QUERY CUE
Good prospects for social work professionals
I am in final year of Mechanical Engineering. I want to do post graduation in Social Work. Please tell me about the institutes offering the course. What are the career prospects for social work professionals?
Priyanka D
Society is a complex set up that requires professionally trained people to deal with the various challenges it poses. The domain is vast and includes welfare of marginalised groups like children, women, tribal people and the disabled, issues related to livelihood, health, housing, education and medical facilities and ways to deal with factors like crime and disaster that impede development. The scope of social work as a profession is manifold.
Till a few years ago, most of the people were unaware of the vocational aspects of social work or did not embrace it as a good career option. But the pace at which India is undergoing transition has led to increase of imbalances in the society, creating newer areas of concern and complicating some existing issues. With even the business organisations taking up social work as a part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, the career prospects of social work professionals have increased. Non-profit organisations set up by the business houses, government organisations, research organisations and NGOs are where social work professionals can seek employment. Apart from these, they fit into several roles in fields of healthcare, education and media. Social work is now a challenging and lucrative career option. And what more, it gives the satisfaction of serving the society and leaving your mark by making a difference to it.
Some organisations that have been actively taking part in social work activities include Jamnalal Bajaj Seva Trust, Ratan Tata Trust, Sri Dorabjee Tata Trust, Indian Red Cross Society, Child Relief and You. The study of social work encompasses subjects like sociology, psychology, economics, education and biology. Students learn to apply their knowledge in these areas, to execute programmes aimed at welfare and development of society. Several institutes across the country offer courses in social work, from Bachelor’s to Ph.D levels. Most of these institutes have made significant contributions to research in several areas under social work and also allied fields like social sciences, human resource management and healthcare systems. They even contributed to important developmental projects involving policy framing and programme formulation in collaboration with NGOs, Central and State government organisations, business houses and international bodies.
Some institutes offering the courses in social work are: Tata Institute of Social Sciences, offers Certificate, BA (Hons), MA, M.Phil and Ph.D in Social Work. The eligibility criterion for MA is a bachelor’s degree in any discipline. The admission is based on marks obtained in qualifying examination and performance at entrance examination, GD and interview. For details, log on to www.tiss.edu
Jamia Milia Islamia offers BA (Hons) and MA in Social Work. The institute provides two specialisations, social welfare and social development in MA. For details, log on to www.jmi.nic.in
Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore offers Master of Social Work. The eligibility criterion is graduation in any discipline. For details, log on to www.b-u.ac.in
Some more institutes offering master’s degree are:
Karve Institute of Social Service ( www.karve-institute.org)
University of Delhi ( www.du.ac.in)
Andhra University (www.andhra
university.info)
Alagappa University (www.alagappa
university.ac.in)
Karnataka University ( www.kud.ernet.in)
Annamalai University (http://annamalai
university.ac.in)
You can also take up this course in distance mode.
T. Muralidharan
TMI Network
(Queries for this column can be sent to collegian@thehindu.co.in)
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Education Plus
