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. 

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; and
• examination of the latest research and practice developments in care planning and intervention.

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Management and Leadership in Social Services

This pathway is 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. 

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Adult Services, Support and Protection

This pathway is designed to develop your theoretical, ethical and practical understanding of support and protection practice and wider service delivery. It is suitable for anyone who works within adult social care services or who works in public protection. It takes into account the challenges of changing laws, policies and service structures, and helps you to refresh your framework for thinking about supporting and protecting people as you engage with leading researchers and practice experts.

Award: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate

Advanced Practice Skills in Child Welfare and Protection

Developed in partnership with the NSPCC and a range of experts from across Scotland, this 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 developing practical skills for direct work with children and young people, and you’ll gain knowledge, skills and experience for working within the most challenging settings. It is usually undertaken in the second year after completion of the Child Welfare and Protection certificate but other comparable qualifications are also recognised as meeting the entry requirements. 

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 and applicants need to be registered social workers. 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

Find out more about each pathway and view videos by programme staff

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

You can undertake another full pathway in second year or create your own portfolio of studies by selecting faculty modules on substance use, criminal justice and dementia. Additionally, staff deliver a critical inquiry module that supports you to deepen your knowledge of an aspect of your work and consider how to improve practice and service delivery.

You can opt to take time out and return to complete your PG Diploma and Masters award as long as you return within five years. You can also intially undertake just one module and receive university credit as opposed to undertaking a full Certificate.

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 pioneering 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 Excellence 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

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 and collaborative mentoring and assessment opportunities. This ensures we can anticipate learning needs across the workforce, and makes our courses – and graduates – highly effective in contributing to longer-term practice development.