Masters in Social Work (MSW)

Co-requisites: MSW 510, MSW 520, MSW 523, and MSW 540. Focus on individual and family life span. Examine individual and family development in the context of social, political, historical, and cultural variables. Individual and family behavior is examined for its unique expressions of strength and abilities in the course of achieving psychosocial, cognitive, moral, and spiritual developmental tasks.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 510, MSW 520, MSW 523, and MSW 540. Co-requisites: MSW 511, MSW 521, MSW 530, and MSW 541. HBSE II, the second of two companion courses, examines the interrelationships among social institutions, social structure and social processes, on the one hand, and the realities of the lives of individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations and societies, on the other.

Offered Spring

Co-requisites: MSW 500, MSW 520, MSW 523 and MSW 540. The structure, functions and components of US social welfare policy are identified and critically analyzed to reveal its scope, reach and limitations; current and historically successful approaches and tools to improve policies, increase social justice and reduce inequalities are reviewed.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 510, MSW 520, MSW 523 and MSW 540. Co-requisites: MSW 510, MSW 511, MSW 530 and MSW 541. Preparation to engage in policy practices advancing social and economic well-being of individuals, families, organizations and administrative and legal aspects of policy provisions and advancing social justice.

Offered Spring, Summer

Co-requisites: MSW 500, MSW 510, MSW 523, and MSW 540. Focuses on theories, models, and interventions of generalist social work practice when working with individuals and families. Emphasis is placed on effective and equitable multicultural and contextual service delivery and interventions with poor, vulnerable and oppressed populations.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 510, MSW 520, MSW 523, and MSW 540. Co-requisites: MSW 501, MSW 511, MSW 530, and MSW 541. Focuses on theories, models and principles for generic social work practice with groups, communities and organizations. Emphasis is placed on effective and equitable multicultural and contextual service directory and interventions with poor, vulnerable and oppressed populations.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 501, MSW 510, MSW 511, MSW 520, MSW 521, MSW 530, MSW 540 and MSW 541 are required. Examines theories, principles and practices of family counseling, the life cycle and role of counselor in promoting change in families, utilizing CRT and Intersectionality. Ethical, legal and other professional issues related to family counseling will be covered. Restricted to Majors.

Offered Fall

In-depth overview of Critical Race studies (CRS) in social work fields. Examination of the causes and symptoms of structural racism and social/racial hierarchies in underserved communities. Analysis of the history and development of CRS' application to practice issues. Restricted to MSW Program.

Offered Fall

Co-requisites: MSW 500, MSW 510, MSW 520 and MSW 540. Critical assessment and mastery of research methodologies to systematically evaluate one's own social work practices, focusing on those used to evaluate published research studies, assess service and program delivery, and participate in conducting research as a professional social worker.

Offered Fall

Required Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 501, MSW 510, MSW 511, MSW 520, MSW 521, MSW 524, MSW 530, MSW 540, MSW 541. Community-based participatory action (CPAR) research skills and knowledge are acquired and applied to a topic relevant to a social work organization to generate a collaborative research proposal with a client participation component.

Offered Fall

Co-requisites: MSW 500, MSW 510, MSW 520, and MSW 523. Supervised agency experience designed to develop generalist practice skills in working with individuals, families, groups and communities with emphasis on cross cultural practice. Two hours weekly seminar and 16 hours in agency placement. CR/NC grading.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 510, MSW 520, MSW 523, and MSW 540. Co-requisites: MSW 501, MSW 511, MSW 521, and MSW 530. Supervised agency experience designed to apply the knowledge, skills and values learned in MSW 520 and MSW 521 and activities of MSW 540. Two hours of seminar and 16 hours in agency placement. CR/NC grading.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: Completion of foundation year courses. Corequisite: MSW 570 and MSW 581. This course provides in depth overview of Social Work from a Community Practice perspective. It highlights contextual models of practice with communities as well as developmental, organizing, and planning approaches that are applicable to diverse populations. It will examine skills used by social workers to conduct culturally competent interventions.

Offered Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: Advanced year status and declaration of Community Capacity Building as specialization. Corequisite: MSW 570. Community Capacity Building's growing influence on social policies and achievements improving the well-being of individuals and families in poor urban neighborhoods are described and analyzed to prepare professional social workers to advance social, economic and environmental justice.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: Completion of foundation year courses. Corequisite: MSW 570. Theory and practice with ethnically, racially, religiously diverse populations utilizing a multidimensional, cross-cultural framework and case materials to analyze treatment issues and empowerment strategies.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: MSW 510, MSW 520, MSW 521, MSW 550, MSW 540, MSW 541, MSW 550, MSW 570. Corequisite: MSW 571. Introduces the concepts and theories involved in leadership, administration and management of a human services organization. Leadership styles will be examined, paying close attention to those who recognize diverse cultural styles and incorporate contextually competent approaches to administration.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: Advancement to Candidacy and completion of foundation year courses. Co-requisites: MSW 550, MSW 553, MSW 570 and MSW 598. Provides students with an advanced understanding of key issues, concepts and of key issues, concepts and skills associated with policy analysis and development of policy alternatives and political action on behalf of children, youth and families.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: Advancement to Candidacy and completion of foundation year courses. Co-requisites: MSW 550, MSW 553, MSW 570 and MSW 598. Community mental health policies, programs, services and initiatives identified and critically assessed for quality, utilization, social justice considerations, and social work impact, using specialized policy analyses, professional activities and political actions focusing on populations-at-risk within and across affiliated organizations.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: Completion of foundation year courses. Co-requisites: MSW 550 or MSW 551. Continued supervised agency experience at an advanced level in both direct and administrative program development areas within the student's area of concentration, with an emphasis on cross-cultural practice. One hour weekly seminar and 20 hours in agency placement. CR/NC grading.

