Master’s Program in Social Work
Do you want to actively shape and advance the field of social work? Are you ready to take on complex tasks in your professional environment and deepen your expertise?
The Master’s program in Social Work at OST provides comprehensive qualifications for your career: You’ll develop concepts, lead projects, and conduct research. This program, offered in collaboration with Bern University of Applied Sciences and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, allows for flexible study planning, offers a broad network, and delivers practical, hands-on knowledge.
Program at a Glance
Degree
Master of Science in Social Work
Start of Program Studies
Spring semester: week 8
Fall semester: week 38
Duration of Studies
3 semesters full-time
4–6 semesters part-time
Tuition
CHF 1,000 per semester
Campus
St.Gallen campus
Registration Deadline
Week 3 for the spring semester start
Week 33 for the fall semester start
Good to Know
Since the courses are taught in German, we kindly refer you to the German pages for more detailed information.
Advantages of a Master in Social Work at OST
- Wide Range of Program Choices: Enjoy extensive flexibility in selecting module content to suit your interests and career goals.
- Flexible Study Planning: Adapt your study schedule and locations to balance education, work, and family commitments effectively.
- Join a Broad Network: Become part of a vast network of instructors, students, and practice organizations across German-speaking Switzerland.
- Gain Practical and Research Expertise: Benefit from the combined know-how of three research-driven universities of applied sciences with strong ties to practice.
- Comprehensive Skills Development: The master’s program equips you with self-awareness, social, professional, and methodological competencies sought in practice, research, and teaching.
- Collaboration of Renowned Institutions: The master’s in social work is a joint program of three established Swiss universities of applied sciences: OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Bern University of Applied Sciences, and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Mathias Lindenau
Program director Social Work
Program Focus and Content
Discover the diversity and depth of specializations in the master’s program in Social Work. Our focus areas are closely connected to the research priorities of the renowned campuses in St.Gallen, Bern, and Lucerne, ensuring an optimal transfer of current research directly into your education. Immerse yourself in practice-relevant topics and benefit from the expertise of our leading researchers. Prepare for a successful career in the social sector by combining in-depth knowledge with innovative approaches.
Shaping the Profession and Making an Impact (St.Gallen)
The St.Gallen specialization focuses on the challenges posed to social work professionalism by societal transformation and explores its options for action. Professional actions in case situations are shaped by conditions of complexity, uncertainty, and risk, while being subject to increased pressure for action and justification.
For social work to make a significant contribution to addressing social issues, it must conduct well-founded analyses from a societal perspective and engage constructively in public debates. At the same time, developing solutions and professional action are influenced by organizational processes in social work. Based on organizational theory, the three modules (6 ECTS each) reflect on organizational forms and processes, examining how they promote or hinder professionalism.
Thematic Modules in St.Gallen
- TS 1 – Professional Influence
- TS 2 – Organizing Professionalism Effectively
- TS 3 – Decision-Making – Justification – Responsibility
Organization, Leadership, and Collaboration (Bern)
The Bern specialization focuses on the options for action available to leaders and professionals within the specific context of social organizations. The emphasis is on institutional leadership and the management of professional processes. Another key area is transdisciplinary collaboration, which requires cooperation between leaders and professionals in social work, education, justice, and health.
To enhance students’ skills in shaping and managing such processes, the three modules (6 ECTS each) provide comprehensive knowledge and practical examples of actionable strategies.
Thematic Modules in Bern
- TB 1 – Change: The Organization of Social Work in a Societal Context
- TB 2 – Leadership: Shaping and Developing Social Organizations
- TB 3 – Collaboration: Transdisciplinary Cooperation and Organization
Shaping Welfare Systems in the Social State (Lucerne)
The Lucerne specialization focuses on the role of social work in an evolving welfare state. Traditional welfare arrangements are being increasingly questioned, and social work is called upon to find constructive yet critical responses to ensure the mandates and services of the social state are upheld.
An essential aspect is the inclusion of all stakeholders (e.g., providers, civil society) in the process, along with the implementation of new forms of governance and management. The three modules (6 ECTS each) examine new welfare arrangements from legal, political, economic, and socio-spatial perspectives.
Thematic Modules in Lucerne
- TL 1 – Constructing Social Problems: «Doing Social Problems»
- TL 2 – Perspectives of Social Work Users
- TL 3 – Planning and Managing Social Welfare Services