SWM5170 is not in the 2027 Handbook - Monash may have renumbered or withdrawn it. This is what the 2025 Handbook published; check the 2027 Handbook or your faculty before planning next year.
Units / SWM5170
SWM5170 · Advanced research and policy practice
2025 Handbook12 credit pointsLevel 5Social Work
Overview
Under the guidance of a supervisor, you will develop and implement an independent study on a topic of relevance to social work policy, practice or the profession. This study could involve primary, secondary or tertiary research, and may focus specifically on policy analysis. You will gain skills in gathering data, interrogating it using acceptable analytical processes, and developing informed and defensible conclusions. Through an iterative and collaborative intellectual process with your supervisor, you will create either a written research report, or a ready-for-submission journal article. Successful completion of the unit SWM5112 Research for social work practice and SWM5170 Applied research study at a minimum of Distinction, may permit you to apply for a graduate research program including the PhD at Monash University
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Caulfield | Second semester | Some activities have a choice of on-campus or online teaching activities (FLEXIBLE) |
| Caulfield | Full year | Some activities have a choice of on-campus or online teaching activities (FLEXIBLE) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 - Co-signed revised semester plan, including timeline and goal checkpoints | Exercise | — | Competency |
| 2 | 2 - Supervisory partnership agreement | Artefact | — | Competency |
| 3 | 3 - Documented supervisory meetings | Work integrated | — | Competency |
| 4 | 4 - Oral presentation of research findings | Presentation | 20% | — |
| 5 | 5 - Research report (8000-10000 words) or as a ready-for-submission article | Written | 80% | — |
Requisites
Learning outcomes
- Critique the framing of a chosen social issue in public discourse, as a foundation for your study.
- Implement a study within accepted research and ethical standards.
- Demonstrate skills in the organisation, analysis and interpretation of data according to accepted research standards.
- Synthesise critical arguments in relation to the existing literature about the topic.
- Generate defensible conclusions in respect to the significance of any research findings.
- Effectively manage time and resources in a collaborative manner with a supervisor to achieve pre-determined goals.
- Communicate and defend the study findings, meeting the academic standards associated with a research-informed investigation.
- Appraise your role as a critical and evidence informed practitioner - articulating the relationship between social work interventions, research or policy knowledge, and outcomes for welfare service users
Workload
4 hours of teacher directed study per week, including a 2 hour seminar, each week over Semester 1 and in the final weeks of Semester 2. The remaining hours during semester involve directed readings and class preparation. Over the full year, there is an expected minimum of 12 hours per week of self-directed study.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 12 hours |
Ask about SWM5170
Answered from the Handbook fields above — no AI, no guessing. Every answer links back to the source.
Community discussions about SWM5170
CommunityStudent experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.