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1. Admissions/ Management Information
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Title of the new programme – including any lower awards
Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award.

See guidance on programme titles in:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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Masters Masters in Comparative and International Social Work
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Postgraduate Diploma Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register or as an exit award, ie. that are only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.N/A
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Postgraduate Certificate PG Cert in Comparative and International Social WorkPlease indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, or as an exit award, ie. that are only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Level of qualificationLevel 7
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This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:2019
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Awarding institutionTeaching institution
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University of York University of York
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department		Board of Studies
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Lead Department Social Policy and Social WorkSocial Policy & Social Work
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Other contributing Departments:
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Route code
(existing programmes only)		PMSWKSCIS1
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Admissions criteria
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As per other Masters in the Department - 2:1 undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification. Relevant work experience and academic potential also considered. English language proficiency of 6.5 in the British Council's IELTS test with at least 5.5 in each component. Other English Language Tests also accepted.
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Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
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ProgrammeLength (years/ months) Status (full-time/ part-time)
Please select		Start dates/months
(if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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Face-to-face, campus-basedDistance learningOther
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Comparative and International Social Work1yrFT/2yrPTBothPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNo
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Language(s) of study
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English
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Language(s) of assessment
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English
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2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
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2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
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Please Select Y/N: Noif No move to section 3
if Yes complete the following questions
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3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
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Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Noif Yes, provide details
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4. Programme leadership and programme team
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4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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Martin Webber (Programme Lead) and Zoe Irving (Chair, Departmental Teaching Committee)
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5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the masters programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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The MA in Comparative and International Social Work is one of a very small number of programmes in the UK that focuses on social work in an international context.  It is distinctive in explicitly foregrounding cross-national comparative approaches to social work and as such it will equip you to analyse the global challenges that impact on social work policy and practice in international and local contexts. You will benefit from joining a department that is internationally renowned for its comparative and global social policy and social work research. Through multi-disciplinary and cross-national comparative study you will gain in-depth knowledge of key theories and debates, allowing you to engage and inform social work policy and practice discussions at local, national, cross-national and global levels. You will also develop research skills that can be applied to real world policy and practice contexts. Through master classes and a fieldwork project you will apply theoretical knowledge to challenges of leadership and delivery in real-world practice. The programme offers you flexibility in developing your own learning experience, allowing you to choose from a range of option modules and to work alongside a supervisor in completing an independent research project on a topic of your choice. A combination of academic and practice-based learning will give you skills in project management, research and evaluation, critical analysis, communication, and team-working. On graduation, you will be well-equipped to pursue opportunities in local, national, cross-national and global social work organisations where research, advanced practice, and analysis skills applied to global social work challenges are highly valued.
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5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters
Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme can be expected to do.
If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements for the PG Certificate and four-eight for the PG Diploma in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1Engage with and inform social work policy and practice discussions at local, national, cross-national and global levels, through in-depth knowledge of the local-global nexus in the social work field.
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2Identify and synthesise theories and concepts from multiple disciplines and critically apply them to real world contexts to contribute to the informed construction of social work responses to social needs.
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3Effectively design social work research projects drawing on appropriate comparative and international research theory and methods; and retrieve, generate and interpret relevant primary and secondary data.
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Communicate research findings, policy analyses and practice evaluations authoritatively to specialist and informed audiences in ways that balance academic rigour and accessible presentation of complex information.
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Conduct a social work policy and research project - working within appropriate ethical frameworks - in order to analyse comparative and global social work issues and devise policy and practice strategies, whilst taking into account multiple and multilevel interests.
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Work effectively in teams, with sensitivity to the individual perspectives, organisational positions and institutional dynamics of peers and other actors, and recognition of their own subjective positions.
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Critically apply knowledge and skills to the pursuit of social progress beyond the local and domestic social work context as active and participatory citizens.
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5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) Why the PLOs are considered ambitious or stretching?
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The Learning Outcomes for this programme are stretching because they enable students to develop complex frameworks for the analysis of policy and practice responses to social issues, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives and a complex multi-scalar outlook which connects local, national, international and global levels of analysis.
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ii) The ways in which these outcomes are distinctive or particularly advantageous to the student:
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The Learning Outcomes for this programme are distinctive because it is one of only a very small number of programmes that explicity approaches social work from an international and comparative perspective. Unlike the vast majority of Social Work related MA programmes, this programme is not for individuals who wish to qualify as a professional social worker, but is intended to appeal to those who are interested in international social work and comparative approaches to policy and practice. The programme distinctively places the study of social work theories in a multi-scalar context which considers local, national, international and global influences on policy, practice and problems. In this way, graduates from the programme will be in a position to look to careers in international charities, NGOs or a range of national and regional agencies either in their own country of origin or in other countries.
