College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Department of Social Work
358 Trafton Science Center N
507-389-6504
The Master of Social Work (MSW) curriculum has been carefully developed based upon our mission, goals, and objectives. Our MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), thus we give particular attention to the requirements set forth by the CSWE, as well as the perceived needs of graduate students and the requirements of our institution. Students are required to proceed through the curriculum as it is sequenced below. The MSW program is based upon a full-time graduate credit load and does not have a part-time option.
Students in the Traditional (TR) MSW program are required to complete 60 credits spread over two calendar years. During the first year students complete 11 credits in fall and spring semesters and 8 credits in the summer semesters. During the concentration year students complete 8 required credits in the fall, 11 credits in the spring, and 8 credits in the final summer semester. In addition students must complete 3 elective credit hours, typically taken during one of the summer semesters or fall semester of the concentration year. The TR program includes 40 credit-hours of classes and two 10-credit field education placements in a supervised practicum. The first and second year practicum each run from January to July.
Students in the Advanced Standing (AS) MSW program are required to complete 33 credits spread over one calendar year, beginning with a 3-credit seminar in the summer, followed by 8 required credits in the fall, 11 credits in the spring, and 8 credits in the final summer semester. In addition students must complete 3 elective credit hours, typically taken during one of the summer semesters or fall semester. The AS program includes 23 credit hours of classes and one 10-credit field education placement in a supervised practicum. The practicum runs from January to July.
| Students admitted to the Traditional (TR) MSW program complete 59 credit hours of coursework and practicum to earn the degree. The TR MSW program is completed in 6 semesters (fall, spring, summer, fall, spring, summer). Students admitted to the Advanced Standing (AS) MSW program complete 34 credit hours to earn the MSW degree. The AS MSW program is completed in 4 semesters (summer, fall, spring, summer). Foundation Year Required courses are: SOWK 601, 603, 605, 609, 611, 615, 625, 629. Only students admitted to the Traditional (2-year) MSW program are required to complete these courses. SOWK 650 is taken only by students in the Advanced Standing version of the MSW program. SOWK 650 is a required course for Advanced Standing students. All MSW students (Traditional and Advanced Standing) are required to take SOWK 651, 655, 660, 661, 663, 665, 669, 675, 679. Students work with their Academic Advisor on the MSW Capstone Project. Students register for 1 credit hour of SOWK 679 spring semester and 1 credit hour of SOWK 679 summer semester. The MSW Casptone Project is completed at the concentration year practicum agency. | |||||
| SOWK 601 | Foundations of Generalist Social Work Practice | 3 | |||
| SOWK 603 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment | 3 | |||
| SOWK 605 | Social Welfare Policy and Services | 3 | |||
| SOWK 609 | Culturally Responsive Communication in Social Work Practice | 3 | |||
| SOWK 611 | Macro Social Work Theory and Practice | 3 | |||
| SOWK 615 | Foundation Practicum and Seminar I | 5 | |||
| SOWK 625 | Foundation Practicum and Seminar II | 5 | |||
| SOWK 629 | Foundations of Applied Social Work Research | 3 | |||
| SOWK 650 | Advanced Standing Preparation Seminar | 3 | |||
| SOWK 651 | Advanced Social Work Practice with Individuals | 3 | |||
| SOWK 655 | Social Welfare Policy Practice | 3 | |||
| SOWK 660 | Advanced Social Work Practice with Couples and Families | 3 | |||
| SOWK 661 | Social Work Program Planning & Administration | 3 | |||
| SOWK 663 | Advanced Social Work Practice with Groups | 3 | |||
| SOWK 665 | Advanced Practicum and Seminar I | 4 | |||
| SOWK 669 | Advanced Social Work Evaluation | 3 | |||
| SOWK 675 | Advanced Practicum and Seminar II | 4 | |||
| SOWK 679 | MSW Capstone Project | 2 | |||
Unrestricted Electives |
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| Students must complete 3 credit hours of elective from the approved elective list or students may propose a substitute elective requiring approved by the MSW Program Director or MSW Academic Advisor. | |||||
| CSP 647 | Crisis Intervention Strategies | 3 | |||
| CSP 648 | Counseling in a Multicultural Society | 3 | |||
| CSP 650 | Child and Adolescent Counseling Techniques | 3 | |||
| CSP 652 | Counseling Through the Family Life Cycle | 3 | |||
| CSP 654 | Play Therapy Theories and Techniques | 3 | |||
| ETHN 650 | Helping Across Cultures | 3 | |||
| ETHN 660 | Cross-Cultural Training and Diversity Management | 3 | |||
| GERO 600 | Gerontology Theory and Practice | 3 | |||
| MBA 642 | Management of Human Resources | 2 | |||
