School of Social Work - Master of Social Work

The leadership required from social work professionals demands an MSW practitioner who possesses a repertoire of specialized knowledge and skills and whose practice is informed by the values and ethics of the profession. As we enter the 21st century, social workers confront a variety of new challenges, as well as many that have long existed. MSW practitioners, who work with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, are faced with the need to develop innovative interventions in a rapidly changing practice environment. Such new, creative solutions to society's problems will be realized only if social work professionals have had a rigorous and thorough education.

The MSW curriculum, based on a liberal arts perspective, is designed to provide students with a professional education that includes both breadth and depth in knowledge and skill development. The foundation curriculum addresses the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and values that comprise generalist social work practice. Upon this foundation, which is required of all MSW students, rests curricula programs that prepare students for autonomous practice at an advanced level in one of two skill concentrations: Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups and Community Organization and Social Administration (COSA). Each of these concentrations affords students the opportunity to develop in-depth specialized knowledge and skills.

Graduate social work education entails both classroom and agency-based field learning. Both forms of instruction are integral parts of the Master of Social Work Program. Field placements are selected individually and tailored to the student's learning needs. Agency-based instructors, known as field instruction faculty, select, structure, and supervise learning opportunities for the student within the assigned field placement. For regular students, field-based instruction consists of 1,296 hours of structured learning activities in two distinct field placements. Advanced-standing students generally complete 936 hours at a single placement.

MSW Admissions Information

The following section details admissions information particular to applicants to the MSW program.

Admission Requirements

Persons seeking admission to the MSW program must exhibit the leadership potential and professional capabilities essential to function effectively in the profession and must meet minimum academic requirements. A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is required. The applicant's academic record must show the capacity for successful work at the graduate level; a minimum of a B average (3.00 QPA on a 4.00 scale) in all undergraduate work is required. A few exceptions may be made on the basis of extenuating circumstances that might indicate that a student's undergraduate performance is below academic potential. In these situations, students will be admitted to the MSW program on provisional status and will be expected to achieve a minimum QPA of 3.00 during their first term.

In order to ensure that students come to the program with a sufficiently broad academic base, all applicants must have a minimum of 60 undergraduate (or undergraduate plus graduate) credits in the liberal arts: thirty of the credits must be in the social and behavioral sciences, and another thirty credits must be distributed between the humanities and natural sciences. Applicants should have one course in human biology and one in descriptive statistics; these are counted toward the 60 credits of liberal arts. Course credits may be counted from among the following:

The Humanities: English, fine arts, languages, literature, philosophy, religious studies, speech.

Social and Behavioral Sciences: anthropology, Africana studies, child development, economics, geography, history, legal studies, political science, psychology*, social work, sociology, studies in non-Western cultures.

Natural Sciences: biology, computer science, mathematics, psychology*, statistics.

(*Psychology courses may be counted as either natural or social science credits.)

All applications will be reviewed in the Office of the Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs to determine whether or not they have met the liberal arts, human biology, and descriptive statistics requirements.

The review of the academic record will include a computation of the cumulative quality point average (QPA), an identification of areas of significantly high performance, and a notation of the range of social science and other related course work.

Credit hours in undergraduate social work courses are also considered as social sciences. The level of performance in social science courses and particularly in social welfare and/or social work courses will be of specific interest.

Application Procedures

In addition to submitting the school application (as detailed under Admissions), students applying to the MSW program must submit the following:

Reference Letters

The application will need to include four letters of reference from individuals acquainted with the applicant and in a position to evaluate his or her potential for professional practice, including at least one academic reference and a reference from the undergraduate field work or internship supervisor, where appropriate.

Resume

The application will need to include a current resume describing the applicant's educational background, work history, past field or internship experiences, academic honors or distinctions, volunteer experience, and any other relevant life experiences.

Written Statement

A four-part written statement has to accompany the application. In it, the applicant describes life influences that led to selection of a career in social work, special skills and abilities that will help the applicant to benefit from the graduate program, expectations the applicant has from a graduate education, and the applicant's views on a contemporary issue in the field. This statement should be typewritten and should not exceed eight pages.

