Social Work
Social work is a vocational profession and an academic discipline with the aim of promoting social justice, security and cohesion and empowering people to identify and use their self-competence and resources. A drive to create a fair and just society is at the heart of social work.
This Bachelor’s degree course teaches interdisciplinary and inter-professional competencies which enable students to analyse societal issues such as poverty, cuts to funding for social security and services, social exclusion, crime and the polarisation of urban communities and to explore the human potential for self-development via education, support and state-provided interventions. Engagement with people in a varied range of difficult circumstances and the provision of support to children and young people necessitate personal commitment and persistence alongside your specific expertise.
Your future career
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State-accredited social workers or youth and community workers (Sozialarbeiter/innen; Sozialpädagog/innen) find roles across a diverse spectrum of career fields, working with people of all ages, from children and young people, adults and families to senior citizens. They might provide advice and support to clients of advisory services or in public or private institutions, work in community cultural centres to help immigrants and refugees settle into their new surroundings, assist in the rehabilitation of prisoners before or after release, or support long-term unemployed people or people with disabilities in accessing or re-entering the job market or taking an active part in society. They may also help people with mental health issues or those battling addiction to recover or cope with their struggles.
Course content and structure
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The course’s first four semesters focus on foundational knowledge in the discipline of social work and those subjects to which it relates (law, education science, psychology, social sciences).
Semesters 3 to 5 entail expanding and building on these foundations in a focal area of the student’s choice, including:
- Health, disease prevention and rehabilitation
- Resocialisation, social integration and enabling people to be financially self-supporting
- Working with children, young people and families
- Educational, cultural and community work
Alongside a 20-week placement in their fifth semester, students complete projects and practical phases which enable them to gain hands-on professional experience. The seven-semester course concludes with a Bachelor thesis.
Your interests and skills
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This Bachelor’s degree course in Social Work is ideally suited to potential students who would like to work with people of all ages and from a range of social backgrounds, against the backdrop of current societal developments. You should have a keen interest in social policy, be good at resolving conflict and be able and willing to explore complex research literature and write your own essays in response.
For your future career, you’ll need to be a psychologically stable and resilient person with a strong sense of responsibility, good communication skills, and the ability to make decisions under pressure. Self-starters and team players who enjoy working in multi-professional networks and believe in lifelong learning will do well in the job.
Interested – but not quite sure yet whether this is the right course for you? Our self-assessment test can help you make up your mind. Take it here: HAW Navigator.
Admission requirements
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Higher education entrance qualification
You can apply directly for this course if you hold one of the following qualifications:
- Fachhochschulreife
- Allgemeine Hochschulreife
- Fachgebundene Hochschulreife (subject-specific HE entrance qualification)
- Meister*in (vocational qualification – master tradesperson)
- Fachwirt*in (certified specialist)
Applicants who do not hold a higher education entrance qualification but have completed vocational training (Berufsausbildung) and at least three years of subsequent work experience can apply under Section 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act, which sets out special provisions for these applicants (Besonderer Hochschulzugang für Berufstätige).
Find out more atAdmission requirements for a Bachelor's degree.
Pre-course experience
We do not require you to have completed pre-course experience for this course.
International applicants
If you completed your schooling outside Germany and want to study here for a Bachelor’s degree, you need to hold an academic school-leaving qualification which entitles you to admission to higher education; that is, it needs to be comparable to a German Abitur or Fachhochschulreife. The organisation uni assist will check your certificates from school and any degree-level studies to establish comparability. Please note that you are also required to have proof of German at level C1 – for example, in the form of a TestDaF certificate – in order to apply for all Bachelor's degree courses (except Information Engineering).
You can find more information about HAW Hamburg’s application criteria at International applicants.
Application process
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We only accept online applications. Before applying, applicants must register with www.hochschulstart.de. During the application period (for the winter semester: 1 June–15 July) you can find the online application and detailed information about the application process on the Applying for a Bachelor's degree course page.
You can find information about the selection process and the numerus clausus (NC) from the previous semester here: Applying for a Bachelor's degree course/Selection criteria.
International applicants are also required to apply during the application period.
To make the process easier for you, we have compiled a step-by-step checklist: International applicants
Questions about selecting a course, applications, admissions and degree courses
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Applications and admissions
Student Admissions and Registration Office (Studierendensekretariat)
Stiftstraße 69, 20099 Hamburg (ground floor)
T +49.40.428 75-9898
studierendensekretariat (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact us with your questions about applications and admissions
The Information Point is open at the following times:
Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Friday: closed
In-person office hours:
Thursday: 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Telephone office hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 am–10:00 am
For general queries about HAW Hamburg degree courses and course choice
Student Counselling Team (Zentrale Studienberatung)
Stiftstraße 69, 1st floor, room 122
20099 Hamburg
T +49 40 42875 9110
Contact form
Office hours
Contact person for applicants with disabilities or chronic health conditions
Meike Butenob/Dieter Röh
Stiftstraße 69, Haus 3, room 37
Tel. +49.40.428 75-7220
inklusion (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact the department
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Specifically subject-related queries:
Prof. Dr. Tilman Lutz
Alexanderstraße 1, R. 4.27, 20099 Hamburg
Tel.:+ 49.40.428 75-7030
tilman.lutz(@)haw-hamburg.de
