Bachelor’s degree in Social Work

Want to pursue a meaningful career and take on responsibility? Enjoy working with people and have a genuine interest in social issues? Then studying Social Work at the ZHAW is the right fit for you. With us, you will develop to become a competent, solution-oriented and reflective social work professional. We will support you in your professional and personal development. Sounds interesting? Then come along to our information event and find out more about the Bachelor’s degree programme at the ZHAW.

Information event (German)

At the ZHAW, we offer a broad-based degree programme that prepares you for diverse fields of social work. This means that you do not have to limit yourself to one of the three traditional specialisms of social work, social pedagogy or socio-cultural animation, but instead acquire the professional and methodological foundations for all three. In addition, you choose a thematic focus and thus develop your individual profile. In order to support people in difficult situations and help them find solutions to their problems, you will acquire the following skills:

• Expertise: You will acquire knowledge of legal and ethical principles, history and theories in social work, socialisation processes and social research.
• Methodical skills: You will learn the methodological tools of social work, including case and field analysis, dialogue techniques, intervention and process structuring.
• Social skills: You will expand your skills in relationship-building and cooperation, social interaction and communication, conflict management, and dealing with diversity and heterogeneity.
• Independent skills: You will learn to acquire knowledge independently, to scrutinise it critically, to reflect on yourself and to deal with stressful situations.

Throughout your degree programme, you will receive tailored support from us to help you develop your skills in the best possible way. We help you to acquire important skills that are relevant in practice. We use a variety of teaching and learning methods to make your studies wide-ranging and practical.

• In case studies and methodology workshops, you will practise professional case analyses and the practical application of specialist knowledge and methods.
• In specialisation modules and seminars, you will visit social work institutions and experience first-hand how theoretical knowledge is applied in practice.
• Lecturers with practical experience will give you an insight into their work and provide you with practical examples.
• In supervision groups, you will reflect on your actions and receive feedback from experienced professionals.
• In learning and study groups, you will exchange ideas with fellow students and support each other. 
• Feedback from our professional study mentors will help you shape your development process actively and effectively.

We offer you sound, practical education so that you can apply what you have learned in your new job from day one. You will study proven theories and the latest research findings in order to strengthen your ability to take method-led action. In addition, your own professional experience will be systematically integrated.

Practical training makes up almost a third of your degree programme. It serves to develop your professional skills and prepares you optimally for working in this challenging field. As a ZHAW student, you have access to a large network of social organisations and receive support in choosing a suitable training place.

Internationality and interculturality are important parts of the curriculum for the bachelor’s degree course in social work. Alongside the specialisation module «Migration, integration, diversity», elective seminars on current international topics are offered every semester.