Transcripts

Applications must be accompanied by a transcript from each college or university attended. If work is still in progress at the time of application, a supplemental transcript can be forwarded at the end of the term. While a decision for acceptance may be made while academic work is still in progress, a final transcript, bearing the official seal of the college or university and indicating the conferral of a baccalaureate degree, will have to be submitted before the applicant can register for course work.

Other Supporting Materials

Any applicant wishing to support the application with results of the Miller Analogies Test, the Graduate Record Examination, or results of any other tests, may do so. Such tests or examinations are not required by the school, and any applicant not wishing to include them will in no way be jeopardized.

Special circumstances may indicate the need for additional supporting materials (references, etc.) to be submitted in support of the application. The school reserves the right to require selected additional materials as it deems appropriate.

Selection of Concentration

Applicants are required to designate one skill concentration chosen from either: COSA (Community Organization and Social Administration) or Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups. The appropriateness of the concentration selection is evaluated on the basis of the applicant's resume and written statement. If the applicant is uncertain about which concentration to select, the matter should be discussed with the Associate Dean of Admissions before an application is submitted.

A change in concentration after matriculation is not advisable. Under no circumstances will a request for a change in concentration be considered any later than after one term of study for full-time students and two terms of study for part-time students. A request for a concentration change is reviewed by the two concentration chairpersons, the MSW program director, and the associate dean for academic affairs.

Admissions Interview

Admissions interviews may be initiated by the admissions officer of the school in some special circumstance. Decisions on applications for admission are usually made without such an interview. All applicants are welcome to seek information-sharing interviews.

Financial Assistance for MSW Students

Financial assistance for MSW students is very limited. A small number of grants (as opposed to loans) are available directly from the School of Social Work and are awarded to full-time graduate MSW students on the basis of financial need. (There are no loan programs available directly from the school.) The school's Financial Aid Application entitles students to consideration for the following grants, which comprise the school's financial aid offerings for the master's program:

School of Social Work Fellowships

Alumni Association Grants

Federal Grants

Foundation Grants

Graduate Student Assistantships (GSAs)

Additionally, the Master of Social Work program has a variety of paid field placements that are available on a very limited basis.

MSW Degree Requirements

The MSW degree requires the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 58 credits — 40 in class work and 18 in field practica — with a minimum QPA of 3.00. Although MSW students must take their required courses for a letter grade, elective courses offered and taken in the graduate program of the School of Social Work may be taken for a letter grade or an H/S/U grade. All graduate field instruction courses shall be taken for S/U grades. No student will be permitted to graduate with a C, F, or U grade in a required course or a U grade in the field practicum.

MSW Academic Standards: Probation

A student is placed on probation when his or her overall QPA falls below 3.00. The academic advisor and program director, in concert with the student, shall determine the time frame in which the student's QPA must be brought up to the level of 3.00. The conditions of the probation and the time frame for removal of the probationary status shall be recorded in the student's folder and in writing to the student.

Should the student fall below the 3.00 average in any one term, or receive a C, F, or U grade in a required course or field work, the academic review process shall be initiated. The student will work with the academic advisor in order to determine how the student might satisfactorily complete the requirements for the program within the appropriate sequencing in the curriculum. Required courses must be retaken.

These policies regarding probationary status in the MSW program do not apply to students admitted with provisional status unless the provisional status has been lifted.

Part-Time MSW Students

Students pursuing a part-time course of study must be prepared to take some courses during the day, and field placement sites that offer evening or weekend instruction are very limited. Part-time students are expected to take their foundation courses (the equivalent of the first Fall Term for full-time students) on a part-time basis during the first year and then begin concentration courses and field instruction, on either a part-time or a full-time basis. Part-time students who have completed 20 credits of course work must begin their first field placement; enrollment in further courses after 20 credits is reached is contingent on the initiation of the field placement. Part-time students doing field instruction must complete a minimum of 16 clock hours each week, with at least eight of those hours done during the regular work day of the agency. Students will also be expected to make arrangements with employers and other involved individuals to take their field instruction at a site and with a supervisor other than those of their current employer. In order to earn their MSW degree in four years, all part-time students must recognize that they will need to enroll for a minimum of two courses per term in two of the three terms during the academic year. The following options are acceptable:

1. Two courses (two or more credits per course) or
2. One course (two or more credits) plus a minimum of three field credits or
3. A minimum of five field credits (equivalent to two courses)

