Social Work (MSW)
Social work is a profession concerned and involved with the interactions between people and the institutions of society that affect the ability of people to accomplish life tasks, realize aspirations and values, and alleviate distress. The professional social worker focuses on a variety of social systems and their effect on the person: individual, family, other groups, community, organizations, and society. The primary goals of the MSW Program are:
- to prepare social work practitioners to engage in micro, mezzo, and macro level practice with diverse populations;
- to equip students with leadership skills to meet the needs of multicultural communities and act as leaders focused on empowering historically, socially, and economically disadvantaged and oppressed groups;
- to enhance students' critical thinking and evaluation skills so they are prepared to act as change agents who critically examine social welfare concerns, policies, and interventions; and,
- to prepare students to engage ethically and professionally with clients and colleagues, as well as within practice settings and broader society.
The most essential activity of the Master of Social Work major is the integration of knowledge, values, skills, and techniques in the service of the client system. The art and science of social work require that students develop competencies in the knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, social policy and systems, research and direct practice. The curriculum is structured to achieve a balance in these areas. USF's MSW program offers two specializations that students choose between.
Specialization: Advanced Generalist Practice
The Advanced Generalist Practice area of specialization prepares graduates to serve countless diverse populations and work in a variety of settings, including but not limited to working in the following areas: older adults, child welfare, criminal justice, developmental disabilities, domestic violence, forensics, health care, immigration, international, mental health, and substance use. Moreover, students who select the Advanced Generalist Practice area of specialization are equipped to not only address problems and intervene with advanced proficiency at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels, but to understand and appreciate the interrelationship between these levels and the strength they hold when applied in concert to target a specific issue.
Field education lies at the core of the MSW program curriculum. It is in the field that students integrate their generalist practice knowledge, solidify and strengthen their skills, and give evidence of these capabilities in their work with clients, professionals, and community members. Throughout the two-semester Field Practicum and Seminar III and IV, (SWRK 603, 614) students complete 600 hours and develop advanced generalist practice skills in diverse social service agency settings and receive personalized in-classroom supervision via Field Seminar course. These advanced courses deepen and enhance the student’s previous skill set while allowing the student to concentrate on particular areas of practice through an advanced practicum placement.
All of the advanced generalist competencies are assessed within the constructs of the advanced field practicum year, and students must give evidence of performance at an acceptable level in all ten areas to successfully complete the requirements. Choice of field practicum sites is based on determination of a site’s ability to provide students with sufficient and relevant opportunities to demonstrate accomplishment around these objective outcomes.
Specialization: School Social Work
What is School Social Work? School social work is a specialized area of practice within the broad field of the social work profession. School social workers bring unique knowledge and skills to the school system and the student’s services team. In particular, School Social Workers are trained in mental health concerns, behavioral concerns, positive behavioral support, academic and classroom support, consultation with teachers, parents, and administrators as well as with individual and group counseling techniques. School social workers are instrumental in furthering the mission of the schools, which is to provide a setting for teaching, learning, and for the attainment of competence and confidence. School social workers are hired by school districts to enhance the district’s ability to meet its academic mission, especially where home, school, and community collaboration is the key to achieving student success. Their unique knowledge of the interdisciplinary approach to team work has been an effective tool in assessing the individual group and organizational needs in primary and secondary settings. The school social worker contributes extensively to the development of programs that address the needs of students defined as high risk and experiencing a variety of problems including emotional disorders, abuse, neglect, discrimination, and other factors that contribute to poor attendance and limited academic success.
The School Social Work Specialization, at the University of St. Francis, per the Illinois State Board of Education guidelines, prepares students to for school social work practice in the state of Illinois only.
Each candidate for licensure shall have completed both a supervised field experience of at least 400 contact hours, supervised by a field instructor holding a master’s or higher degree in social work, and a school social work internship of at least 600 contact hours in a school setting or have one year of professional experience as a school social worker or a valid, comparable out-of-state school social work certificate or license that allows the holder to work as a school social worker in that state’s public schools, or an Illinois educator license with stipulations for provisional educator with a school support personnel endorsement for school social worker.
