The Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong (HKU-SWSA) offers Two-year Full-time and Three-year Part-time Master of Social Work (MSW) Programmes. Our MSW Programmes have a rich tradition in providing social work education across the Asia-pacific regions and provide students a great appreciation for the breadth of social work and the diverse roles that social workers can play in multiple areas of direct practice, in policy, in research, in administration, and in community and organizational change. Our mission is to foster social work leaders of tomorrow and to promote efforts and activities that support social work education in areas of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. We prepare students to be leaders in the fields of clinical social work and social administration and be change agents in family, community, organisation, and society. Our graduates are eligible for professional registration with the Hong Kong Social Workers Registration Board.
Our Faculty is internationally and locally renowned in social work research, education and practice, and we take as our mandate to serve those underprivileged and vulnerable and improve the quality of life for people in the society. We are dedicated to work collaboratively with the social work academics and practitioners in the community. By combining world-leading research with community engagement, our programmes offer opportunities for social work students to critically examine and generate knowledge and develop evidence-based practices for individuals, families, and communities around the world.
HKU-SWSA is the first local university offering specialization in the social work education. Since 2014, we have launched a specialization curriculum for our social work students. We offer five concentrations in the advanced concentration curriculum. Besides being trained as a generic social worker, students can also choose to declare their concentrations in the advanced concentration curriculum: Children & youth; Family social work; Gerontology; Health & mental health; Policy, research & management. After taking concentration in the programme, students will be able to focus and develop critical problem-analysis and practical problem-solving skills with reference to the specific area.
The MSW programme was established in 1972. Graduates of our programmes are equipped with social work knowledge, skills and ethical practices, and are dedicated to make a critical contribution for the betterment of health and mental health of the people, in response to the ever-changing challenges in the society and around the globe.
Expected February 2024
More details
Start date
Expected September 2023
The University of Hong Kong
MG 14, Ground Floor, Main Building,
The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam,
Southern, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island
Applicants shall hold a Bachelor's degree of HKU or an equivalent qualification from comparable institutions. Those with qualifications other than a Bachelor's degree will be considered on their individual merits. Qualifying examinations to test the applicants' abilities to follow the prescribed courses and/or interviews may be conducted. Applicants with qualifications from a university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong where the language of teaching or examination is not English are required (unless exceptionally exempted) to obtain:
a. a score of 550 or above (paper-based test) or 80 or above (internet-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); or
b. a minimum overall band of 6 with no subtest lower than 5.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS); or
c. grade C or above in either the Overseas General Certificate of Education, the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, or the Cambridge Test of Proficiency in English Language.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
