Why Social Work?
The main objective of the undergraduate Honours degree programme offered by the Department of Social Work is to equip its graduates for entry into the social work profession at the direct-service level. The Department's emphasis is on the development of generic clinical expertise.
Students are exposed to social service visits, laboratory training, fieldwork placements and module projects, among other applied learning methods. Field practice is a compulsory component in Social Work education and skills training. As preparation for entry into field practice, students are encouraged to undertake voluntary work in a social service agency.
Curriculum
Primary/Single Major [B.Soc.Sci. (Hons)]
Pass at least 60 MCs of SW or SW-recognised modules, which include the following:
- SW1101E Social Work: A Heart-Head-Hand Connection
- SW2101 Working with Individuals and Families,
- SW2104 Human Development over the Lifespan,
- SW2105 Values & Skills for Helping Relationships,
- SW2106 Social Group Work Practice,
- SW3101 Social Work Research Methods or PL2131 Research and Statistical Method I, or SC2101 Methods of Social Research,
- SW3103B Social Work Field Practice (I) (6 MCs),
- SW3104A Social Work Field Practice (II) (6 MCs),
- SW3105 Community Work Practice,
- SW4102 Social Policy And Planning, and
- SW4103 Advanced Research and Evaluation.
- Read and pass a minimum of 36 MCs at level 3000 or higher (including modules listed above), with
(i) A minimum of 20 MCs at level-4000 or higher.
(ii) A maximum of 1 SW module at level-5000 (subject to Department’s approval).
Second Major
Pass at least 40 MCs of SW or SW-recognised modules, which include the following:
- SW1101E Social Work: A Heart-Head-Hand Connection
- SW2101 Working with Individuals and Families,
- SW2104 Human Development over the Lifespan,
- SW2105 Values & Skills for Helping Relationships,
- SW2106 Social Group Work Practice,
- SW3101 Social Work Research Methods or PL2131 Research and Statistical Methods I, or SC2101 Methods of Social Research,
- SW3103B Social Work Field Practice (I) (6MCs),
- SW3104A Social Work Field Practice (II) (6 MCs),
- SW3105 Community Work Practice,
- Read and pass a minimum of 16 MCs at level 3000 or higher (including modules listed above).
Minor In Human Services
Accumulate at least 20 MCs of SW modules, which include the following:
- Read and pass the following modules:
- SW1101E Social Work: A Heart-Head-Hand Connection, and
- SW2104 Human Development over the Lifespan.
- Read and pass a minimum of 12 MCs at level-3000, provided modules requirement are met and the modules are not excluded for Minor students.
Job Ready
In recent years, a wide range of challenging professional job opportunities have opened up for social work graduates. Organisations that employ social workers include the following:
- Government Ministries – Social and Family Development, Health, Home Affairs, Defence, and Education;
- Family service centres;
- Hospitals and health care centres;
- Social Service Agencies (voluntary welfare organisations);
- Special Education Needs Schools;
- Youth and Children service agencies;
- Senior and eldercare agencies;
- National Council of Social Service (which includes the Community Chest and the Social Service Training Institute);
- People's Association, Community Development Councils and Constituency Secretariats; the National Youth Council;
- Prisons, drug rehabilitation centres and halfway houses;
- International and local Non-Government Organisations; as well as
- Other people-helping agencies serving families, children, youth, people with disabilities and older persons.
In addition, there are openings for social work graduates in areas such as social enterprises, volunteer management, international aid and services, industrial labour relations, human resource management, staff training, organizational development and consultancy, mass communication and human relations.
Why CHS?
The College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) is the enhanced undergraduate experience for students of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS) and the Faculty of Science (FOS) at the National University of Singapore.
Scale of Impact
Taps and builds on the research expertise of two of the largest and most established faculties in Singapore.
Deliberate Curriculum Curation
A distinct interdisciplinary approach that emphasises the ability to draw connections, discover links and connect insights across disciplines.
Unparalleled Flexibility
Offers greater choice and unparalleled flexibility to pursue breadth and depth from more than 1,000 modules per academic year.
Testimonials
Jean Yee
Social Work
Why major in Social Work?
Social Work has many roots in society. We seek to advocate for social justice and inclusiveness within society. We work with clients to address their needs and strive for a better quality of life for every individual. Our scope of work extends across a wide range, allowing us to serve multiple jobs such as, but not limited to, social service, healthcare and government sectors. Beyond frontline work as social workers, we involve ourselves in crafting and implementing policy changes that impact the lives of every citizen in Singapore.
If you are someone who believes that people can change for the better if given the right opportunities—social work would be a major you might be interested in.
What do you intend to do after graduation?
I have yet to decide where to go, but I would like to work with the children and youth community. There are still many places for improvement in that field, and I hope to be involved when the changes arrive.
Samuel Rajan David
Social Work
To me, social work is both open-ended and structured. Students are equipped with micro and macroskills, including strong self-awareness and situational awareness for effective communication and change. We also use relevant cross disciplinary theories, such as psychology theories about how the mind works and sociology theories on how people and systems work, for social change and development.
The facilitator who briefed us at the orientation camp mentioned that if he could summarise social work in one word, it would be “advocacy”. And that was the defining moment for me. I feel that social work is something meant for me and fits my passion to use my knowledge to help the vulnerable and those who are not able to speak up.
I’m currently under the Concurrent Degree Programme (CDP) which offers a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and a Master’s degree in Public Policy. In the future, I hope to be able to work at the Ministry of Social and Family (MSF) Development. The CDP degrees will give me the chance to be that much-needed bridge, where I will be able to understand and change things on the ground, and also use skills in policy analysis to affect macro-level changes.
Tan Seng Chai
Chief Corporate and People Officer, CapitaLand Group
"It's a new normal we live in, and there are critical attributes the next-generation workforce must possess in order to thrive, including the willingness to learn, ability to innovate, and high adaptability. CapitaLand recognises this and proactively collaborates on opportunities that encourage the development of these traits. That is why we're supportive of the curriculum at NUS College of Humanities and Sciences. Its focus on interdisciplinary education coupled with experiential and problem-based learning will allow future-ready CHS graduates to handle a variety of workplace scenarios across different disciplines better, and put them in good stead to ride the waves of the future of work."
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