Postgraduate Course: Dissertation (MSW) (SCWR11009)

Course Outline
School	School of Social and Political Science	College	College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course type	Dissertation	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	60	ECTS Credits	30
Summary	The dissertation course is an independent programme of study in which students are engaged throughout their degree programme, which culminates in the submission of a 13,000 word dissertation. Students are expected to take responsibility for identifying their chosen topic, carrying out all the necessary work and producing the dissertation. The course Doing Social Work Research provides students with the necessary understanding of qualitative inquiry to support this task Additional support is provided through three workshop sessions relating to key stages of the dissertation process. In addition, individual support and guidance in the form of written feedback on work is available at key points along the way. Students may request additional support from staff members with a knowledge of their particular area of study. The focus of the MSW dissertation is an investigation of a social work topic through two fields of enquiry is an investigation of a social work topic through two fields of enquiry: firstly, a critical appraisal of written sources (research and literature, legislation, policy documents relevant to the topic etc) and secondly, an analysis of material from discussion with key informants (e.g. practitioners, researchers, service user groups, managers from social work and social care settings). Students are expected to bring together these two sources into a series of implications for social work policy and practice. The level of this work is consistent with the characteristics of Masters degrees as identified in the SCQF framework. This is reflected in the intended learning outcomes.
Course description	Not entered

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: Social Work in Communities (PG) (SCWR10025) AND Social Science for Social Work (PGSP10001) AND Working with Complexity in Social Work 2 (PG) (SCWR11008) AND Doing Social Work Research (SCWR11027) AND Practice Learning in Social Work 1(UG) (SCWR10017) AND Practice Study in Social Work 1 (PG) (SCWR11016) AND Working with Complexity in Social Work 2 (PG) (SCWR11008) AND Practice Learning in Social Work 2(PG) (SCWR11017) AND Practice Study in Social Work 2(PG) (SCWR11018)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	This course is only available to MSW Social Work students (PTSOWRK).

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2019/20, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Full Year
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 600 ( Lecture Hours 4, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2, Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 562 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	The students study is assessed through the 13,000 word dissertation, which should address the learning outcomes identified above.
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Evidence a systematic understanding of contemporary knowledge and an awareness of current problems and new insights into an identified area of social work; Demonstrate the ability to manage the processes of their own inquiry, including the literature review, methodological considerations and interviews with key informants, systematically and purposefully; Demonstrate the ability to write at length coherently and to purpose and to work independently meeting deadlines; Demonstrate the ability to identify and critically evaluate implications of their findings for social work policy and practice;