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PhD in Social Work

Baylor's Social Work PhD program is designed to develop  leaders  and  educators  who can lead visionary social work education or service programs and conduct original research addressing the complex social issues of our world. The program provides a distinctive focus on the  integration of religion and faith  with the ethics, values and practices of the social work profession.

Click the yellow Apply Now but at right to begin your application.

Baylor University is an NC-SARA approved institution.

What can you do with a PhD in Social Work?

Graduates from the social work PhD program are uniquely prepared to: • Serve in academic research and teaching posts in social work programs • Provide leadership in government and private agency contexts around the world

Program Format

Baylor's online PhD in social work is primarily taught in a synchronous video classroom that utilizes high-definition technology to connect students and the instructor in real-time. Classes are conducted much as they would be on campus, except the students are able to participate from anywhere in the world.

Learn more about the Program of Study . 

Program Requirements

Admission to the PhD program is a highly selective process. The admissions committee selects up to seven students every other year that have:

• Clear interest in developing theory, policy, and research skills in a substantive area relevant to the field of social work
• A superior academic record in all previous work
• The maturity, intellectual ability, and readiness for doctoral study

Explore admissions requirements at how to apply .

What was your first impression of the Garland School of Social Work?

Online  - the information is clear and robust. The chairs were easy to communicate with and faculty was available to answer any questions. In person  - I cannot give enough positive feedback about my experience at the Garland School of Social Work. The staff and faculty were warm, interested, and invested in us individually and as a cohort from the moment we walked in. I felt known. I felt spurred on in my research interests. I felt heard by every person I encountered. I left feeling connected to my educational goals, the university, the school of social work, my cohort, and the faculty. —Dr. Brianna Garrison, PhD '21

• Diana R. Garland School of Social Work

811 Washington Ave. Waco, TX 76701

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PhD Program

Join the next generation of social work leaders and scholars..

Welcome to admissions for the PhD in Social Work program in Social Work at Boston University! Building upon BU School of Social Work’s robust commitment to social justice  and empowerment of historically marginalized populations, our doctoral program provides training in the theory, research methods, and values of the social work profession necessary to solve urgent human and societal problems.

Our students’ work  reflects the interdisciplinary nature of our program and individualized course of study. Interested in learning more? Explore our curriculum  and funding package . Ready to apply? Read about the admissions process , familiarize yourself with the deadline , then start your online application !

The application period for Fall 2025 entry to the PhD in Social Work program is open now!

START YOUR APPLICATION

For further information about the PhD program, request information below or contact Lyndsey Browning, Program Coordinator of the PhD Program in Social Work, at [email protected] .

University of Michigan School of Social Work

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PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare

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Social work phd programs.

The University of Michigan School of Social Work offers two distinct doctoral program options to meet the educational and training needs of emerging social work scholars.

The School of Social Work is thrilled to announce a new addition to our doctoral program. The PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare is designed for students who already have their Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and are looking for a career focused on social justice, equity, and rigorous research. The PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare provides a transdisciplinary approach to identifying and studying societal problems for the purpose of proposing and developing solutions.  The focus on societal interventions and solving problems is core to the new PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare at the University of Michigan.

The School of Social Work offers the only Joint PhD program in Social Work and Social Science in the United States. The Joint PhD program in Social Work and Social Science has a long and illustrious history of trailblazing and producing extraordinary scholars. The Joint PhD program pairs education and training in social work with disciplinary training in anthropology, psychology, or sociology.  Joint PhD students become deep disciplinary experts who use the knowledge and skills of both their fields to examine societal problems through transdisciplinary research. 

Students in both the PhD in Social Work and the Joint Program will take some core coursework together, further increasing the diversity of knowledge and perspectives of our PhD students.

What Program is Right for You?

Phd in social work and social welfare, joint phd program in social work and social science.

Faculty with rigorous, diverse research areas that span key domains of social work practice and policy including children and families, health and mental health, educational, economic, and racial, and health disparities, and power, privilege, and oppression.

