Master of Social Work - Advanced Standing
Advanced Standing Degree Option
The Advanced Standing degree option may be selected if a student has earned a baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and meets other admission criteria. If admitted, the full-time student can complete the MSW degree in 10 months or 30 credit hours of graduate work.
Curriculum Content
The program offers two areas of specialized practice. Students acquire advanced practice skills and knowledge in each specialization that builds on the standard curriculum. Two areas of practice define the program’s specializations: Clinical Practice and Community Practice. Students complete the Advanced Internship in a setting that allows them the opportunity to prepare for practice in these areas. Students are expected to expand their learning further through the use of electives.
Each area of specialized practice consists of a combination of courses taken exclusively with others in the specialization. In addition, students in all specializations take Organizational Leadership & Management, Social Work Practice & Advocacy with Children & Families, or Health Practice & Policy. All students enroll in a Capstone course. These combined courses allow students an opportunity to learn from each other and gain exposure to other areas of specialized practice.
Students must have completed all standard requirements before enrolling in the advanced social work practice courses. These courses are designed to provide an intensive experience of applying learning in the standard curriculum and advanced practice methods and principles in the specialization to actual practice situations. Students will learn the skills for advanced practice in their specialization, assess their practice, and establish ongoing professional development.
Students follow a concurrent format for internship and will enroll both semesters in a two-hour seminar course while also completing 16-20 hours weekly for a minimum of 225-275 hours in the fall, and 20-24 hours weekly for a minimum of 275-325 hours in the Spring, for a minimum total of 550 hours across the two semesters. Students must have completed all other pre- or co-requisite coursework before enrolling in the Advanced Internship. Advanced Internship consists of social work preparatory practice in a setting appropriate to the student’s specialization.
During the final week of this semester, students engage in a capstone experience, during which they present a practice-oriented workshop to colleagues and professional social workers, including a faculty evaluator.
Brief Description of Master of Social Work Areas of Specialized Practice
Clinical Practice
The clinical practice specialization prepares students for advanced, direct practice with individuals, families, and groups in various clinical settings. Students learn to apply evidence-based practice theories and methods of intervention that reflect a person-environment orientation and a strengths perspective. Specific philosophical frameworks include humanism, positivism, and evidence-based methods. The program is based on the development of an eclectic method that offers the opportunity to investigate more specific practice models. Some examples include cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, narrative approaches, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), structural family therapy, therapeutic use of play, and dialectical behavior therapy. Assessment tools and techniques, especially focusing on DSM-5, are critical to the program.
Community Practice
The community practice specialization prepares students for advanced practice with public and/or nonprofit organizations, neighborhoods, communities, congregations, and religiously affiliated agencies. Students learn a variety of professional community practice models that serve to strengthen and enrich communities in local and global settings. Communities can be defined as geographic (e.g., neighborhoods) and relational (e.g., ethnic communities). The central models are rooted in professional literature and research, and they include advanced skills in community development, community organizing, and community planning.
The advanced model of development is asset-based community development, which recognizes community struggles but responds most centrally to community assets. Asset mapping is a key skill learned when studying this model.
The advanced model of organizing is consensus-based. Consensual organizing is rooted in consensus-building rather than building on potential conflict. Negotiation and facilitation are key skills learned with regard to this model.
The advanced model of planning is emergent-based. While most planning requires a rational approach to planning (e.g., the logic model), the emergent model allows for greater flexibility and adaptability when working in diverse contexts. Engagement of stakeholders is a key skill here.
MSW Degree: Part-Time Degree Option
Students may choose to take fewer courses each semester because of life circumstances and extend their time in the program accordingly. Since courses are designed to build on one another, and all courses are not offered every semester, students should seek consultation from the MSW Program Manager in planning their individual program of study. All Practicum Education courses must be completed in the standard fall-spring sequence.
Course Requirements: Clinical Practice
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | 13-16 | |
| SWO 5V80 | Advanced Special Topics 1 | 1 |
| SWO 5338 | Clinical Diagnosis in Social Work | 3 |
| SWO 5370 | Clinical Social Work Practice I | 3 |
| SWO 5382 | Clinical Evaluation for Practice Improvement | 3 |
| SWO 5323 | Organizational Leadership & Management (Fall Semester/Spring Semester) 2 | 3 |
| or SWO 5377 | Social Work Practice & Advocacy with Children & Families | |
| or SWO 5376 | Health Practice & Policy | |
| SWO 5494 | Part I Advanced Internship | 4 |
| Spring Semester | 13-16 | |
| SWO 5380 | Clinical Social Work Practice II | 3 |
| SWO 5490 | Part II Advanced Internship | 4 |
| SWO 5376 | Health Practice & Policy (Fall Semester/Spring Semester) 2 | 3 |
| or SWO 5323 | Organizational Leadership & Management | |
| or SWO 5377 | Social Work Practice & Advocacy with Children & Families | |
| SWO 5395 | Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| Total | 30 | |
- 1
This course is a 1-hour course titled Introduction to Graduate Studies; students must choose 1 hour for the course when registering.
- 2
Must choose only one of these courses in either the fall or spring semesters, but you may take another one of these three courses as your required elective. Please consult with the MSW Program Manager to verify course offerings.
Electives: 3 hours (not included in the above plan)
Three (3) hours of Special Topics courses/seminars (SWO 4V80 Special Topics, SWO 5V80 Advanced Special Topics, SWO 5V70 Independent Study in Social Work) and/or other courses as approved by the MSW Program Director may be taken to fulfill the elective requirement for standard and advanced standing degree students. The elective requirement for the Standard and Advanced Standing Students is 3 hours. Electives may be taken in the standard year but are recommended in the advanced year.
Course Requirements: Community Practice
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | 13-16 | |
| SWO 5V80 | Advanced Special Topics 1 | 1 |
| SWO 5335 | Theoretical Frameworks for Community Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWO 5375 | Community Social Work Practice I | 3 |
| SWO 5384 | Program Evaluation for Practice Improvement | 3 |
| SWO 5323 | Organizational Leadership & Management (Fall Semester/Spring Semester) 2 | 3 |
| or SWO 5377 | Social Work Practice & Advocacy with Children & Families | |
| or SWO 5376 | Health Practice & Policy | |
| SWO 5494 | Part I Advanced Internship | 4 |
| Spring | 13-16 | |
| SWO 5378 | Community Social Work Practice II | 3 |
| SWO 5376 | Health Practice & Policy (Fall Semester/Spring Semester) 2 | 3 |
| or SWO 5323 | Organizational Leadership & Management | |
| or SWO 5377 | Social Work Practice & Advocacy with Children & Families | |
| SWO 5490 | Part II Advanced Internship | 4 |
| SWO 5395 | Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| Total | 30 | |
- 1
This course is a 1-hour course titled Introduction to Graduate Studies; students must choose 1 hour for the course when registering.
- 2
Must choose only one of these courses in either the fall or spring semesters, but you may take another one of these three courses as your required elective. Please consult with the MSW Program Manager to verify course offerings.
Electives: 3 hours (not included in the above plan)
Three (3) hours of Special Topics courses/seminars (SWO 4V80 Special Topics, SWO 5V80 Advanced Special Topics, SWO 5V70 Independent Study in Social Work) and/or other courses as approved by the MSW Program Director may be taken to fulfill the elective requirement for standard and advanced standing degree students. The elective requirement for the Standard and Advanced Standing Students is 3 hours. Electives may be taken in the standard year but are recommended in the advanced year.