Advanced Standing and Exemptions for MSW Course Work

Students entering the MSW program may be granted Advanced Standing, which is defined as the awarding of academic credit toward a degree, if within seven calendar years prior to beginning the master's program they received a degree from an accredited undergraduate social work program or they completed their first full year of master's-level work at an accredited graduate social work program. In addition, students who have completed other post-graduate course work may be eligible for an Exemption, which is defined as the waiving of a required academic course in the School of Social Work following an evaluation finding that the student's previous work is essentially identical to the required course being waived. Such an exemption would not, however, reduce the number of credits required for graduation. Unless the applicant has completed a full year of graduate social work education at an accredited program, the maximum number of transfer credits accepted is 12 for course work and five for field work.

Organization of the MSW Curriculum

The MSW program entails both class and field requirements distributed across foundation and skills concentration curricula. The MSW foundation curriculum is the same for all MSW degree students. All students must complete the school's designated class and field requirements for one of two skills concentrations: Community Organization and Social Administration (COSA) or Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups.

A change in concentration after matriculation is not advisable. (See Selection of Concentration for further details on changing concentrations.)

Foundation Curriculum

With guidance from the Curriculum Policy Statement of the Council on Social Work Education, the school's Mission Statement, and the Statement of Objectives of the MSW program, the school designed the foundation curriculum to provide all incoming master's students with the basic values, knowledge, and skills needed for generalist social work practice. The acquisition of the basic value orientation, theoretical knowledge, and frames of reference for practice establishes a basis for students to progress through the advanced and specialized curricula of the master's program. All MSW students must complete the MSW Foundation requirements listed below before being permitted to take concentration courses; second-level human behavior and the social environment, social welfare, or research courses; electives; and concentration field practicum, unless they are exempted via Advanced Standing credit, testing, or academic plan that is approved by the advisor and the program director.

The foundation requirements (20 credits total) are:

Concentration Curricula

The objectives of the curricula for the two skills concentrations are to prepare students for autonomous social work practice at an advanced level of specialization. Building on the foundation curriculum, the concentrations contribute to students' understanding of individuals, families, groups, communities, and institutions. The concentrations also foster students' understanding of the health, education, and social welfare systems in which they and their designated constituencies will be mutually engaged. Both concentrations promote the acquisition of an advanced level of knowledge and skills relevant to their particular practice areas.

The educational objectives, curricular requirements, and options for the two skills concentrations are listed below:

Community Organization and Social Administration (COSA) Concentration

With the merger of community organization and social administration into a single concentration (COSA), the program in community practice was formed. Drawing upon the history of each of these former concentrations - the program in community organization was the first of its kind in the nation, and the program in social administration was among the first to be formed — COSA presents a distinctive educational opportunity. Emphasizing the preparation of graduates for leadership in the human services, students should expect a stimulating intellectual curriculum. For students seeking executive careers as managers, administrators, organizers, policy makers, and public officials, COSA presents exciting innovations in class and field education. Seeking to expand the paradigm of social work practice, COSA invites students to direct their respective educational interests to either private, public, or nonprofit sector careers. Positions in business, government, health care, developmental disabilities, conservation and environment introduce a vast array of organizational and community settings available to COSA graduates. Students who wish to emphasize community organizations - the mobilization of people and assets of a community toward realization of their self-determined goals - will find ample opportunity afforded by COSA's curriculum. Among these many functions, organizers work to empower people so that they can identify their strengths and resources and build on them through planning and self-directed action to achieve their goals. The opportunity to engage in economic development and human services organizing is also available to students.

COSA offers a parallel option for those students inclined toward a career in social administration. Graduates have commonly accepted positions as agency executives, program managers, legislation aides, educators, and policy analysts. Students who aspire to positions that direct the energies and resources of complex organizations to the benefit of the human condition will find COSA's options of interest.

Beginning with the Fall 2000 Term, COSA students may select from a wide array of courses made available by further implementation of the community practice curriculum. Students should confer with their advisors to insure proper course selection as changes in required and elective courses occur throughout COSA's implementation.