Top-ranked faculty in social work, anthropology, psychology, and sociology who carry out research across a wide array of domains to create a robust transdisciplinary culture for understanding and addressing serious worldwide problems.

Curriculum includes social work theory, methods, and statistical analysis courses, as well as specialized electives focused on services, intervention, and social change.

Curriculum includes theory, methods, and statistical analysis courses in one of three social sciences (anthropology, psychology or sociology).

The PhD Program in Social Work and Social Welfare provides all incoming doctoral students with a multi-year funding package that includes tuition, stipends, and health care during the school year and summers.

The Joint Program in Social Work and Social Science provides all incoming doctoral students with a multi-year funding package that includes tuition, stipends, and health care during the school year and summers.

Two semesters of teaching in the school of social work.

Two semesters in social work and four semesters in the selected social science.

Approximately 4 to 5 years.

Approximately 6 to 7 years.

Develop social work scholars and educators who are prepared for careers in academic, research, and policy settings.

Develop scholars and educators who are prepared for careers in academic, research, and policy settings in either social work or in their social science of choice.

Ready to Move Forward?

Contact our PhD office to learn more about our PhD program and application process.

Related My SSW Sections

• Joint PhD Program »

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PhD Office 1080 South University Room B660 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106

Phone: (734) 763-5768 Email: [email protected]

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• Phone 1 (734) 764-3309 Fax 1 (734) 936-1961
• Email MSW [email protected] CE [email protected] PhD [email protected]

University of Michigan School of Social Work 1080 South University Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106

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Doctoral Admissions

The application for admission to the 2025-2026 academic year will open on September 15.

The University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has been a leader in social work and social welfare scholarship since we helped establish social work as a field of scholarly inquiry in 1908 and our doctoral program in 1920. The University itself is home to six graduate and professional schools, offering Crown Family School doctoral students extraordinary opportunities for cross-disciplinary study and research.

The Doctoral Program is flexibly structured so that students can pursue a curriculum matched to their individual interests. The Crown Family School is at the forefront of schools of social work that emphasize the role of social science theory and rigorous empirical methods in guiding the investigation of social problems and interventions. In consultation with a faculty advisor, each student develops a program of study that includes two years of coursework, a qualifying examination, a publishable pre-dissertation research project, and a dissertation thesis. Doctoral students also have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty in their research and to serve as teaching assistants or instructors.

The Doctoral Program at the Crown Family School is a PhD program for people who want to have a career in research and teaching. We do not offer a DSW or provide specific clinical training for practitioners beyond the master's level. We also do not have a part-time doctoral program.

Each year the Admissions Office receives about 100 applications, and we expect to enroll approximately 5-7 students.

Financial Supports

All students entering the Doctoral Program are offered a financial aid package that includes a stipend, full tuition, health insurance, and fees. A variety of financial resources are available to doctoral students to support travel to conferences and methods training. Many Crown Family School doctoral students receive additional funding through outside training and fellowship programs.

Doctoral Fellowship Opportunities

Crown Family School students have been very successful in obtaining competitive fellowships such as the Illinois Consortium for Educational Opportunity Program Fellowships, Fahs-Beck dissertation fellowships, and the Center for Gender Studies dissertation awards.

IES Pre-Doctoral Training Program in Education Sciences    The Committee on Education offers a fellowship opportunity for incoming doctoral students in the social sciences, the Harris School of Public Policy or the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice with an interest in education research, funded by a federal grant from the Institute of Education Sciences.  This program allows fellows to join an interdisciplinary cohort of students who follow a common program of courses, workshops, and a 2-year research apprenticeship while they are earning a PhD in their respective discipline. Accepted fellows receive a five-year package of support that includes a full tuition waiver and a generous stipend of $34,000 annually, as well as access to additional funds to support travel and education-related research. Learn more about this program at:  https://voices.uchicago.edu/coed/about-ies-2/  

Email the Office of Admissions .

