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- Which university is the best for a social work degree?
- Dual study in Social Work: training and study with a double degree
- Study Social Work part-time or online: Distance learning and part-time courses
- Social Management: study social work & business studies at the same time
- Social Work from Berlin to Munich: Which study city for is the best?
Social Work, Social Management and Social Administration are currently among the most popular degree programmes of all. This is mainly because the need for well-trained social workers is immense, not least due to the strong migration movements.
Nevertheless, the profession of social worker is not necessarily one of the well-paid professions. Courses of study in social work make it possible to both build up theoretical expertise and improve the salary situation. Particularly interesting: dual degree programmes, which enable double degrees in the same study period and at the same time provide intensive practical experience.
Here I present all the degree programmes in social work at private universities - both face-to-face programmes and dual programmes, distance learning programmes and part-time programmes. I compare all degree programmes in detail.
Overview of all Courses
We have a total of 48 courses in the field of Social Work. The first 30 top courses are displayed. Use the filter function or our search to discover more courses in the field.
- Dual studies
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- 7 Semester
- Aachen, Augsburg, Berlin, Bielefeld, Bochum, Brunswick, Bremen, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Erfurt, Essen, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Leipzig, Luebeck, Mainz, Mannheim, Munich, Munster, Nuremberg, Ravensburg, Regensburg, Rostock, Stuttgart, Ulm, Bonn, Wuerzburg or Virtual Campus
- German
- Introduction to Social Work, Professional Field Development, Introduction to Scientific Work, Pedagogy, Professional Reflection I, Development and Socialization, Social History, Philosophy, Ethics, Th…
With this degree program, you combine theory and practice in Social Work. In addition to your bachelor's degree, you will also earn a qualification as a state-recognized social worker. The program takes place on a weekly basis - you can choose to study at one of the over 30 study locations throughout Germany or on the Virtual Campus.
- Distance learning program
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- 6 Semester
- online
- German
- Introduction to Social Work, Introduction to Academic Work, Professional Field Development, Pedagogy, Social History, Philosophy and Ethics, Theories and Concepts of Social Work, Social Law, Collabora…
In the part-time distance learning program Social Work at Germany's largest university, you will acquire pedagogical, psychological, and legal expertise. You can study full-time over 6 semesters or part-time over 8-12 semesters. In addition, through an accompanying internship, you can obtain the title of State-recognized Social Pedagogue.
- Distance learning program
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- 4 Semester
- online
- German
- Methodology, Social Work Research I - Qualitative Methods, Leadership, Project Management Methods, Development of Social Work in Discipline and Profession, Social Inequality, Inclusion and Exclusion, …
The Master's program in Social Work at IU is an advanced study program for graduates of a bachelor's degree in Social Work or a comparable program. The focus is on deepening professional and methodological skills as well as promoting research skills in Social Work. Students learn to analyze complex social problems and develop solutions. Additionally, they are enabled to independently plan and conduct research projects. The program thus imparts comprehensive knowledge in Social Work and prepares graduates for challenging tasks in the field of Social Work.
- Hybrid course
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- 6 Semester
- Aachen, Augsburg, Berlin, Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Braunschweig, Bremen, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Erfurt, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg, Hamburg, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Leipzig, Mainz, Mannheim, Munich, Münster, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Rostock, Stuttgart, or Virtual Campus
- German
- Social history, philosophy, ethics, professional field development, introduction to social work, psychology, social policy, pedagogy, collaborative work, introduction to scientific work, theories and …
You want to actively promote social justice and equal opportunities in your profession by professionally supporting people in difficult life situations? Within the Bachelor's program in Social Work, we provide you with pedagogical, psychological, and legal knowledge. In addition, you will acquire intercultural competencies in dealing with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Your professional perspective is as diverse and varied as working with people themselves.