In the past, students were restricted to either the community organization curriculum or the social administration curriculum. COSA will eventually allow them to select from both, thereby allowing for a broader, more diversified curriculum. COSA will offer students the opportunity to emphasize either community organization, social administration, or (preferably) both as their curriculum design. New students in Fall 2000 will have the following curriculum option:

Curriculum (Academic Year 2000-2001)

COSA Specializations

COSA students may tailor their education to prepare for specific fields of practice by selecting certain combinations of courses and field placement experiences. Students can specialize in one of two different practice areas: human services organizing or community economic development organizing. Students are not required to specialize, but those who choose to do so must declare a specialization no later than the end of the first term of study. All specialization courses may not be available during evening hours. Students who do not complete all the specified courses for a specialization are not penalized.

Outlined below are the aims and curriculum requirements of the two COSA specializations.

Specialization in Human Services Organizing

The organization of the human services often reflects the need for greater cooperation and coordination among diverse, specialized services. Increasingly, providers have discovered the advantages of working in partnership to meet today's human service needs. This specialization prepares social workers to organize both within and between service providers on issues of service delivery, coordination, cooperative program development, funding collaboration, and coalition building.

The sequence of courses blends the skills of generalist practice with those of administration, planning, and community organization. MSW students enrolled in this specialization must meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, including those required for their COSA concentration. They may include selections from the following for 12 credits:

SWCOSA 2014 Management Seminar in Developmental Disabilities

SWCOSA 2040 Grant Proposal Writing

SWCOSA 2054 Executive Leadership

SWCOSA 2057 Governance, Boards, and Committees

SWCOSA 2085 Financial Management of Non-Profit Institutions (or PIA 2104)

SWCOSA 2090 Bargaining and Negotiation

SWCOSA 2094 Human Services Organizing

Specialization in Community Economic Development Organizing

Community-based economic development has become a major strategy for urban neighborhoods, industrial communities, and even for older suburbs throughout the nation. A new kind of community organization is the "community development corporation," of which there are numerous examples in the Pittsburgh region and thousands nationwide. There is a growing shortage, however, of the special kind of multi-skilled professional required for this complex work. Especially scarce are professionals with competence in both grass roots decision-making and economic activities such as housing development and enterprise start-up and expansion.

The sequence of courses for this specialization combines economic development perspectives with the planning, organizing, management, policy, and financial management skills of the COSA concentration. MSW students who select this specialization are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. In addition to these requirements, students must complete 12 credits from the following courses:

SWCOSA 2096 Community Economic Development Organizing

SWCOSA 2098 Advanced Community Economic Development Organizing

Electives (student chooses electives with advisor consent)

COSA Certification Program

MSW students in the COSA concentration may elect as part of their graduate studies to obtain a certificate. This certificate program, which is a School of Social Work certificate and therefore will not appear on the transcript, entails specific "packages" of courses and field placement experiences that permit students to tailor their education to prepare for specific fields of practice. The Human Services Management certificate is available for students in the COSA concentration. Students are not required to pursue a certificate program, but those who choose to do so must declare their intention to do so no later than the end of the first term of study.

Human Services Management Certification (School of Social Work Certificate)

The certification in Human Services Management supplements the Master of Social Work degree for COSA students aspiring to positions in management. In a professional market that has become increasingly attractive to graduates of other professions, the certification in Human Services Management signals the unique preparation and competence of social work graduates.

The Human Services Management Certification is based upon an extended prescription of class and internship options. The requirements include:

Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups Concentration

The Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups concentration equips students with advanced intervention skills needed for autonomous practice. Course work and field practica prepare students for direct practice with socio-culturally diverse populations of individuals, families, and groups. Practice approaches include psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and social systemic, and span the range of modalities from therapeutic core training, to family and marital therapy, to group treatment. Direct practice skills form the basis of service in family and children's agencies, mental health and mental retardation programs, health services, adult services, and substance abuse treatment. Consistent with an emphasis on client strengths, students become skilled at mobilizing a variety of formal and informal support systems to assist clients in addressing their needs and in realizing their fullest human potential.

Students must take second-level human behavior, policy analysis, and social work research courses that have content specific to direct practice. Two direct practice skills courses are required along with two skills electives. Thirteen credit hours of concentration field practicum must be completed; the first three of these credits are completed in the latter portion of the first-year field practicum. The second-year practicum is offered for 10 credits.

Below are the curriculum requirements for the basic direct practice program.

