Master of Social Work Program

The Master of Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

The mission of the Master of Social Work program is to prepare students for advanced professional practice in direct service and in the development and implementation of social welfare policies and programs.  The graduate program also lays the foundation for students to assume leadership roles in society's institutions, organizations, and communities.  The curriculum is predicated on a belief in an egalitarian, humane, and just social order for all individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Building on a liberal arts foundation, the curriculum is organized in accordance with the principles of the Advanced Generalist perspective, which affirms that human problems derive from a complex interplay of psychological, social, cultural, economic, political, biological and physical forces.  Through a careful blending of coursework and field experience, students grow both personally and professionally as they acquire skills in: relationship building, assessment, problem solving, intervention, cultural competency, communication, collaboration, community building, program evaluation, organizational management, policy analysis, and research.  Thus, graduates of the program are able to draw on a range of theories and methods to practice at multi-systematic levels and are also prepared to engage in grassroots and political organizing as well as electoral politics.

The school requires all students to complete a series of foundation courses that introduce the profession's history and its basic values, ethics and processes.  The advance courses expand students' competence in the use of multi-level assessment, intervention and evaluation modalities with diverse client systems.  Themes of oppression, empowerment, social and political action and civic participation are incorporated into all courses.  Furthermore, the curriculum addresses issues of social work values and ethics in every course, in response to the NASW Code of Ethics, the changing nature of American culture, and new societal and environmental demands on the practitioner.

At the core of the program is recognition of the necessity to prepare students to be culturally competent practitioners in an increasingly complex, global society.  This occurs not only in the classroom but also in the field practicum, which incorporates the knowledge of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, both here and abroad, gained in the classroom into real-world experiences.  Over three consecutive semesters, students are exposed to a variety of opportunities to work directly with diverse cultural, class and ethnic groups and populations-at-risk, locally, in other parts of the United States and internationally, in a carefully selected professional learning environment, under the guidance and supervision of faculty and agency staff.