Admissions Home   Application Requirements   Financial Aid

The Crown Family School is so special because it gives you access to much more than a classroom.

• PhD Admissions

Doctoral Program Admissions

Application to the PhD program requires admission to both UT Austin Graduate School and the Steve Hicks School. A single online application is needed. Admission to the PhD program is competitive. We encourage early application.

In this Section

• MSSW Admissions
• BSW Admissions

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We welcome applications from all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religious affiliation, age, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or ability. We consider these aspects during admission: human services motivation, academic potential, interpersonal effectiveness, capacity for sustained effort, and communication skills.

• Before you apply
• Requirements
• Online Application
• After you apply
• Info Sessions

Let us help you decide if our doctoral program is the right fit for you:

• Learn more about the Steve Hicks School.
• Request a PhD in Social Work Program information packet.
• Browse the PhD Program pages on this website.
• Contact program faculty to express interest in working with them and to learn more about their work. See the list of faculty accepting students for Fall 2025 here.
• See facts and figures about Steve Hicks School doctoral students.
• Learn more about UT Austin by visiting the Graduate School pages.
• Visit Texas One Stop to find information about tuition rates, cost of attendance, financial aid and more.
• Visit the admissions page of the Graduate School to find specific application information for graduate students.
• Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator with questions or to schedule a visit, [email protected]

Minimum requirements

• Master’s degree from accredited school of social work or related field with extensive experience in human services.
• GPA of 3.00 or above in upper-division (junior and senior) courses and in any completed graduate work.
• Minimum grade of B on a college or above statistics course. Research methods courses do not fulfill this requirement.
• International applicants from countries with primary language other than English: scores for TOEFL (minimum of 100, 25 in each section preferred) and TSE, or TOEFL-iBT. We do not accept IELTS.
• Show capacity for advanced academic work and potential for scholarship.
• Demonstrate excellent writing and analytic skills, show evidence of research interests and capabilities.
• The GRE score requirement is waived for the Fall 2023-2024 application cycle.

Online Application Guide

The deadline to submit all application materials is the 3 rd  Friday in November. Applicant files not complete by this deadline will not be reviewed.

All applicants are notified electronically of admission decisions as soon as they are finalized. You will be notified if you are admitted, denied, or on a wait list. We strive for a cohort of approximately six PhD students per year. Please visit this Graduate School’s page for more information.

Come to one of our PhD information meetings and learn about the program and the admission process. All meetings are in Central Time and last 90 minutes.

• Please sign up for the info session you want to attend by clicking on the RSVP link below.
• The RSVPs close 1 hour before each information session.
• Please direct any questions about the info sessions to the PhD Graduate Coordinator, Monica Urso .

Upcoming Meetings

More to explore

Working at the steve hicks school.

As a PhD student, you can work at the Steve Hicks School as a research assistant, teaching assistant and assistant instructor.

Financial resources

Explore financial resources at UT Austin and the Steve Hicks School.

Research institutes

Led by social work faculty, these research institutes advance interdisciplinary, scientifically rigorous social and behavioral research.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

College of social work.

PhD Program Admissions Information

University of tennessee, knoxville application & admission.

Students must apply to, and be accepted to, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as well as the College of Social Work. A description of admission requirements for graduate admission to the University of Tennessee can be obtained below. Students must also have an MSW/MSSW degree in order to pursue our PhD program.

Explore The PhD Program

Application deadline.

The application for fall 2025 admission is currently available.  The priority deadline for submitting an application is November 1st. The final deadline is December 1 st . These deadlines apply to both domestic and international applicants.

College of Social Work Admission Requirements

The PhD Program is designed for students who have earned a Master’s degree from an accredited school of social work and have post-master’s social work/social welfare practice experience. Applicants who do not meet these requirements will need to achieve equivalent credentials as specified by the PhD Admission Committee.

