Queen's Univeristy Belfast

MA Applied Social Studies


The Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Applied Social Studies is an overarching postgraduate programme targeted at caring professionals who wish to develop post-qualifying expertise and accreditation at the post-qualifying level in a range of areas. Within the programme there are five pathways that will be delivered in conjunction with agency partners:

  • Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Applied Social Studies (Social Work Leadership). This pathway, which is targeted only at professionally qualified social workers, meets all nine professional social work requirements in the 'leadership' category of the social work post-qualifying framework and gives the leadership award. For further information on the curriculum, fees and entry requirements, contact Professor J. Pinkerton (j.pinkerton@qub.ac.uk; tel no.: 90975988).

  • Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Applied Social Studies (Child Care Social Work). This pathway, which is targeted only at professionally qualified social workers, meets all nine of the professional social work requirements in the specialist category (with the diploma option) and gives the specialist award and three requirements at the leadership category (with the masters option). For further information on the curriculum, fees and entry requirements, contact Dr S. Houston, Senior Lecturer (s.houston@qub.ac.uk; tel. no.: 90975968).

  • Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Applied Social Studies (Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy). This pathway, which is targeted at a range of professionally qualified caring disciplines (social work adult and child care services, nursing, psychology, psychiatry, and allied disciplines), meets all nine of the professional social work requirements in the specialist category and gives the specialist award (with the diploma option) and three social work requirements at the 'leadership' category (with the masters option). For further information on the curriculum, fees and entry requirements, contact Dr K. Dillenburger, Senior Lecturer (k.dillenburger@qub.ac.uk; tel.no.: 90975985).

  • Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Applied Social Studies (Systemic Family Therapy). This pathway, which is targeted at a range of professionally qualified caring disciplines (child, adolescent and adult mental health, family and child care services, primary care, physical health and disability, the justice system and other related fields), meets professional social work requirements in all three categories of the social work post-qualifying framework: specific (certificate option addressing the foundation level), specialist (diploma option addressing the intermediate level) and leadership (masters option addressing the qualifying level). These awards are also accredited by the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice in the UK. For further information on the curriculum, fees and entry requirements, contact Mrs I. Reilly, Lecturer (i.reilly@qub.ac.uk; tel. no.: 90973753).

  • Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Applied Social Studies (General Route). This pathway, which is targeted mainly at professionally qualified social workers, meets professional social work requirements from some or all of the three categories of the social work post-qualifying framework and gives opportunities to acquire the specific, specialist and leadership awards in social work. In this pathway, candidates will follow a variegated route taking modules from more than one of the above pathways. For further information on the curriculum, fees and entry requirements, contact Dr S. Houston (s.houston@qub.ac.uk; tel. no.: 90975968).


The certificate option within each of the above pathways will normally be completed within a year part-time; the diploma option, 1-2 years; and the masters option within 2-3 years. The final 60 Credits of the pathway will be undertaken by dissertation.