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iii) Please detail how you would support students from diverse entry routes to transition into the programme? For example, disciplinary knowledge and conventions of the discipline, language skills, academic and writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
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Students will study alongside Social Policy MA students following similar progammes (e.g. MA in Comparative and International Social Policy) and so benefit from a range of supports already developed for this student body, including: a well-established induction programme covering key study skills issues; an essay writing and referencing workshop delivered by Departmental staff early in the Autumn Term (with subject specific practice essay option); and, pre-sessional and in-session language classes options. In addition, the core Autumn Term module 'Comparative Social Work: Concepts and Contexts for Research and Practice' will provide an overview of key disciplinary knowledge and conventions.
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iv) Please explain how the design of the programme enables students to progress through to the end of the award? For example, in terms of the development of research skills, enabling students to complete an independent study module, developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills, [add link to QAA masters characteristics document].
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In the autumn term students study two core modules: one provides a grounding in the key Social Work concepts and contexts from a cross-national perspective and other provides a grounding in key research skills. In the spring term a third core module provides deep specialisation in international Social Work. Together these three modules provide the foundation on which the remainder of the programme builds. Students can take an optional module providing specialisation in global social issues OR extending their research skills. These components are built in the independent study module over the summer term and summer vacation, while the practice focused learning module provides an opportunity for students to explore practice based dimensions in more detail.
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v) How the programme learning outcomes develop students’ digital literacy and use technology-enhanced learning to achieve the discipline and pedagogic goals which support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classrooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
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Digital literacy development is directly linked to the practices relevant to the discipline, for example, engagement with policy debate which inlcudes both academic knowledge and understanding, and the ability to undertake engagement activities across social media fora and to contribute as well as utilise online information sources. This element of digital literacy will feature throughout the 3 levels. Working effectively in groups will require that students manage digital presence and identity sensitively, both as individuals and within their groups. In working towards the PLOs students will undertake reflective and critical use of digital resources and digital practices; use technology for effective communication and to increase the efficiency with which they engage with learning; contribute to and share digital resources. The PLOs enable students to learn to retrieve and evaluate a substantial range of information sources and they will gain familarity with qualitative and quantitative software and online data sources relevant to Social Work. The PLOs allow substantial use of material provided on the VLE to support learning as well as social media; digital tools for research, production and presentation of communications (both written and visual); management of data and documents (including e.g. the management of references using digital tools); learning support tools such as lecture capture and online library tutorials. The PLOs will equip students with the ability to effectively combine digital and physical forms of learning and working, individually and together.
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vi) How the PLOs support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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The PLOs include a suite of transferable skills that can be applied in a wide range of problem-solving contexts, such as being able to interpret and critically evaluate complex material and communicate such material in a variety of formats to a variety of audiences. Students will develop a rounded awareness of and sensitivity to a range of perspectives and interests that will be essential for employability in the social work fields and more widely. Students will develop independent and team-based working skills, including planning and time-management culminating in their dissertation work. The programme's substantive focus on social work in a comparative and international context programme will enhance the employability of qualified social workers and non-qualified workers in both UK and non UK settings, including employment in internationalagencies, country-specific organisations dedicated to practice based implementation of programmes addressing global issues, and third sector, not-for-profit organisations that operate internationally.
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viii) How is teaching informed and led by research in the department/ centre/ University?
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All teaching staff are active researchers and the programme content is driven by research-led interests and strengths. In particular, the programme reflects the Department's strengths in social work research plus our strengths in comparative and global social policy analysis, drawing on the work of our Centre for Research in Comparative and Global Social Policy. Our expertise in applied social research methods also underpins the programme.
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5.d. Progression
For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof.
This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to:
If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Students exiting with a PG Cert will be able to: demonstrate systematic knowledge of key theories and approaches for social work policy and practice analysis and the ability to retrieve, generate and interpret relevant primary and secondary data, including digital resources; communicate effectively complex information, synthesise concepts and apply them critically to real world contexts; and demonstrate skills in reflecting their own independent learning experience. Students need 60 credits from the taught modules to acquire the PGCert as an exit award.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to:
If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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** a diploma option will not be offered: PG Cert is the only exit award; this is because the independent study module is 80 credits meaning it is not possible to meaningfully complete 120 credits of modules **
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5.e. Other features of the programme
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i) Involvement of partner organisations
Are any partner organisations involved in the delivery of the programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Yesif Yes, outline the nature of their involvement (such as contributions to teaching, placement provision). Where appropriate, see also the:
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University guidance on collaborative provision
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The Practice-focused learning module will draw upon the Department's existing partners in the voluntary sector in order to contribute to Master Classes and to provide opportunities for group project work. Their involvement will be limited to guest lectures and informally advising on appropriate foci for project tasks in order to ensure they reflect current policy and practice issues.
