social work

The M.S.W. (Master of social work), or M.Soc.Sc with social work (specific to UCD as far as I know) are both essential qualifications for entering professional social work (either the MSW or MSocSc). A bachelor of social science degree (BSocSc) is the typical route, with social policy as a major component. Graduates of the BSocSc are eligable to proceed directly to the 2 year MSW, after which they will be professionally recognised (assuming all required standards for admission and progression are met throughout).

If you graduate with a BA you will need to complete a H.Dip in social policy, but there are other less formal ways to go about it (depending on circumstance). If you have sufficient experience in relevent areas of social work (voluntary, youth, community, etc) you may be admitted to an MSW on interview, holding an undergraduate BA. If you go the BA route then subjects such as sociology would be of use. The interviews are usually quite competitive, and from experience, they tend to favour those with experience outside of academia if applications exceed the quota.

There are other options for that line of work, counselling and youth/community work higher diplomas which are usually 1 year and admit from BA. But short answer, B.Soc.Sc is the place to start if you're serious about it. All NUI offer them, UCD and UCC offer the social policy H.Dip, and as far as i know only UCC so far offers the MSW (open to corrections, it may have changed).

Hope this helps! (I was in the same situation a few years back)