Master of Social Work Celebrates 20 Years

Since launching in 2004, over 500 graduates of the Master of Social Work have gone on to work in social work around the world, each with a shared passion to make a positive change to peoples’ lives. 

Professor Karen O’Brien Vice-Chancellor and Warden, attended a celebration event with teaching staff past and presents, professional partners of the MSW and students in June at The Hub, Mount Oswald. 

Professor Karen O’Brien spoke at the event, praising the teaching staff behind the MSW.  

She said: “Congratulations to the Master of Social Work team for 20 years of dedication, impact and excellence.  

“Thanks to you, our global community has over 500 known alumni, many of whom now are in leadership positions. We are aware of people practicing social work all over the world including Australia, the US and Europe, all united with a shared passion to help others.  

“Durham University’s Social Work team continues to make key contributions across a wide variety of aspects of social work research, theory and practice. I look forward to seeing the influence, nationally and globally, you’ll continue to forge in years to come.”  

Students graduating with a social work degree from Durham currently have 100% employment rates and many students go on to study at PhD level as the programme also prepares students for a research career. 

Highlights of the Master of Social Work includes the university joining with five other regional universities and 12 local authorities to form the North East Social Work Alliance (NESWA). More recently, the department has launched its Contextual Safeguarding toolkit and produced research into domestic decolonisation and research into family abuse perpetration. 

Former Head of Dept Professor Catherine Donovan said: “I’m proud and delighted to celebrate twenty years of Social Work education at Durham University. Social Work is an important profession providing families, children and vulnerable adults with crucial support, meet their needs and, in so doing, enact social justice. It is a valued aspect of the University’s civic strategic goals, meeting the needs both of the regional labour market and local people and children facing severe hardship and need.” 

20 Years of MSW

1 Nikki Rutter 2 John Carpenter 3 Carlene Firmin 4 Karen O'Brien

Find out more:

• View the 20 Years of Master of Social Work Anniversary page

• Find out more about the Master of Social Work programme
• Meet some of MSW’s incredible teaching staff  here 
• Our Department of Sociology is ranked 1st in the UK for Criminology and 3rd in the UK for Sociology in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024. Feeling inspired? Visit our Sociology webpages to learn more about studying with us.