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ii) Internationalisation/ globalisation
How does the programme promote internationalisation and encourage students to develop cross-cultural capabilities?
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Social Work and Social Policy in an international and cross-national perspective provides the focal point of the programme, including its core modules and most of the optional modules.
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iii) Inclusivity
How will good practice in ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion be embedded in the design, content and delivery of the programme?
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This refers to the protected characteristics and duties on the University outlined in the Equality Act 2010
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Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental concepts that run throughout this programme and are issues at the heart of the disciplines of social policy and social work. The core modules will address theory, research, policy and practice that underpin social work with a range of individuals and groups locally, nationally and globally. The programme foregrounds teaching on cultural context, social justice and human rights. The Department is committed to policy/practice consistent with those concerns, for example through widening participation, and has instigated a number of practices to support the diverse body of students on our programmes. These include: an access guide for the Department building; the roles of Disability Reps and a Department Disability Contact; the proactive circulation and use of Student Support Plans; and the provision to staff of resources on accessibility. The Department is working towards an Athena Swan award. In terms of support for international students, our staff come from a diverse range of cultures, and this is acknowledged through joint staff-student cultural events. There is a member of staff designated as a point of contact and support for Chinese students. We offer advice on postgraduate funding for both home and overseas postgraduate students. We have put forward applications for the York University Fund for students who have come from the extended degree route. We have also recommended offers for students who might not meet academic requirements but have significant professional experience – especially if they come from what can be described as the ‘Global South’.
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6. Reference points and programme regulations
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More broadly, equality, social mobility and social inclusion are issues at the heart of the disciplines of social policy and social work. The Department of Social Policy & Social Work at York has a long-standing commitment to policy and practice consistent with those concerns, for example through widening participation and within the curriculum. The Department has instigated a number of practices to support the diverse body of students on our programmes. These include: the development of an access guide for the Department building; the roles of Disability Reps and a Department Disability Contact, who together work across both social policy and social work to champion the interests of disabled students, deal with any concerns that arise, and advance practice and disseminate training; the proactive circulation and use of Student Support Plans; and the provision via the staff intranet of resources and information on accessibility and education. Further, the Department is working towards gaining an Athena Swan award. In terms of support for international students, our staff team also come from a diverse range of cultures, and this is acknowledged through joint staff-student cultural events. Given that the majority of overseas students who come to us are from China, there is a member of staff designated as a point of contact and support for Chinese students. We offer advice and guidance on postgraduate funding opportunities for both home and overseas postgraduate students. We have put forward applications for the York University Fund for students who have come from the extended degree route. We have also recommended offers for students who might not meet academic requirements but have significant professional experience – especially if they come from what can be described as the ‘Global South’.
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2843#.VthM1fmLS70
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The programme has been designed in accordance with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications and with the University's Framework for Programme Design.
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6.b. University award regulations
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The University’s award and assessment regulations apply to all programmes: any exceptions that relate to this programme are approved by University Teaching Committee and are recorded at the end of this document.
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7. Programme Structure
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7.a. Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If the structure of your programme does not fit the usual academic year (for instance students start at the beginning of September or in January) please contact your Academic Quality Team contact in the Academic Support Office for guidance on how to represent the structure in an alternative format.

To clearly present the overall programme structure, include the name and details of each invidual CORE module in the rows below. For OPTION modules, ‘Option module’ or 'Option from list x' should be used in place of specifically including all named options. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists by term of delivery or subject theme these lists should be provided in the next section (7.b).

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of teaching delivery for the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA'). It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

Summative assessment by exams should normally be scheduled in the spring week 1 and summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7). Where the summer CAP is used, a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place. (NB: An additional resit assessment week is provided in week 10 of the summer term for postgraduate students. See Guide to Assessment, 5.4.a)
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/registry-services/guide/
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Full time structure
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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20RSS00002MResearch DesignSEA
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20SPY00115MComparative Social Work: Concepts and Contexts for Research and PracticeSEA
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20SPY00112MInternational Social WorkSEA
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20variousOptionSEA
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20SPY00122MPractice-focused learningSSEA
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SPY00035M 		Independent Study ModuleSEA
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Please indicate when the Progression Board and Final Exam board will be held and when any reassessments will be submitted.
NB: You are required to provide at least three weeks notice to students of the need for them to resubmit any required assessments, in accordance with the Guide to Assessment section 4.9