The Application Process

• Graduate School online application
• * $60.00 application fee (paid online at the time of your application submission)
• Official transcripts of all previous academic work. Scanned versions of official transcripts of all prior undergraduate and graduate coursework must be uploaded with the online application. If you have attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville your UT transcripts will already be on file. If you do not upload your transcript(s) with your application, you must have your official transcript(s) mailed directly from the institution(s) to the Graduate Admissions office. Please keep in mind that doing this will delay the processing of your application.
• Employment history (resume or vita)
• Why are you interested in getting a PhD in social work specifically at UTK?
• What are your career goals and how will obtaining a PhD enhance them?
• People with research-based PhDs typically seek employment in academic or research-oriented settings. Are you interested in obtaining a faculty position? If not, what type of job are you seeking? What regions or location do you see yourself living and working after graduation?
• A PhD is a research-based degree where students receive training in independent research skills. For those practicing social work at the PhD level, research is the means by which social work is practiced. PhD level research should adhere to and advance the values of the NASW code of ethics (service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence). Our College has a stated commitment to the values represented by the NASW code of ethics. How do you see your research contributing to the advancement of these values? PhD program and how it aligns with your five-year career plan.
• Personal Statement (3-5 page well-edited document, uploaded to application) Introduce yourself to the PhD committee and describe how your professional strengths, experiences, and aptitude will contribute to your success in our research-based PhD program. Describe your previous experiences with research, your current research interests and how you plan to use the degree. Describe the experiences you will likely gain from being in a research-based PhD program and how it aligns with your five-year career plan. Note: You can upload this document before or after submission of the application.
• Writing Sample   (uploaded to the application) Submission suggestions: Papers from Master’s program, any professional writing including reports, literature reviews, papers you’ve co-authored, case summaries, advocacy letters, opinion papers, etc. (if you submit something that is co-authored please attach a document explaining your specific contribution to the writing). Note: This document should reflect your writing abilities. It can be uploaded before or after submission of the application.
• References Provide the names and email addresses of three (3) references. Three letters of recommendation must be received before your application can be reviewed. Recommendations are an essential part of the admission process. The strongest letters of recommendation come from faculty members. If you don’t have a relationship with a faculty member please seek recommendations from professionals with higher level graduate degrees who have supervised or are familiar with your work such as lawyers or medical professionals. Personal recommendations will not be accepted.
• International applicants also submit TOEFL scores. International applicants should refer to the  Admissions for International Students  page on the Graduate School’s web site for additional information.

* We are able to waive the $60 Graduate Admissions application fee for a select number of applicants, including those experiencing financial hardship. For information please contact Jennifer Scagnelli at [email protected]

More on the PhD program:

The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System and partner in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway .

School of Social Work

Doctor of philosophy in social work.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in social work prepares students to conduct research that contributes to the knowledge base of social work, to become leaders in the profession, and to teach social work in postsecondary educational institutions.

Students are required to earn 78 s.h. to earn the degree. Those who enter the program with a MSW are granted 30 s.h. credit; they must complete an additional 48 s.h. for the degree. Individuals with master's degrees in related disciplines (for example, psychology or sociology) may choose to earn a PhD in social work without first earning the MSW. Credit from a related master's degree may be applied to the PhD degree program, as determined by the School of Social Work.

Students complete required coursework, research, and teaching practicums; pass a comprehensive exam; write a dissertation; and defend the dissertation in an oral exam. Their work includes courses in one of four outside disciplines—sociology, psychology, public health, or education—to assist them in preparation for the comprehensive examination and dissertation.

PHD IN SOCIAL WORK HANDBOOK (2024-2025)

Individualized and Interdisciplinary Curriculum

The program allows students to develop a coherent program of study to pursue their own research interests. Students take coursework in a core social work curriculum, a concentration (sociology, psychology, education, or public health), research methods, and electives in order to develop a focal area of social work knowledge (e.g., family violence). Students may methods and electives in any college or department at the University of Iowa. The median time to complete the degree is four years.