Social Work & Management
FHM University of Applied Sciences
- On-campus program
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- 36 Months
- Berlin, Bielefeld, Hannover, Cologne, Rostock, Online-University
- German
Social Work
FOM University of Applied Sciences
- Part-time program
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- 7 Semester
- Aachen, Augsburg, Berlin, Bonn, Bremen, Dortmund, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt a.M., Gütersloh, Hamburg, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Mannheim, Munich, Münster, Neuss, Nürnberg, Saarbrücken, Siegen, Stuttgart, Wesel or Wuppertal
- German
- Distance learning program
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- 6 Semester
- online
- German
- Introduction to Social Work and Scientific Work, Basics of Social Work, Social Economy, Methods of Social Work, Research Methods of Social Work, Basic Law, Social Law, Special Aspects of Communication…
The part-time Bachelor's degree program in Social Work at theAPOLLON University of Health Care Management in Bremen lasts 36 months and concludes with the title Bachelor of Arts. Students acquire solid knowledge in social policy, psychology, pedagogy, and methods of social work. The aim of the course is to prepare graduates for a career in the social sector by enabling them to conduct problem analyses, develop support services, and work professionally with various target groups. The program is accredited by FIBAA.
Which university is the best for a social work degree?
Fresenius University of Applied Sciences: The Fresenius University of Applied Sciences is a private, state-recognised university of applied sciences located in Idstein/Hesse near Wiesbaden. The history of the university dates back to 1848. In the winter semester 2019/2020, a total of 12,991 students were enrolled at the university - making the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences the largest private attendance university in Germany. In its Department of Health & Social Affairs, the university offers a Bachelor's degree in Social Work at the locations Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich or Heidelberg, and at the Online Plus Department a distance learning course in Social Work.
IU International University of Applied Sciences: The IU International University of Applied Sciences is a private, state-recognised university of applied sciences based in Erfurt/Thuringia with many campuses and branch offices throughout Germany. The university was founded in 1998. In the winter semester of 2022/2023, more than 100,000 students were enrolled at IU - the majority of them in one of the more than 100 distance learning programmes. In addition to a distance learning programme in Social Work and Social Management, the university also offers Social Work as a dual study programme and as a part-time study programme.
SRH University Heidelberg: SRH University Heidelberg is a private, state-recognised university of applied sciences based in Heidelberg. The university was founded in 1969, and in the winter semester 2019/2020 a total of 3,494 students were enrolled at the university. In addition to Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Work, the university also offers a Master of Laws in Social Law.
Medical School Berlin: The Medical School Berlin is a private, state-recognised university based in Berlin. The Faculty of Natural Sciences has the status of a university, while the Faculty of Health Sciences has the status of a university of applied sciences. In the winter semester 2019/2020, a total of 1,650 students were enrolled at the MSB.
Akkon University of Human Sciences: Akkon University is a state-recognised, private university of applied sciences based in Berlin. The university was founded in 2009 and a total of 781 students were enrolled in the winter semester 2019/2020. The university offers a basic degree programme in social work, which can also be studied as a dual variant. Special feature: The so-called plus option enables students to add a further 7th semester to the degree programme and to choose a specialisation such as Migration and Integration.
MSH Medical School Hamburg: MSH is a state-recognised, private university based in Hamburg. The university was founded in 2009, and a total of 3,023 students were enrolled in the 2019/2020 winter semester. The Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Human Sciences have the status of a scientific university and are equivalent to a university, while the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Art, Health and Social Science have the status of a university of applied sciences. The university offers both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Social Work.
SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences: SRH Berlin is a state-recognised, private university of applied sciences based in Berlin. The university was founded in 2009 and a total of 2145 students were enrolled at SRH in the winter semester 2019/2020. The degree programme in Social Work is currently offered at the Dresden location.
Dual study in Social Work: training and study with a double degree
A dual degree programme combines vocational training with a course of study. In the field of social work, you acquire your state recognition as a social worker in the course of your studies and then your Bachelor of Arts in social work.
Social Work dual studies are currently offered by several private universities, such as the IU International University of Applied Sciences and the SRH University of Applied Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The study programme at IU is particularly interesting because the tuition fees are covered by the training partner. The IU offers the programme at numerous locations throughout Germany: in Augsburg, Berlin, Bielefeld, Braunschweig, Bremen, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Erfurt, Essen, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Leipzig, Lübeck, Mainz, Mannheim, Munich, Münster, Nuremberg, Peine, Stuttgart and Ulm. The university helps to find a suitable practice partner.