| MBA 651 | Managing Behavior in a Changing World | 2 | |||
| MBA 665 | Leadership | 2 | |||
| MBA 667 | Organizational Development and Change | 2 | |||
| NPL 673 | Nonprofit Management and Leadership | 3 | |||
| POL 628 | Seminar: Public Management | 3 | |||
| POL 662 | Human Resource Management | 3 | |||
| PSYC 533 | Child Psychology | 4 | |||
| PSYC 536 | Adolescent Psychology | 4 | |||
| PSYC 555 | Abnormal Psychology | 4 | |||
| PSYC 576 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 4 | |||
| SOC 517 | Program Administration | 3 | |||
| SOC 566 | Program Planning | 3 | |||
| SOWK 515 | Child-Family Welfare Services | 3 | |||
| SOWK 519 | Social Work and Aging | 3 | |||
| SOWK 522 | Social Work and Chemical Dependency | 3 | |||
| SOWK 525 | Social Work Health Care Setting | 3 | |||
| SOWK 527 | Social Work and Domestic Violence | 3 | |||
| SOWK 532 | Social Work and Disabilities | 3 | |||
| URBS 553 | Grants Administration | 3 | |||
| URBS 602 | Planning Process | 3 | |||
SOWK 512 (3) Social Welfare Issues & Policies
This course provides exploration of the interrelatedness of social services, social policy formation and analysis, and social work practice. This course may not be considered as an elective for MSW students.
SOWK 515 (3) Child-Family Welfare Services
This course examines social services designed to facilitate child development and family functioning, including child protection, foster care, adoption, family preservation.
SOWK 519 (3) Social Work and Aging
This course examines issues, resources, and processes in working with the elderly and their families in the social service system.
SOWK 520 (3) Women’s Issues in Social Work
This course explores women’s concerns as clients and workers in the social service system.
SOWK 522 (3) Social Work and Chemical Dependency
This course is designed to provide upper level students with a comprehensive introduction to the epidemiology, etiology, history, policy, and treatment modalities of substance abuse from a person-in-environment and systems theory social work perspective.
SOWK 525 (3) Social Work Health Care Setting
This course examines social service delivery issues and skills for working in hospitals, nursing homes, and community health programs.
SOWK 527 (3) Social Work and Domestic Violence
The overall goal of this course is to enable students to understand the rationale for and application of a variety of intervention strategies for the prevention and intervention of domestic violence.
SOWK 529 (3) Introduction to Specialized Instructional Support
This course introduces students to the work of specialized instructional support personnel, who enhance the capacity of every student to learn. Emphasis will be placed on multidisciplinary collaboration that promotes student well-being and supportive school environments.
SOWK 530 (3) Social Work in the School Setting
This course examines service delivery issues, knowledge and skills for providing social services within school settings.
SOWK 532 (3) Social Work and Disabilities
This course focuses on service delivery issues and skills, using a strengths-based, family systems, and empowerment approach for working with individuals with developmental and other disabilities and their families across the life span. Students hoping to do a practicum in a disability services setting should complete this course prior to beginning the practicum.
SOWK 565 (3) Analyzing the Small Community
Community study, application of research techniques; student-conducted research and analysis using a community setting. This course may not be considered as an elective for MSW students.
SOWK 569 (3) Applied Social Work Research
This course examines research issues and techniques typically used in social science research, including needs assessment, program evaluation, and practice evaluation. This course may not be considered as an elective for MSW students.
SOWK 577 (5-10) School Social Work Internship and Seminar
This course provides students with the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills acquired in the school social work certificate program in a school-environment. In seminar students clarify and integrate theoretical and school-specific curriculum content with experiences.
SOWK 585 (1-6) Selected Topics
Topics announced when offered.
SOWK 590 (1-3) Workshop
SOWK 601 (3) Foundations of Generalist Social Work Practice
This foundation social work course focuses on direct generalist practice with individuals, families, and groups; emphasizing the history, knowledge, skills, values, and ethics of the social work profession and the principles that promote social and economic justice, and human well-being.
SOWK 603 (3) Human Behavior in the Social Environment
This course focuses on theories and knowledge which guide social work practice, emphasizing systems theory, person-in-environment perspective, strengths perspective, and oppression theory. Students also examine theories of individual and family development across the lifespan.