The School of Social Work provides a supportive environment with substantial opportunities for mentoring and interaction with faculty members. Throughout the PhD program, the school assists students in developing a program of study based on their unique educational and career goals. There are many opportunities to work closely with faculty members. In the first two years, students complete a mentored research practicum with a faculty member and a mentored in-class teaching practicum. During the second year, students choose a faculty member to guide them through the comprehensive examination and dissertation processes.

Listed below are the general categories of coursework required to earn the degree; for more specific information on courses, curriculum, and requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy in social work, visit the UI General Catalog .

Important Deadlines

Application Deadline : February 1st (for Fall admission)

For admission and application information, see the Graduate Admissions Process page.

Learning Objectives

Graduates will:

• locate their work in the intellectual landscape of social work;
• critically analyze theories, practices, policies, and research in at least one specialized area of social work knowledge;
• disseminate knowledge that contributes to the advancement of social work research, practice, and policy, including writing publishable, peer-reviewed manuscripts; presenting at local, national, or international conferences; and/or producing policy briefs or white papers; and
• in the social work classroom, create a learning culture and classroom climate that is inclusive of a diverse population of students and diverse learning styles.

Funding Your PhD Program

The School of Social Work typically offers students admitted to the PhD program at least three academic years of funding for their studies.  Funding may include a combination of the following sources:

• School of Social Work Research Assistantship (RA) :  These awards come from the School of Social Work and provide a stipend as well as a tuition waiver and benefits.  The amount of the stipend depends on the extent of the RA appointment during the academic year (25% to 50% time).  The School of Social Work occasionally offers current students additional summer RA positions that do not include tuition waivers or benefits.
• Grant-Funded Research Assistantship (RA) :  The funding for these RAs comes from a faculty member's research grant.  The amount of the stipend depends on the extent of the RA appointment (up to 50% time).  RAs of at least 25% time include a stipend as well as a tuition waiver and benefits.
• Teaching Assistantship (TA) : TAs of 25% to 50% time provide a stipend as well as a tuition waiver and benefits.  The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides a limited number of TA positions to the School.  The amount of the stipend depends on the extent of the TA appointment.  Students must apply for TA positions in the Spring .

The School of Social Work administers several scholarships and awards .  Additionally, Social Work PhD students at Iowa are often successful in securing fellowships or research funding from the Graduate College and from external sources such as foundations and social work organizations.

Throughout their doctoral studies, the School of Social Work makes additional funding available to our students to present at professional conferences.  During the dissertation phase, the school offers additional funds to help students cover costs associated with conducting their dissertation research.

Note: a 25% time appointment means it is 25% of full-time equivalent (FTE), that is, 10 hours a week of work, on average. A 50% time appointment averages 20 hours per week. 

For more information, please contact: Megan Gilster, Ph.D. Associate Professor Ph.D. Program Director 207 North Hall (NH) [email protected] 319-335-1264

PhD in Social Work (General Catalog)

College of Education and Human Development

School of Social Work

Applying to the PhD in Social Work Program

Applications are evaluated based on potential for independent research and knowledge development in social work. While preference is given to applicants with post-master’s work experience, there is not a set amount or type of experience required, and all of the applicant's previous experiences and career goals are considered.

Useful information about applying:

• The University of Minnesota Graduate School's admissions webpage.
• The section below about required application materials for the School of Social Work.

When you are ready to start your application, click the button below. You will be able to save and return to your application.

Application Deadline: Friday, December 1, 2023

Required application materials, 1: unofficial transcripts.

Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended (including the University of Minnesota). Please see the Graduate School's transcript instruction page for information on submitting transcripts with your application.

Applicants must have a master’s degree in social work, social welfare, or a related field, preferably from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Applicants may be enrolled in a master’s program when they apply for the PhD program, but the program must be completed before they begin doctoral studies. Master’s degrees in related disciplines are considered, but students may be required to complete some MSW coursework as a condition for enrollment.

