Advanced Development in Social Work

TThe “MA Advanced Development in Social Work” (ADVANCES) offers advanced social work training in response to the requirements of an increasingly complex and globalized world. It will develop the knowledge and skills of qualified social workers by uniting the expertise of five leading European universities and a number of academic and non-academic associate partners in Europe and beyond. The consortium is working closely together and all initiatives are discussed and decided in common. All partners have participated in an ongoing and successful master degree Erasmus mundus programme. For this new edition, the consortium will strengthen connections to the field of social work practice and include more voices and perspectives from outside Europe, especially Global South.Students will visit at least five EU countries over the 2 year programme and benefit from the input of renowned invited social work scholars. Students will be taught together for Semesters 1-3. Semester 1 (Lincoln University) will offer an in-depth foundation in social work knowledge, theories, skills and leadership in addition to a focus on professional ethics/human rights and training on academic English. Semester 2 (Aalborg University) will both deepen students’ understanding of social work by exploring the different actors and power relations within social service systems and creating a base for using research methodology. They will also be trained in using problem-based approaches. Semester 3 (at ISCSP in Lisbon) will focus on social entrepreneurship, ecological and sustainable development in social work as well as global applications of social work knowledge, social work planning and management and design and planning of the upcoming research project. The Summer School at the end of year 1 (alternating between Paris Nanterre and Warsaw universities) will be dedicated to innovations in the field of social intervention. Through four workshops, students will be advised in their career development and planning and hereby helped to strengthen their employability. During Semester 4, students will be distributed among the partners to conduct a 25,000 word research project that will focus on impact for social work practice. The research project will be presented at a student research conference that concludes the course.Students will undertake field visits and studies in local social services in all semesters to enhance their understanding of social work practice in different contexts and cultures. Successful completion of the programme will lead to a combination of a joint degree involving at least three and hopefully all five partners. The universities of Lincoln, Aalborg and Lisbon in charge of the three main teaching semesters will offer a joint degree. Paris Nanterre and Warsaw universities are investigating national possibilities. If they can’t offer a joint degree, they will supplement the “core” joint degree by offering a double degree for their part of the programme.