Social Work

What will you learn in this program?

• Sociology and Regional Inequalities
• New Social Challenges
• Social Policy and Social Law
• Welfare Services
• The Structure and Functioning of the Social Welfare System
• Case Work and Case Management
• Family and Child Protection
• Digital Social Work
• Trauma and Mental Well-Being

What kinds of jobs can you do with this degree?

• Public sector: Municipally operated institutions, family support centers, hospitals, child welfare centers, services for people with disabilities, the justice system, refugee services, schools
• Nonprofit sector: Various foundations, associations, religious and private aid organizations (e.g., the Foundation for the Support of the Poor, the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service, etc.), community social work, social development, youth support
• Corporate sector: Human resources departments of larger companies (e.g., employee support), privately operated nursing homes.
• This profession is considered a high-demand field in Europe, particularly in elder care and child protection, offering stable employment opportunities abroad as well.

Brief Overview of the Program

Kodolányi University’s Bachelor of Arts (BA) program in Social Work is one of the most innovative applied social science programs in Hungarian higher education. The program features family-friendly, profession-centered, and practice-oriented education, allowing students to complete their professional internships as well as some of their coursework at their workplaces or various internship sites.

The professional curriculum of our program includes mandatory internships starting in the first year; our students participate in the activities of civil society organizations, school social services, basic services, and specialized services, and gain exposure to international social systems.

The main educational concepts of the social work program are: outcome-centeredness, value-centeredness, portfolio-centeredness, profession-centeredness, and a discipline-centered approach.

We also offer the program through the general admissions process in a dual-track format, in which students spend at least 22 of the 48 weeks at a partner company. Personalized instruction and practical training are supported by mentoring. Thanks to this collaboration, students gain expertise in human services for the labor market, civil information work, the development of social enterprises and the social economy, as well as youth work.

As part of the practice-oriented curriculum, every student completes group and individual assignments during semesters 1 through 7. The professional internship includes small-group classroom-based personality and skills development, seminars related to research and professional practice, short-term and continuous fieldwork, and a continuous professional internship lasting at least one semester, conducted four days a week for 24 hours per week. The continuous professional internship is organized at a state, municipal, nonprofit, or church-affiliated service or institution engaged in social work with its own direct client base, and is carried out under the supervision of a field instructor. The goal of the practicums is to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to acquire practical competencies, which gives our graduates a significant advantage in the job market. The practice-oriented training takes the form of a dual or cooperative program, which includes not only the mastery of practical models, methods, and techniques but also small-group practice, group fieldwork, and individual and intensive practice.

Can also be completed in a dual format

We first launched the program in a dual format in September 2016, during which students spend at least 22 of the 48 weeks at a partner company. Students who opt for the dual program must choose both a company and a school. Starting in September, admitted students sign an employment contract with the dual program partners and receive a stipend equal to 60 percent of the minimum wage while pursuing their studies.

In the social work program, you can complete your dual training with the following partners:

• Social Services Institution of the Újpest Local Government
• Vésztő Reformed Charity Home

Professional title
listed on the diploma: Social Worker

Opportunities for further study after
earning a bachelor’s degree In our specialized continuing education programs, which provide up-to-date knowledge.

Professional career opportunities after
graduation If you choose the physical and mental health promotion track, you can pursue careers in social service management, including: community social work, family and child care, specialized social services, public interest social work, school and youth social work, and clinical social work; in roles such as: forensic social work, guardianship and child protection, care for people with mental disabilities, health-related social work, care for people with substance use disorders and addictions, care for victims of school violence, and establishing a private social work practice: self-care social work, gerontological social work, hospice and palliative care, and service coordination and client service relations (SSC and BSC service centers).

Career paths include working for nonprofit organizations that provide specialized social services, as well as in rural and urban social work settings: street social work, employment centers, and grant-writing positions at development agencies; and participation in European Union projects.