2: Test Scores

Gre (not required).

GRE scores are not required for admission to our PhD program. However, if you do choose to submit them, we accept scores from the last five years. We recommend the GRE for applicants who cannot demonstrate a strong background in research, writing, and statistics.

The Graduate School has more information about GRE tests and scores, here . 

English Proficiency 

A strong command of the English language is necessary for successful study at the School of Social Work.  International applicants for whom English is not a primary language are asked to take the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test to demonstrate proficiency. For more information on the University's language proficiency test and score requirements, kindly visit this site.  

3: Curriculum vitae (CV)

Your CV should list your educational history, including dates of degree conferral, and relevant employment history, including job titles, agency names, dates of employment, and whether jobs you list were full-time, part-time, or internships. Also list your research experience, publications, presentations, teaching experience, leadership experience, service to the community, and any honors or awards.

4: Personal Statement

Submit a statement, not exceeding four pages, which explains your research interests and career goals. Please address the following two topics within this document.

• Research interests: In this essay, discuss the specific social welfare problems or questions you are interested in researching during your doctoral program. We welcome a broad variety of research problems or questions, including those geared to helping the social work profession better meet the needs of a diverse society. Explain the potential social impact of your research ideas and how your research may contribute to knowledge in the field of social work/social welfare. Also describe your past or present research training or experience and explain anything else you would like us to know related to your preparation for doctoral study. If there is a particular faculty member with whom you wish to study, please give that person's name and explain why you want to study with that person.
• Career goals: Describe your overall career goals and explain how doctoral study, research, teaching, and leadership align with your goals.

5: Writing Sample

Provide a scholarly writing sample that was written for a public or professional audience. Your sample should provide evidence of your ability to effectively conceptualize and communicate complex ideas and demonstrate clarity, organization, and appropriate use of grammar and style. Scholarly writing samples may include: sole-authored manuscripts, course papers, and papers prepared for academic conferences. If your writing sample was co-authored, please articulate your contributions to the writing process and highlight the portions that you wrote. Informal examples of writing, such as newspaper articles or PowerPoint presentations, are not acceptable writing samples.

6: Diversity Statement

Submit a statement, not exceeding two pages, which identifies the distinctive qualities, characteristics and life experiences you would contribute to the School of Social Work. Your diversity statement can include, but is not limited to:

• Your contribution to student body diversity
• Your contribution to the doctoral learning community
• How your research interests relate to diversity issues
• How your career plans include diversity and equity components
• Your history of overcoming obstacles to achievement

7: Three Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required. Your references should be professionals who are able to comment on your potential for research and scholarly activity. At least one letter, if not two, should be from a current or former professor. At least one current or former professor should have a PhD and speak to your ability to complete a PhD program.

Admissions FAQ

All students are required to submit undergraduate and graduate school transcripts, a curriculum vita, a personal statement, a diversity statement, an academic writing sample, and three letters of recommendation. All international students must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with the exception of students who earned an academic degree in an English speaking country.

We accept Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores and recommend them for applicants who cannot demonstrate a strong background in research, writing, and statistics; however, GRE scores are not required.

The GRE is only valid for five years. If your GRE is more than five years old, you will need to take it again.

A master’s degree is required for admission directly into the PhD program. While we do accept people with master’s degrees in other related fields, we strongly encourage applicants to complete their MSW before applying to the PhD program. An MSW provides important theoretical and practice knowledge that is useful throughout the PhD program. In addition, applicants should know that many social work departments will only hire faculty with an MSW and at least two years of post-MSW practice experience, which is another reason why the MSW is valuable for applicants.

The PhD program is very selective. Usually we accept less than 20% of applicants. Most applications are quite strong, so we have turn away many applicants each year who could potentially succeed in our program.

