In our degree programme in Social Management, spanning five semesters, you will learn the differentiated skills required to manage social work institutions. After completing the degree programme, you will be able to apply economic and organisational strategies, taking into account the special features of social work institutions. You will recognise, analyse and tackle structuring and managerial tasks at different hierarchy levels. In the process, you will always consider the tasks from the economic, legal, social policy, personnel and organisational perspective. You will also have skills that cut across these areas of management: systematic assessment skills (evaluation), conveying facts and preparing them for specific target groups (communication/presentation/chairing) as well as dealing with digitalisation processes (digitalisation in the social sector).

After completing the degree programme, you will have the qualifications required to apply for management positions and positions with an executive role in social work organisations. You will also be qualified to pursue a doctorate at a university.

The time structure of our degree programme will enable you to easily combine study and work with family life. Around 70% of teaching is designed for distance learning. The remaining 30% of the time will be spent on-site at Münster University of Applied Sciences. Your distance learning will involve working on the teaching materials we provide you with – correspondence units. You will also participate in online-based methods of teaching and read academic literature to prepare yourself for face-to-face seminars and exams. On-campus seminars are held every Friday from 14:00 to around 21:00 and every Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00. Five weekend blocks are held in the first two semesters; there are three in the third and fourth semesters. Two four-day seminar blocks are additionally held during the week at the start of the third and the fourth semester.

With regard to content, the study programme is divided into the areas that are important for reflective management in social work organisations: in the first two semesters, you will take modules on Evaluation, Social Policy and Sustainable Development, Digitalisation in the Social Sector, Business Administration and Organisational Analysis. In the third and fourth semesters, you will attend courses on Quality Management in the Social Sector, Law  as well as courses involving leadership and human resources management. You will also take a module on the thematic issues concerning communication, presentation and leading discussions. Finally, you will write your Master’s thesis and attend the associated colloquium in the fifth semester. In one overarching module spanning all semesters - Practical Reflection on Management Action - the course content will be applied to the institution that employs you throughout the entire degree programme. This ability to link theory to practical experience is a key element of the degree programme.

Please contact us if the study workload is hard to reconcile with the time you have available for your private or professional life. In exceptional cases, it may be possible to postpone individual modules and to complete the programme over the course of six or seven semesters. We will be happy to advise you.

Our part-time degree programme is pursued while working, enabling you to put your knowledge into practice, and to reflect on it; you will be expected to vice versa incorporate and make use of your professional experience in the programme. The Practical Reflection on Management Behaviour in Social Work Institutions module, held throughout the degree programme, will give you the opportunity to address issues and problems from your everyday working environment. You will also have the option to utilise topics from your professional experience as the topic for research papers and your Master’s thesis.

Another advantage of our degree programme is that you will be working in small set groups with a maximum of 25 students. This facilitates productive cooperation, leading to a culture of debate and mutual support within the group.