DF (Full-time)
DP (Part-time)
3 years (Full-time) with summer terms
4 years (Part-time) with summer terms
48
3
HK$6,900 per credit
Dr Ku Hok-bun
PhD, MPhil, BA
Programme Aims
The programme aims to provide first-rate education for social workers, welfare administrators and social work educators with substantial professional experience and a commitment to pursuing and integrating a higher level of research, practice and education to advance the framework of knowledge and practice and further social betterment.
The programme is specifically designed to cater to the needs of those who seek to develop and advance their academic, professional and reflective capacity and capability as practitioner-researcher-educators in a rapidly changing social setting.
The programme also offers a platform for local-global dialogue on critical social work practices, helping those enrolled to develop mastery of conceptual, methodological, analytical and practice skills with an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective.
The programme is to inspire students to uphold a reflexive perspective that emphasises critical reflections on current local and international wisdom and professional practices in social work.
Programme Features
Practice Research and Practice Education
Integration of Theory and Practice
Dialogue between International Perspective and Local Setting
Individual Concerns and Social Consideration
Programme Structure
To be eligible for the DSW award, students are required to complete 24 credits of coursework and a DSW thesis that counts for 24 credits.
Students can choose to graduate with the award of MASW (Research Studies) after completing 24 credits of coursework and passing a thesis proposal defence (6 credits).
Core Areas of Study
Core Subjects (15 credits)
Students are required to take all of the following subjects:
Elective Subjects (9 credits)
Students have to take three subjects, including a guided study subject (3 credits), and select two elective subjects either at level 6 in one of the following three areas OR choose no more than two elective subjects at Master's degree level within the Department.
I. Direct Service Practice (Family Practice & Mental Health)
II. Policy & Administration Practice (Social Policy & Social Service Administration)
III. Social Work Education
Doctoral Thesis and Research Seminar (24 credits)
* Subject to approval
The subjects offered may be altered at the discretion of the Department.
If you are not a native speaker of English, and your Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification is awarded by institutions where the medium of instruction is not English, you are expected to fulfil the University’s minimum English language requirement for admission purpose. Please refer to the "Admission Requirements" section for details.
For enquiries about this programme, please contact:
Mr Ken Wan (tel: (852) 2766 5784);
or Ms Angel Shing (email: sspg@polyu.edu.hk).
Life is a continuous learning process. After 30 years of field practice, I returned to the APSS to enrol in the Doctor of Social Work programme. This has been my dream since I was a young practitioner. I feel fortunate to have been accepted, as this is the first social work doctoral programme in Hong Kong. When I look back on the last year, I confess that it has been a totally new learning experience for me. I have developed a broader vision of social work practice. I have faced many philosophical and epistemic challenges to my “old-fashioned ideas” of social work practice. I have learned to see and think from different perspectives. The greatest challenge for me is pondering on new ideas and exchanges in class, both from professors and fellow classmates. It is sometimes painful to admit my own “ignorance” in the discussion, but most of the time, I enjoy engaging in this new horizon of learning, which demands my engagement in active reflective thinking and knowledge building. It is, in sum, a transformative experience for me. Yeung Yee Yu, Leo |  |
 | I feel very fortunate that I was able to enrol in the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) programme at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. This is the first programme of its kind to be launched in Hong Kong. It is designed to provide leading edge knowledge of social work practice and to advance the integration of knowledge, research and practice.
Having practised for over 20 years, I find it especially timely and meaningful to re-examine social work as an epistemology, as a clinical practice, as a macro policy process and as a professional education base. The programme also offers dialogues between DSW students and international social work educators and practitioners. Discussions with overseas experts have allowed me to reflect on my personal commitment to the profession and acquire a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the policies and practices in our local community.
Students of the DSW programme are expected to conduct high-quality practice or academic research on selected topics using qualitative and/or quantitative research methodologies. This is an area that I very much look forward to engaging in.
A vote of thanks must be given to Professor Tsui Ming Sum and his colleagues in the DSW programme. Their tremendous understanding and great support have made our studies so much easier, giving us relevant information and logistical support.
I would highly recommend the DSW programme to social work professionals and practitioners aiming to acquire the top educational opportunities in the social work profession. Wong Fung Yee, Margaret |
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Transcript / Certificate |
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