation and law enables graduates to develop and design a promising landscape of social services, to manage social institutions and to lead teams. A project lasting several semesters with high practical relevance forms the core of the course.
Double Diploma Program
Students also have the option of obtaining two degrees at the same time through the double-degree program in cooperation with the Finnish University of Applied Sciences Jyväskylä (JAMK) - in the fields of health management and social work.
The Master's program "Social Work: Developing and Shaping" combines theory-based expertise with an action-oriented approach. In addition to sociological and socio-economic knowledge, the focus is on organisational and legal knowledge, extended planning and design competence, but also the development of communication strategies and professional public relations, moderation and successful networking.
Highlights
- Active participation in research projects and versatile project work.
- Implementation of a specially designed and theoretically sound practical project with subsequent presentation in the course of a public event.
- Double Diploma Program (DDP).
- Individual consolidation and focus in the four semesters through optional modules.
Students of the Master's program in Social Work: Developing and Shaping are expected to
- want to expand their conceptual and steering skills
- understand the challenges of professional social work and social welfare
- enjoy developing and designing new arrangements in a social context
The graduates of the Master's program Social Work: Developing and Shaping are able to
- to consult and negotiate with all agencies of social life (e.g. with communities, offices, organisations, groups etc.)
- Master the principles of fundraising
- to develop creative, visionary ideas on the basis of their social science education and the special knowledge they have acquired
- to create concepts with resource use of other areas (cultural, sports, etc.)
- Establish all forms and structural principles of the organization
- to establish links with various other areas of society, e.g. the cultural sector
