Applied Studies (Management of Social Welfare Organisations)

This programme was developed in response to requests from managers in overseas organisations who wished to take a full-time version of the degree in Social Services Management. On this programme, all students benefit from an educational experience that reflects both the increasing globalisation of social welfare problems and the challenges that face managers committed to planning and implementing services for people in need.

Programme Objectives

At a time when roles, identities and structures in social welfare organisations are experiencing development and change, this programme offers a basis from which to develop or consolidate management skills and to evaluate and implement innovation. The programme extends understanding of leadership and management within social welfare and to apply this understanding to the workplace, thereby improving management skills and the quality of service provision.

Entrance Requirements

Applications for this Master’s level programme are encouraged from graduates. However, experienced individuals without degrees but with appropriate professional qualifications will be considered, with a requirement for you to show your ability through a piece of written work and an interview (this could include a telephone interview). You are expected to word process your own work for assessment.

Applicants should have current or very recent experience of management in a social welfare organisation or related field.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency such as a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 (minimum 6 in each skill) or TOEFL 577/233/90 (Paper/Computer/Internet).

Funding

information on possible sources of funding

Modes of Study

This modular programme is taught over one year in two semesters. Three months are then allowed for completion of the dissertation.

September

Structure and Content

The programme is full-time, studied over one year. The six taught modules last ten months, with exit points after four months (end of December) for a Postgraduate Certificate and after ten months (May) for a Postgraduate Diploma. The dissertation for the MSc is completed after the taught modules.

The modules you will study are:

• Managing in the Context of a Social Services Agency: identifies trends and developments in contemporary social work, the fiscal arrangements for social work, best value and value for money in social work, reviews the manager’s role and accountability, and considers Scottish and UK social services in the international context
• Managing and Supervising Staff: applies leadership theories and management style analysis to your own work, identifies management tasks in relation to ethical issues and anti-oppressive practice, applies employment legislation and policy, analyses methods for the recruitment and selection of staff, monitors the effectiveness of staff appraisal, training and development programmes, and building and managing effective teams
• Collaborative Practice: helps you to apply organisation theory, consider the impact of organisational culture on service delivery, and explore the challenges and opportunities of collaborative practice
• Managing Change and Innovation: helps you to apply theories of change management in your organisational context, plan, implement and evaluate innovation, analyse effective leadership strategies for managing change and transition, and explore meaningful ways of strengthening service user and carer involvement in service planning and evaluation
• Evidence Informed Practice and Evaluation (15 credits) and Research Methods and Application (15 credits): prepares you to become more research ‘minded’. You will explore the nature of evidence and develop a critical approach to the understanding of research and data collection. These two modules will provide a foundation for the undertaking of your dissertation
  

Delivery and Assessment

Full-time students undertake six modules within the academic year (three modules in each semester). The teaching day consists of seminar presentations, group discussion and small group work. This programme is delivered by staff in the Social Work Section of the Applied Social Science department. This is a large interdisciplinary unit, combining teaching and research interests in sociology, social policy and criminology, social work, dementia and housing studies and a number of specialist centres. It has a strong academic reputation in all these areas.

The assessment for each module is by either one or two assignments, with most requiring discussion of the application of management theory to the delivery of social welfare services. The MSc dissertation is completed between June and August/September of the year following commencement of study.
Overseas students may choose to complete this in their home country.

Timetable

Contact the School for information on your timetable and reading lists.

RAE Rating

In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), 95 percent of the research in Applied Social Science at Stirling was ‘Internationally Excellent’ with the top 10 percent of that judged to be ‘World-leading’.

Career Opportunities