The Program does not grant social work course credit for life or previous work experience.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Social Work degree requires students to complete 62 credit hours of course work. This includes specified credit hours per week of supervised fieldwork in the first year, followed by specified credit hours per week of supervised fieldwork in the second year, plus related integrated seminars. These practicum experiences will provide the required total hours of supervised practice experience in selected social service agencies. Two-year, full-time students can expect to complete the requirements for the degree in two calendar years. Two-year students are also expected to complete the undergraduate courses for Statistics and Human Biology that are required before taking the generalist courses for Research and Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Full-time standing students should anticipate one (1) calendar year for completion. Part-time students can expect to complete the requirements for the degree in three to four calendar years. Part-time advanced standing students should anticipate two calendar years for completion. Change in status (from part-time to full-time or vice versa) is permitted. The maximum number of credit hours transferable is six.
Advanced Standing
Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE accredited program may be eligible for advanced standing. The advanced standing program currently consists of 32 credit hours of course work. Only select students are required to take 6 hours of bridging courses. The bridge courses are only required of advanced standing students with a GPA of less than 2.75, or BSW course work of more than seven years old. There are also 4 credit hours of fieldwork over two semesters with related integrated seminars required. This program requires one academic year of study for advanced standing students and two years for students from non-accredited programs. Transfer students will not be admitted to advanced standing program.
Major Program (62-65 credit hours)
The first 30 credit hours of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program constitute the Generalist level of the MSW degree. The Generalist level courses contain content and learning experiences that all MSW graduates need for competent, generalist social work practice.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Prerequisites | ||
| Human Biology (4) | ||
| Introduction to Statistics (3) | ||
| Foundation Courses | 30 | |
| Social Work Generalist Practice I (3) | ||
| Human Behavior and Social Environment I (3) | ||
| Social Work Policy: Analysis/Practice (3) | ||
| Research Methods for Social Work (3) | ||
| Field Practicum and Seminar I (3) | ||
| Social Work General Practice II (3) | ||
| Human Behavior & Social Environment II (3) | ||
| Field Practice/Seminar II (3) | ||
| Social Policies II: Ethics Social Welfare (3) | ||
| Women's Issues and Feminist Practice (3) | ||
| MSW Core Requirements | ||
| SWRK 603 | Field Practice Integrative Seminar III | 4 |
| SWRK 604 | Ethical Issues in Contemporary Social Work | 3 |
| SWRK 605 | Comparative Theories/Object Relations In Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWRK 613 | Advanced Research Methods | 3 |
| SWRK 614 | Field Practicum/Seminar IV | 4 |
| SWRK 615 | Cross-Cultural Practice Systems | 3 |
| Specializations | ||
| Select one of the following: | 12-15 | |
| Total Hours | 62-65 | |
Advanced Generalist Specialization
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWRK 601 | Social Work Advanced Generalist Practice I | 3 |
| SWRK 616 | Social Work Advanced Generalist Practice II | 3 |
| Select two of the following electives: | 6 | |
| Domestic Violence (3) | ||
| Substance Abuse and Treatment (3) | ||
| Practical and Political Issues in Child Abuse (3) | ||
| Crisis Intervention (3) | ||
| Spirituality/Franciscan Ideals (3) | ||
| Social Work Practice with Older Adults (3) | ||
| Psychopathology (3) | ||
| Topics (3) | ||
| Independent Study (1-5) | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
School Social Work Specialization
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSED 638 | Supporting Multilingual Learners in the Inclusive Classroom | 1 |
| MSED 756 | Methods of Teaching Literacy and Content Area Literacy for School Personnel | 3 |
| SWRK 670 | School Social Work with the Exceptional Child | 3 |
| SWRK 671 | School Social Work Practice and Policy I | 3 |
| SWRK 672 | School Social Work Practice and Policy II | 3 |
| Total Hours | 13 | |