The theoretical part takes place in the form of lectures every 2 weeks. The curriculum is structured as follows:
- 1st semester: Professional development, social economy and social economics, scientific work & communication, introduction to social work, practice reflection I
- 2nd semester: Pedagogy, Public Law, Psychology, Methods and Instruments of Social Work I, Practice Reflection II
- 3rd semester: sociology, social policy, methods and instruments of social work II, social law, practice reflection III
- 4th semester: Medicine for Non-Medical Professionals I, Target Group Work and Case Management, Quality Management in Social Work, Qualitative Research Methods, Practice Reflection IV
- 5th semester: Public & Nonprofit Management, Statistics, Supervision, Intervision, Coaching, Social History, Philosophy, Ethics, Practice Reflection V
- 6th semester: Project Management, Quantitative Research Methods, Practice Reflection VI, Consolidation
- 7th semester: Consolidation, Integration and Migration, Practical Social Economy, Bachelor's thesis
In addition to the IU, the SRH University of Applied Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Akkon University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, for example, currently offer a dual Bachelor's degree programme in Social Work. In addition, the University of Applied Sciences Clara Hoffbauer Potsdam offers 2 Bachelor's degrees in social work & education.
All dual courses of study in social work or social pedagogy at a glance:
| Course | University | Study site | Duration | Fees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Work, Bachelor of Arts Dual studies | University of Social Work and Pedagogy | Berlin | 6 Semester | ||
| Social Work, Bachelor of Arts Dual studies | IU International University of Applied Sciences | Aachen, Augsburg, Berlin, Bielefeld, Bochum, Brunswick, Bremen, Dortmund, Dresde… | 7 Semester | ||
| Social Work, Bachelor of Arts Dual studies | SRH University | Hamm or Leverkusen | 6 Semester | ||
| Social Work, Bachelor of Arts Dual studies | European University of Applied Sciences | Rostock | 7 Semester | from 575 € monthly | |
| Social Work, Bachelor of Arts Dual studies | Akkon University of Human Sciences | Berlin | 6 Semester | ||
| Social Work, Bachelor of Arts Dual studies | SRH University | Dresden | 7 Semester | from 520 € monthly | |
| Social Work - Social Pedagogy, Bachelor of Arts Dual studies | Steinbeis University | Berlin, Essen, Gaggenau, Magdeburg, Marburg, Stuttgart | 6 Semester | from 13140 € total from 350 € monthly |
Study Social Work part-time or online: Distance learning and part-time courses
Distance learning and online studies as well as part-time study programmes are in vogue because they enable working people to continue their education on the job at an academic level. While lectures and seminars take place in the evenings in part-time programmes, distance learning students study exclusively at their desks at home. Even examinations nowadays take place mainly at home in distance learning, for example in the B.A. Social Work at the IU International University of Applied Sciences.
The distance learning programme B.A. Social Work at the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences is particularly affordable. The university offers different time models between 6 semesters of full-time study and 12 semesters of part-time study. In full-time studies, the course of study is as follows:
- 1st semester: Past, present and future of social work, sociological foundations of social work, economics and law, scientific work and scientific theory
- 2nd semester: Competence in action and methods in dealing with clients, variety and diversity of social work, law II, child and youth welfare
- 3rd semester: Research methods in social work, deviance and social control, law III, social work in health care
- 4th semester: Competence in action and methods in an organisational context, Individual behaviour and experience, Current theoretical discourses in social work, Social work with old and/or disabled people
- 5th semester: Professional field internship
- 6th semester: Social exclusion and participation in reflection related to the field of work, culture, aesthetics and media in social work (compulsory elective subject), education, training and learning (compulsory elective subject), Bachelor's examination
In the 5th semester of the full-time programme, you will complete an internship of 100 days. The internship is a prerequisite for your subsequent recognition as a state-certified social worker or state-certified social pedagogue.
Here is an overview of a number of other Bachelor's distance learning programmes in Social Work at a glance:
An overview of all distance learning courses in social work at state universities and at private universities can be found here: Distance learning part-time social work: 20 courses compared.
