Master of Applied Practice (Social Practice

LEVEL 9 MASTER OF APPLIED PRACTICE (SOCIAL PRACTICE)

Total credits 180 (1.5 EFTS) Campus Waitākere Start dates February or July Duration Full-time for 18 months or part-time for 2-6 years (for domestic students only) Annual tuition fees $8,200 (NZD) (Approximate domestic fee only)

Career opportunities • Community development worker • Counsellor • Not-for-profit practitioner • Social practitioner working for a government agency • Social practitioner working for a non-government agency (NGO)

Highlights • Advance your practice and contribute to your profession by completing work-relevant research and projects as part of your studies. • Courses include Contemporary

Issues in Community Engagement, New Zealand Social Policy and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Social Practice in Aotearoa. • Ideal for those with practice-based skills who want to develop their management or workforce development competencies or validate their practice skills and ideas through research. • Taught by highly experienced lecturers with roles in community and national organisations. • When you graduate, you’ll likely find higher-level social practice roles or progress to further study. • Informed by the Kaupapa Māori philosophy, which places community engagement and understanding at the heart of research. • Flexibility: choose full or part-time study to fit in with your professional practice. • Fast-track options into thesis work for students with undergraduate degrees that have a strong social practice component at an advanced level.

This Master’s degree is designed for qualified and registered professionals who are currently working in various disciplines - including social work, counselling, community development and teaching - who want to advance their skills in a variety of social practice situations.

Programme overview This programme is designed to help you extend your knowledge in a specialist area of social practice and enhance your career prospects - while adding value to your organisation, community, and beyond.

You’ll develop your ability to work cross-sector in complex environments within the cultural contexts of Aotearoa New Zealand, and advance your decision-making, problem-solving, and research skills.

You’ll also further develop your ability to work with individuals, whānau, and communities, and transform your practice in ways that enhance social justice and reduce inequalities for communities.

Admission requirements For this programme, you’ll need:

Academic 1. A Bachelor’s degree or Level 7 Graduate

Diploma in the same or similar discipline. 2. Demonstrate an ability to succeed in the programme by providing evidence of successful outcomes you’ve achieved in a work environment. 3. 8 credits at NCEA Level 2 in English or

Te Reo Māori (4 in reading, 4 in writing) 4. A phone or face-to-face interview may be required as part of the application process.

English

If English is not your first language, you’ll need one of the following:

Have achieved NCEA Level 3 and New Zealand University Entrance Provide evidence you satisfy our criteria for existing English proficiency such as IELTS Achieved at least one English proficiency outcome in the last two years If you don’t meet the English criteria above, we have a range of English Language programmes available (see unitec.ac.nz/ english).

There are additional English requirements for international students – you can find more information on our website.

Other options

If you don’t meet the requirements, you could apply for special or discretionary admission.

For more information download the programme regulations: unitec.ac.nz/socialwork

International Students, please visit unitec.ac.nz/international

Apply Now

SUPPORTING MEN IN SOCIAL WORK

HAYDN AND NOA OUTSIDE THE WAITĀKERE CAMPUS

A West Auckland-based men’s working group set up by two Bachelor of Social Practice students at Unitec, helps their fellow students talk not only about their studies – but also the rest of their lives.

The group, run by students Noa Pitovao (40) and Haydn Smith (37), was set up to address the need for more male social workers within the Social Work and Community Development field.

“I don’t even know my own father,” says Haydn. “There are a lot of kids out there who don’t have a male role model in their life, so getting more men into social work has to be a positive thing.”

Noa agrees. “We definitely need more men because there’s a lot of males out there that need that connection, but who might not be able to express things in front of women.”

This is why they set up the men’s working group. Initially, the goal was to create a space where male students could talk about, and get support for, their studies. However it soon evolved into a group where students from all years of the programme were free to talk about extra-curricular pressures; juggling study with family obligations, financial responsibilities, being a dad, sometimes being a solo parent, with or without custody of their children.

Men might not be used to talking about their lives, says Haydn. “We have this macho discourse in New Zealand, around beer, rugby, all that sort of stuff.” But giving male students a chance to talk with their male peers about what is impacting on their studies really does help.

“In the first month or so, people mainly talked about the assignments they were dealing with. We were pleasantly surprised at the way they started talking about their lives outside uni. I think that everyone who has come to the group regularly has grown a bit, just by being able to talk to other men, about what is going on for them. There’s nothing quite like one student supporting another.”

Just knowing that you’re not alone can make a huge difference, Noa points out. “You might have an issue you’ve been carrying for a while, but by expressing those feelings with people who have similar experiences, you’re reassured to find out that you’re not the only one. We might be going through things at different times in different ways, but we’re all in the same boat.”

Postal Address Private Bag 92025 Victoria Street West Auckland 1142, New Zealand

Mount Albert campus 139 Carrington Road, Mount Albert, Auckland 1025

Waitākere campus 5-7 Ratanui Street Henderson, Auckland 0612

Facebook facebook.com/UnitecNZ Instagram instagram.com/UnitecNZ Twitter twitter.com/UnitecNZ YouTube youtube.com/UnitecNZ

The information contained in this publication is for domestic students. For international students, please get in touch with international@unitec.ac.nz or visit unitec. ac.nz/international to view the international prospectus.

Waitākere campus. Central (Te Pae Kōrero) at either the Mt Albert or the information, please visit unitec.ac.nz or visit Student and whether foreseeable or not. For the most up-to-date contained in this publication, whether direct or indirect, to reliance (either in whole or in part) on the information no responsibility for any loss suffered by any person due without notice. So far as the law permits, Unitec accepts review. Unitec reserves the right to make any changes are subject to change due to a continuous process of 2020). However, matters covered by this publication in this publication is accurate at the time of printing (June reasonable care and skill to ensure that the information Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) has used all Disclaimer: Unitec New Zealand Limited, trading as 0620V1