About Social Care Work (honours) in Cork Institute of Technology

Course summary

Lectures, tutorials, practicals, peer assessments and a research dissertation constitute the pedagogical means used. The programme is currently offered full time and through the ACCS mode. All students must pass a module on Research Methods before they are allowed to present their Dissertation.

A key Irish source of information related to social care practice can be accessed at http://www.socialstudies.ie

Social Care Work is a profession where people work in partnership with those who experience marginalisation or discrimination or who have special needs. Social care practitioners may work, for example, with children and adolescents in residential care; people with learning or physical disabilities; people who are homeless; people with alcohol/drug dependency; families in a community setting; or recent migrants to Ireland.

Social care practitioners may be employed in either the state (statutory sector i.e. the Dept. of Health and Children) and what is termed the non-governmental sector i.e. organisations such as Barnardos, Enable Ireland, Focus Ireland, The Brothers of Charity and many others.

Career

The aim of the add-on Honours Bachelor Degree is to satisfy the growing demands of qualified care workers for an honours degree level education. It is intended to confer on the students higher levels of up-to-date knowledge, education and training so as to enable them to function at the top of their profession, as well as to select, train and manage suitable personnel. It provides individuals with the knowledge and skills to progress to higher administrative and managerial positions in the field. The programme builds on knowledge and skills acquired at Bachelor Degree level. It broadens and deepens this knowledge and sets it squarely in its theoretical framework.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Class 12 passed students from a recognized board including CBSE, CISCE or a state board
• All India Senior School Certificate or Higher Secondary Certificate/Standard 12 or Indian School Certificate (Year 12) as recognized qualifications

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS 6.5 overall (6.0 for Business programmes)
• IELTS 5.5 in all four components (listening, reading, speaking and writing)
• PTE 60 (63 for integrated programmes)
• PTE 55 in all four components (listening, reading, speaking and writing)