Direct Practice Skill Electives:

Students must take two direct practice skill elective courses (four to six credits). A wide range of skill elective courses are offered that allow students to gain advanced skills in particular intervention methods and/or with specific client populations.

Free Electives

The remaining four to six course credits needed to complete the required minimum of 40 course credits can be satisfied through social work courses or courses with relevant content from other academic graduate departments.

Field Requirements (18 credits)

Direct Practice Specializations

Direct practice students may tailor their education to prepare for specific fields of practice by selecting certain combinations of human behavior, policy analysis, elective skills courses, and field placement experiences. Students can specialize in one of three different practice areas: children, youth, and families; health; or mental health. Students are not required to specialize, but those who choose to do so must declare a specialization no later than the end of the first term of study. All specialization courses may not be available during evening hours. Students who do not complete all the specified courses for a specialization are not penalized.

Outlined below are the aims and curriculum requirements of the three Direct Practice Specializations.

Specialization in Children, Youth, and Families

Children and youth can be vulnerable for a number of reasons. For some children, family experiences can be harmful, parents can be non-supportive or punitive, or family life can be chaotic or unresponsive to their needs. However, for most children and youth who are at risk for developmental delay or emotional difficulties, environmental and social forces may play a major role in their disabling situations. Families experiencing ongoing poverty may find it difficult to meet basic needs of members, despite exceptional efforts to do so. Parents rearing children in an oppressive society may find it impossible to protect their children from the impact of discrimination. This specialization prepares MSW students to work with children, youth, and families who are experiencing, or who are vulnerable to experiencing, poverty, racial oppression, or other forms of discrimination or maltreatment. The Children, Youth, and Families Specialization considers a range of service needs—from prevention to remediation.

The sequence of courses provides the knowledge and skills needed by social workers to implement appropriate interventions, to conduct and assess relevant research, and to develop effective policies and programs. MSW students selecting this specialization are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, including those required for the Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups concentration. Thus, in addition to the required Models of Intervention (2082) and Advanced Direct Practice (2031, 2032, or 2033) courses, students' advanced knowledge and skills are further developed with the following courses:

Appropriate elective courses are Direct Practice with Children; Social Work in Educational Settings; Family Violence; Child Sexual Abuse; Child Physical Abuse;Child and Family Advocacy; and Social Work with Drug & Alcohol Abuse.

Field Education: The first field placement (eight credits) must include three credits focused on direct practice and the second placement (10 credits) is completed in a children, youth, and families setting.

Specialization in Health Care

The specialization in health care prepares students for advanced practice at various levels of responsibility and leadership within a complex field of practice. The health care scene is characterized by rapid, erratic changes and future uncertainties. These conditions require modification and expansion of traditional medical social work practice roles and skills. Social workers for the health care field need to be prepared for practice flexibility involving employment in non-traditional settings under new and different auspices involving different sources of funding. While the curriculum for Health Care Specialization stresses the need for non-traditional practice strategies and skills, it strongly promotes the traditional value of quality health care accessible to all.

The sequence of courses provides the knowledge and skills needed by social workers to help people maintain good health, prevent or minimize illness, and manage the psychodynamic components of illness. MSW students selecting this specialization are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, including those required for the Direct Practice concentration. Thus, in addition to the required Models of Intervention (2082) and Advanced Direct Practice (2031, 2032, or 2033) courses, students' advanced knowledge and skills are further developed with the following courses:

Appropriate elective courses are Short-term Treatment, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Human Sexuality, Direct Practice with Elderly, Death and Dying.

Field Education: The first field placement (eight credits) must include three credits focused on direct practice, and the second placement (10 credits) is completed in a health care setting.

Specialization in Mental Health

The specialization in mental health prepares students to be independent clinicians and practitioners in a variety of mental health settings such as psychiatric facilities, counseling centers, family and children's social service agencies, community mental health programs, and private practice. Recent changes in mental health interventions and delivery systems are thoroughly examined.

The sequence of courses builds on both a systems and generalist foundation and offers students advanced knowledge of and techniques in empirically supported briefer interventions that are often employed in managed care environments. These include cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and systems-based approaches. MSW students selecting this specialization are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, including those required for the Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups concentration. Thus, in addition to the required Models of Intervention (2082) and Advanced Direct Practice (2031, 2032, or 2033) courses, students' advanced knowledge and skills are further developed with the following courses:

Appropriate electives are: Family Violence, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Advanced Direct Practice with Families, Short-Term Treatment, Advanced Direct Practice with Groups, Human Sexuality, and Advanced Clinical Practice with Individuals.

