Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)/Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice

You'll gain hands-on experience through Work Integrated Learning (WIL). In the final two years of your degree, you'll complete two social work placements of 70 days each in diverse settings across Australia or overseas — one from late January to early June, and one from early July to mid-November, both running four days a week (Monday–Thursday). You'll also have the option to undertake criminology internships with criminal justice agencies, not-for-profits and government organisations.

Yes. UNSW's Bachelor of Social Work is professionally accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), ensuring graduates are recognised for roles in social welfare, mental health and community development. UNSW is also the only university in Australia offering an accredited social work program that integrates Honours into the undergraduate degree.

The program consists of 38 courses in total, including 23 Social Work core courses, 6 Criminology core courses, 6 Social Science core courses, and 3 Criminology electives. In the first year you study 4 Social Work core courses, 2 Criminology core courses, and 2 Social Science core courses. The second year includes 5 Social Work core courses and 3 Criminology electives. The third year covers 2 Social Work core courses, 3 Criminology core courses, and 3 Social Science core courses. The fourth year has 5 Social Work core courses, 1 Criminology core course, and 1 Social Science core course. The fifth year consists of 7 Social Work core courses.

For domestic students, the 2026 indicative first year full fee is $17,500, and the indicative full fee to complete the degree is $89,500. For international students, the 2026 indicative first year full fee is $47,500, and the indicative full fee to complete the degree is $264,000.

Yes. You can study full-time or part-time. Depending on how you plan your study load, you can fit two or three courses into a term and one course in a summer term. Each university year at UNSW has three terms and an optional summer study period.