Social Management: study social work & business studies at the same time
Social Management degree programmes are particularly suitable for trained social educators or social workers who would like to work as managing directors or team leaders. Courses in Social Management are offered, for example, by the private Northern Business School as well as by the private Dresden University of Applied Sciences.
In addition, the IU International University of Applied Sciences, for example, offers a Bachelor's degree distance learning programme in Social Management. In the full-time variant, the study programme is structured as follows:
- 1st semester: Scientific work, business administration, sociology, social economy, law (either according to German or Austrian law)
- 2nd semester: Psychology, Marketing, Cost and Performance Accounting, Practical Social Economy, Statistics, Economics and Markets
- 3rd semester: Human Resources, Social History, Philosophy, Ethics, Finance and Investment, Social Law, Public and Nonprofit Management, Intercultural Management
- 4th semester: Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Social Policy, Public Law, Fundraising, Personal Skills, Project Management
- 5th semester: Business Ethics, Current Issues in Social Management, 2 specialisations of free choice
- 6th semester: Business Management, Financing and Controlling in the Social Economy, 1 specialisation of free choice, Bachelor thesis
Here are the most important courses in Social Management at private universities at a glance:
| Course | University | Study site | Duration | Fees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Management, Bachelor of Arts Distance learning program | SRH Fernhochschule - The Mobile University | online | 6 Semester | from 13968 € total from 388 € monthly | |
| Social Management, Bachelor of Arts Distance learning program | Fresenius University of Applied Sciences | online | 6 Semester | from 12420 € total from 215 € monthly | |
| Social Management, Bachelor of Arts Distance learning program | IU International University of Applied Sciences | online | 6 Semester | from 15063 € total from 259 € monthly | |
| Social Pedagogy & Management, Bachelor of Arts Part-time program | FHM University of Applied Sciences | Bamberg, Bielefeld, Hannover, Cologne, Rostock | 24 Months | from 12140 € total from 485 € monthly | |
| Social Pedagogy & Management, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | Dresden University of Applied Sciences | Dresden | 6 Semester | from 20160 € total from 560 € monthly | |
| Social Work Management, Bachelor of Arts On-campus program | Northern Business School | Hamburg | 6 Semester | from 17760 € total from 485 € monthly |
You can find a comprehensive overview of all degree programmes in Social Management here: Study Social Management privately: All degree programmes in comparison.
Social Work from Berlin to Munich: Which study city for is the best?
Social Work, Social Pedagogy and Social Management are offered as both Bachelor's and Master's programmes by private universities in almost all major cities in Germany.
In particular, universities such as the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences as well as the IU International University of Applied Sciences are represented in numerous cities from Hamburg to Munich with their attendance study programmes, part-time study programmes as well as dual study programmes.
Here is an overview of the best cities to study social work:
| City | Livingcosts | Livingquality | Populationdensity | Universities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich | 66.53 | 176.16 | 4736 | Fresenius University, IU International University of Applied Sciences |
| Frankfurt/Main | 59.05 | 172.67 | 3,067 | Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, IU International University of Applied Sciences |
| Hamburg | 56.32 | 162.48 | 2,447 | Fresesenius University of Applied Sciences, IU International University of Applied Sciences, MSH Medical School Hamburg, FOM University of Applied Sciences, Northern Business School |
| Heidelberg | 56.00 | - | 1,484 | Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, SRH University Heidelberg |
| Stuttgart | 55.23 | 165.16 | 3,067 | IU International University of Applied Sciences |
| Berlin | 54.18 | 160.49 | 4,115 | IU International University of Applied Sciences, Medical School Berlin, IB University of Health and Social Sciences, Akkon University of Applied Sciences, FOM University of Applied Sciences, SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences |
| Cologne | 52.94 | 158.48 | 2,686 | Fresesenius University of Applied Sciences, IU International University of Applied Sciences, FOM University of Applied Sciences |
| Dusseldorf | 52.61 | 175.02 | 2,860 | IU International University of Applied Sciences, FOM University of Applied Sciences, Fliedner University of Applied Sciences Dusseldorf |
About the Author Christian Wolf
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