Field Education: The first field placement (eight credits) must include three credits focused on direct practice, and the second placement (10 credits) is completed in a mental health setting.

Direct Practice Certificate Programs

MSW students may elect as part of their graduate studies to obtain one of four certificates. These certificate programs entail specific "packages" of courses and field placement experiences that permit students to tailor their education to prepare for specific fields of practice.

Certificates designated as University of Pittsburgh certificates (i.e. Gerontology) will appear on the student's official University transcript; certificates designated here as School of Social Work certificates do not appear on the transcript. Students are not required to pursue a certificate program, but those who choose to do so must declare their intention to do so no later than the end of the first term of study. All certificate courses may not be available during evening hours. Students who do not complete all the specified courses for a certificate are not penalized.

Outlined below are the aims and curriculum requirements of the three Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups certificate programs.

Gerontology Certificate (University of Pittsburgh Certificate)

The certificate program in aging, offered by the School of Social Work, has been in place since 1980 and continues to attract an increasing number of Direct Practice MSW students. The program's goals are to enhance students' understanding of the aging process and to provide them with the skills relevant to practice with and on behalf of the elderly. Knowing how to work with the elderly as a social work professional offers many career opportunities in an era where that segment of the population is steadily increasing.

MSW students enrolled in the program are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, including those required for the Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups concentration. Thus, in addition to the required Models of Intervention (2082) and Advanced Direct Practice (2031, 2032, or 2033) courses, students pursuing the Gerontology Certificate complete the following courses:

Field Education: For students pursuing this certificate, the first field placement (eight credits) must include three credits focused on direct practice and the second placement (10 credits) is completed in the area of aging.

Home and School Visitor Certification (PA Department of Education Certificate)

This certificate, which is offered by the PA Department of Education, enhances the professional competence of all Home and School Visitors (school social workers) engaged in the provision of vital services in public and private elementary and secondary schools. The course credit hours (27 credits) required for the certificate are distributed between classes offered primarily by the School of Social Work and those in the School of Education. Students must also complete a 10-credit field placement in an educational setting under the direct supervision of an MSW graduate who has two years' post-master's experience and Home and School Visitor/School of Social Work certification. MSW students enrolled in the program are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, including those required for the Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups concentration. Thus, in addition to the required Models of Intervention (2082) and Advanced Direct Practice (2031, 2032, or 2033) courses, students pursuing Home and School Visitor Certification complete the following courses:

Courses listed above from the School of Education—law, learning, and special education—are taken as the three elective courses.

Field Education: The first field placement (eight credits) must include three credits focused on direct practice, and the second placement (10 credits) is completed in a school setting.

Child Welfare Certification (School of Social Work Certificate)

Child welfare is both one of the oldest forms of professional social work practice and one of the largest arenas of current practice. Public child welfare agencies exist by federal law in every county in the United States. However, child welfare activities are not the province of government agencies only; private agencies play important roles as service providers, service coordinators, and advocates. Positions abound in protective services (child abuse and neglect), foster care,
adoptions, group and residential care, out-patient separation and attachment treatment programs, parenting programs, family preservation and support programs, child custody and family court settings, hospitals, head start programs, and many other such settings.

MSW students enrolled in this program are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, including those required for the Direct Practice concentration. Thus, in addition to the required Models of Intervention (2082) and Advanced Direct Practice (2031, 2032, or 2033) courses, students pursuing the Child Welfare Certification complete the following two courses:

Electives: Two elective courses (five-six credits) must be taken from an extensive menu of child and family courses, including Home-Centered Intervention; Foster Care and Adoption; Residential Treatment; Social Work Practice with African American Families; Child Physical Abuse; Child Sexual Abuse; Family Violence; Child and Family Advocacy; Social Work with Drug and Alcohol Abuse; Direct Practice with Children.

Field Education: The first field placement (eight credits) must include three credits focused on direct practice, and the second placement (10 credits) is completed in a public or private agency serving at-risk children and families.

MSW Courses