Offered Fall

Prerequisites: Completion of foundation year courses and MSW 550 or MSW 551, MSW 553, MSW 570, and MSW 598. Corequisite: MSW 555. Continued supervised agency experience at an advanced level in both direct and administrative program development areas within the student's area of concentration, with an emphasis on cross-cultural practice. One hour weekly seminar and 20 hours in agency placement. CR/NC grading.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite(s): MSW 521 and MSW 570. This course facilitates students' acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to effectively use 12 common trauma-informed practice elements in interventions and the treatment of traumatized children and their families. The course conceptualizes a trajectory of invention that considers the impact of trauma, intervention objectives, and the practice elements needed to facilitate the intervention objectives. This course is taught using an inquiry-based learning (IBL) pedagogy to enhance students' engagement and learning using full-length cases to exemplify a range of different clients a clinician might encounter.

Offered Spring, Summer

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 501, MSW 510, MSW 511, MSW 520, MSW 521, MSW 524, MSW 530, MSW 540, and MSW 541 are required. Examines advanced social work practice in health care settings with persons of varying ages and advanced social work practice with older adults.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 501, MSW 510, MSW 511, MSW 520, MSW 521, MSW 524, MSW 530, MSW 540, and MSW 541 are required. Provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop the fundamental components of a grant proposal to include needs assessment, program planning and development, abstract, background and significance, goals and objectives, project design and methods, evaluation, sustainability, outreach/marketing plan, budget and justification. Students will develop skills in researching and locating private and public funding opportunities.

Offered Spring

Prerequisites: MSW 500, MSW 501, MSW 510, MSW 511, MSW 520, MSW 521, MSW 540, and MSW 541 are required. Examines strategies or engaging and empowering young people, with an emphasis on approaches in urban, racially segregated, and economically disinvested areas. Draws upon best practices from grassroots organizing, civic engagement, youth development, and child welfare.

Offered Spring

Prerequisite: Advancement to candidacy. Identifies and critically analyzes a broad range of welfare issues related to children, youth and families, such as child maltreatment, poverty, race, gender, sexual orientation, and gang violence, focusing on contributing factors, recent research, policies and treatment modalities.

Offered Fall

Prerequisite: Advanced year status and declaration of Community Capacity Building as Specialization. Co-requisites: MSW 550 and MSW 570. Focus is on the collaboration, assessment, implantation and evaluations of various strategies utilized to build capacity within communities. Students will apply the tenets of Asset and Social development to support/aid in the development of families, neighborhoods and communities.

Offered Fall

Prerequisite: Advancement to candidacy. Examines mental health from a community perspective. Cast in the context of the recovery model, theoretical perspectives examine assessment, treatment planning and approached to recovery and wellness. Critical Race Theory, cultural implications and outcomes will be examined.

Offered Fall

Prerequisite: Completion of all foundation-level MSW courses including Foundation Year field practicum. Students integrate mastery across course work and showcases key learning experiences and social work competencies. CR/NC grading.

Offered Spring

Restricted to majors. Overview of assessment for contextually and culturally competent social work practice using the DSM 5. A principle goal is to address, from a social justice standpoint, issues of social hierarchies and power in the use of diagnosis of mental health disorders.

Offered Summer

Independent pursuit of a topic or project which is proposed by the student. Study must be interdisciplinary and must be approved, in advance, by faculty member supervising study. Repeatable course. Non-repeatable.

Offered As needed

Advanced course of special interest for Social Work graduate students. Topic and content will vary as announced.

Offered As needed

Prerequisite: Advancement to candidacy and consent of program coordinator. Co-requisites: MSW 551 or MSW 551, MSW 553, MSW 560 or MSW 561, and MSW 570. Extensive research on a subject related to the student's area of concentration under the guidance of a faculty member. Designed to prepare students for the Project, Thesis or their Comprehensive Examination. CR/NC grading.

Offered Fall

Prerequisite: Completion of all foundation-level MSW courses, including Foundation Year field practicum. Thesis option requires the student to design, implement, analyze and write up a formal research paper about an investigation into a topic relevant to the social work profession, which includes flexibility in terms of creativity and methodology. CR/NC grading

Offered Spring

Students who have completed their course work but not their directed project may maintain continuous enrollment by registering for this course with permission of the program coordinator.

Offered Infrequent