MSc Applied Professional Studies

This course is a post-qualifying award designed to support experienced professionals in developing advanced knowledge and skills.

Quality

Our academic staff are qualified social workers with a wealth of experience and commitment to the highest standards in teaching and research.

Reputation

We have strong partnerships with professional agencies, ensuring that the course always reflects up-to-date research, theory and responses to contemporary practice issues.

Value

Follow different routes of study and work towards a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Masters qualification.

Accessibility

Part-time options give you the opportunity to fit study around your personal and professional commitments. Some modules are delivered at local teaching venues to increase accessibility.

Choose from five course pathways

You’re free to choose whether you want to work towards a core Masters qualification or follow a specialist pathway. These pathways consist of a selected range of modules drawn from the core MSc programme, and are designed to build your expertise in a specific aspect of social care. The pathways include:

Child Welfare and Protection

This pathway is most suitable if you’re already working in child welfare and protection, in areas such as social work, health, education or the police. The course builds professional knowledge and competence through:

• consideration of key frameworks (such as attachment theory and resilience)
• critical reflection on multi-professional judgement and decision-making
• examination of the latest research and practice developments in care planning and intervention

Each of the three modules on the course is delivered over seven days through a blend of direct teaching and structured learning activities.

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Management and Leadership in Social Services

A flexible study pathway recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) as an appropriate qualification for registered managers. Participants on the course may come from a health, social work, education, occupational therapy or housing background and may be working in residential, day services or fieldwork settings. The modules involve direct teaching days which include:

• group discussions and activities
• structured learning sessions for independent study
• action learning sets

There are extensive online learning materials to complement the teaching sessions and to support collaborative learning.

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Adult Services, Support and Protection

Our Adult Services, Support and Protection pathway is designed to develop your theoretical, ethical and practical understanding of how adult support is delivered. It takes into account the challenges of changing laws, policies and service structures, and helps you to refresh your framework for thinking about adult services as you engage with leading researchers and practice experts.

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Advanced Practice Skills in Child Welfare and Protection

Delivered by representatives of the University of Stirling, the NSPCC and a range of experts from across Scotland, this fully accredited programme has been introduced to help you develop advanced skills in child welfare and protection practice with children and families. Unlike most other postgraduate courses in the field, this course has an emphasis on gaining practical skills and experience, and you’ll gain knowledge, skills and experience for working within the most challenging settings.

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Social Work Practice Education

This pathway promotes analytical and reflective practice and aims to equip Practice Educators and, in turn, students for effective practice in complex contemporary social work environments. The course is positioned within the MSc Applied Professional Studies structure. You can choose to combine this award with other postgraduate level study in order to achieve the MSc Applied Professional Studies.

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Our pathway for Management and Leadership in Social Services is recognised and accredited by the Scottish Social Services Council.

If you’re interested in studying a module from this course, the Postgraduate Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma then please email Graduate Admissions to discuss your course of study.

When you study Applied Professional Studies at the University of Stirling, you’ll be introduced to leading-edge empirical and theoretical research in a vibrant, multi-disciplinary environment.

Underpinning the expertise of our staff, the University of Stirling scored highly in the most recent Research Excellent Framework 2014 – a UK-wide assessment of universities’ research output. In the Social Work and Social Policy unit of assessment, highlights included:

• 78% of our overall research activity was assessed to be internationally excellent or world-leading
• 100% of research environment factors assessed as internationally excellent or world leading
• 100% of our research impact was assessed as world leading or internationally excellent
• we were judged to have the 2nd highest research power in Scotland and 13th highest in the UK

Modules are taught through a combination of contact teaching days, structured learning making use of the University’s online learning platform, and self-directed private study.

The student groups are small and classroom sessions are delivered in a seminar style with a mixture of PowerPoint presentations, small group work activity and a high level of interaction between presenter and students.

Classroom sessions are led by University academics and researchers who are actively involved in the social work field; and by external practice subject experts. Their contribution enhances the contemporary relevance of the teaching and brings a critical perspective to the topics covered. This exchange of practice and knowledge expertise is replicated between teaching days through structured learning tasks, online discussion boards and peer assessment.

The online learning platform provides a wide range of learning resources that act as a starting point for self-directed study. This course encourages a high level of reflection on your own practice, as well as application of learning to your professional role.

Kathryn Mackay, Course Director

+44 (0)1786 467714
k.j.mackay@stir.ac.uk

If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.

Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.

If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.

European Union and overseas students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.

Find out about the cost of living for students at Stirling

We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay

We’ve developed close and enduring links with agency representatives and employers who sponsor staff to undertake our post-qualifying awards. These links are strengthened through agency liaison events, strong agency representation on the course committee and collaborative mentoring and assessment opportunities. This ensures we can always anticipate learning needs in the workforce, and makes our courses – and graduates – highly effective in contributing to longer-term practice development.