Welcome from the Head of School

Professor Howard Karger

Welcome to the School of Social Work and Human Services (SWAHS). As one of the oldest providers of social work and human service education in Australia, we are committed to being a leader in critically engaged research, learning, and education in the applied social sciences and contemporary human sciences.

The School has long been recognised for its high educational standards, its vigorous research activities and its commitment to social welfare and social justice. We work hard to ensure that students receive the highest level of teaching, training, and research opportunities available.

SWAHS is a community of scholars and practitioners, and our internationally recognised academic staff are leaders in social work, human services and social policy. Along with our students, we have fashioned a dynamic and participatory educational experience. Our alumni, friends and field educators also help make SWAHS a vibrant environment. Together, we are a community committed to the highest standards in social welfare education, research, and service.

The School offers a wide range of applied multi-disciplinary programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.  Our undergraduate suite of programs include a Bachelor of Social Work, a Bachelor of Human Services, and a Bachelor of Social Work (Graduate Entry). We also offer a Bachelor of Human Services (Honours). We teach the Behavioural Studies stream in the Bachelor of Arts  at the UQ Ipswich campus and the Social Policy stream in the Bachelor of Social Science at St Lucia Campus. Our undergraduate social work programs are professional degrees enabling students eligibility for membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). The Bachelor of Social Work (Graduate Entry) enables students who have already completed a degree from other fields including Psychology, Sociology and/or Anthropology, and Government to complete a professional qualification with two years.

Our postgraduate programs provide advanced professional education. We offer a Master of Counselling, the Master of Social Work, the  Master of Development Practice, and the Master of Human Services. Postgraduate awards in Human Services and Development Practice are also available at the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma levels.

The School has the largest postgraduate research program of any Australian School of Social Work and offers PhD and MPhil degrees. Our postgraduate programs are intellectually challenging, and our large doctoral program attracts students in areas of research strength in the School. Our students come from a wide range of countries and disciplines. Graduates from our PhD program are employed in universities throughout Australia and in senior positions in human service organisations.

What are we about? Simply put, the mission of the School is to apply knowledge in the social and behavioural sciences to the needs and aspirations of societies, communities and individuals, in order to achieve just, equitable, tolerant and inclusive social relations. We aim to produce the best trained social work and human services graduates in Australia, who will positively impact the social, cultural, and economic well-being of all Australians.

If you want a challenging and exciting career in social work and applied human sciences, in an academic centre of excellence, we’d love to talk to you. Give us a call or stop by.

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