SOWK 605 (3) Social Welfare Policy and Services
The course provides students with an overview of the historical and contemporary social services system and an exploration of the interconnectedness between social welfare policies, social services and social work practice, with an emphasis on oppressed populations.
SOWK 609 (3) Culturally Responsive Communication in Social Work Practice
This foundation course provides students with the knowledge and skills for effective interpersonal communication and interviewing, with emphasis on the application of effective communication with diverse populations. Students develop self-awareness and understand implications of their values across diversity domains.
SOWK 611 Macro Social Work Theory and Practice
This course provides students foundation knowledge, theories, values and skills for generalist social work practice with task groups, organizations and communities. The course emphasizes community level practice, focusing on theories and strategies for community assessment, community development, and community change.
SOWK 615 (5) Foundation Practicum and Seminar I
Foundation Practicum and Seminar I provide students with the opportunity to integrate social work theory and practice knowledge, values, and skills through direct practice with individual clients, families, groups, agencies, and communities.
SOWK 625 (5) Foundation Practicum and Seminar II
Foundation Practicum and Seminar II is a continuation of SOWK 615. Students integrate social work theory and practice knowledge, values, and skills through direct practice with individual clients, families, groups, agencies, and communities.
SOWK 629 (3) Foundations of Applied Social Work Research
This course enables students to understand the rationale for and application of quantitative and qualitative research techniques commonly used in generalist social work practice. Students will become more skilled at reading and critically evaluating research studies, including studies that are designed to empirically test theory, as well as in conducting independent research. Students will understand how issues of diversity are applicable to conducting and evaluating research and to engaging in effective, culturally competent social work practice. Students will also recognize the values, ethical issues, and social and economic justice issues that underlie research with an emphasis on social work research.
SOWK 650 (3) Advanced Standing Preparation Seminar
This seminar helps students admitted to the Advanced Standing MSW program refine their professional self-identity as generalist social workers and reviews foundation curriculum content to ensure that students are ready for the concentration year of the advanced generalist MSW program.
SOWK 651 (3) Advanced Social Work Practice with Individuals
This course provides students with advanced generalist theories, knowledge, values, and skills for competent, ethical and evidence-based direct social work practice with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
SOWK 655 (3) Social Welfare Policy Practice
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge, values and skills to engage in macro level advanced policy practice in organizations and communities in order to promote social and economic justice. This course will focus on policy issues relevant to rural and small communities.
SOWK 660 (3) Advanced Social Work Practice with Couples and Families
This course provides students with advanced generalist theories, knowledge, values, and skills for evidence-based practice with couples and families. Students will develop, analyze, and apply advanced knowledge and skills in the assessment and application of interventions with couples and families.
SOWK 661 (3) Social Work Planning and Administration
This course provides students with advanced generalist practice knowledge, values and skills for administrative social work practice. Students develop knowledge and skills in personnel management, grant writing, resource development, budgeting, leadership, and other aspect of administering effective social service agencies.
SOWK 663 (3) Advanced Social Work Practice with Groups
This course provides students with advanced generalist theories, knowledge, values, and skills for evidence-based practice with treatment groups. Students will develop, analyze, and apply advanced knowledge and skills in the assessment and application of interventions with treatment groups.
SOWK 665 (4) Advanced Practicum and Seminar I
Advanced Practicum and Seminar I provides students with the opportunity to integrate foundation and concentration social work theory and practice knowledge, values, and skills through direct practice with individual clients, families, groups, agencies, and communities.
SOWK 669 (3) Advanced Social Work Evaluation
This course provides students with advanced generalist knowledge, values, and skills for both direct social work practice evaluation and program evaluation. Students develop and implement a ÒcapstoneÓ integrative evaluation project in conjunction with SOWK 675 Advanced Practicum and Seminar II.
SOWK 675 (4) Advanced Practicum and Seminar II
Advanced Practicum and Seminar II is a continuation of SOWK 665. Students integrate foundation and concentration social work theory and practice knowledge, values, and skills through direct practice with individuals, families, groups, agencies, and communities.
SOWK 677 (1-3) Individual Study
Under faculty mentorship, students may pursue in-depth library or field research on topics of their choice.
SOWK 679 (1) MSW Capstone Project
SOWK 694 (2) Alternate Plan Paper
Individual research.
Prerequisite: grad school approval
SOWK 697 (1-10) Internship: Social Work
Internship in approved social agency.