Number of students: 5-8 Average verbal GRE percentile: 75th Average quantitative GRE percentile: 65th Average analytic writing GRE percentile: 75th Average undergraduate GPA: 3.60 Average graduate GPA: 3.85

We are looking for students who will be able to conduct meaningful scholarship upon graduation and will eventually become national or international leaders in developing the social work knowledge base and providing academic leadership in the field. Thus, we are looking for people who excelled in their undergraduate and graduate programs, have excellent GRE (and TOEFL) scores, have had meaningful social work or related professional experience, have participated in research projects and publications, have strong critical thinking and writing skills, and have a strong interest in a career centered upon social work scholarship.

General FAQ

Students take two years of coursework both inside and outside the School of Social Work, including required courses in research methods, statistics, theory, history, policy and teaching, as well as supporting program courses from across the university. Students typically complete their preliminary examinations and defend their dissertation proposal, and then complete their dissertation in their fourth or PhD fifth year.

No, the PhD program is a weekday program with courses offered during the daytime. Students should expect to be on-campus at least three days per week, if not more, for at least the first two years of the program.

There is no formal, part-time program, though some students do work off-campus part-time and complete the program at a slightly slower rate. However, we do not encourage part-time study and give preference to students interested in full-time study and do not provide funding packages to part-time students. Full-time students are better able to engage in all aspects of the program and are more likely to complete the program.

No, we do not have a combined MSW/PhD program. Applicants must have a master’s degree in social work, social welfare, or a related field, preferably from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Applicants may be enrolled in a master’s program when they apply for the PhD program, but the program must be completed before they begin doctoral studies.

No. Our PhD program does not focus on developing advanced clinical skills.

Our program is designed so that students can complete the program in 4 years, though most finish within 4-5 years.

The PhD program includes two years of coursework, examinations and the dissertation. Please see the PhD Student Handbook for the specific requirements and timetables for completion.

An MSW program is an advanced professional practice degree geared towards preparing social work practitioners for work in direct practice social work or community practice social work. Our MSW graduates secure positions in a variety of areas, including clinical social work, case management/care coordination, advocacy, community organizing, planning, or leading. A PhD program is a research degree that focuses on the development of advanced research, theoretical and teaching skills. Most of our PhD graduates work in academia or research positions.

Because of the rigorous demands of the PhD program, most students are unable to work full-time and successfully complete the program. A PhD program should be thought of similarly time wise to a demanding full-time job.

Knowledge and expertise to change the world

Focused on intensive, community-engaged research, IU’s social work doctoral program prepares graduates for success as scholars, educators, policymakers and advocates. A flexible degree program allows students to enroll in part-time or full-time study. Support from faculty and peers, coupled with competitive financial award packages, makes IU School of Social Work the ideal place to learn, achieve, and contribute.

Welcome to the Doctor of Philosophy program #

The development of leadership in social work is at the core of the Doctoral program at Indiana University School of Social Work. Advanced research and scholarship are woven through a comprehensive program to prepare students for leading roles in areas such as social work education, social welfare, policy analysis and development, administration, social work practice, and advocacy.

The PhD program is built around a flexible interdisciplinary model which includes a carefully integrated series of didactic and experiential learning opportunities.

And, while solidly grounded in the profession of social work, doctoral students may take advantage of the rich learning experiences available in other disciplines throughout the university.

The PhD program develops community-engaged interprofessional leaders, scholars, and educators within an inclusive and supportive environment. Students receive rigorous training and mentorship in diverse theoretical and philosophical perspectives and research methods that promote equity and social justice locally, nationally, and internationally.

The PhD program is nationally and internationally recognized for developing community-engaged, interprofessional scholars and leaders with diverse theoretical and methodological expertise equipped to advance equity and social justice.

Career Possibilities #

Our Ph.D. program prepares students for leading roles in areas such as social work education, social welfare, policy analysis and development, administration, social work practice, and advocacy. While our program stresses research, many of our students continue to practice or teach as well.

• Doctoral graduates in social work are very much in demand for teaching in many of the almost 500 BSW and MSW programs in the country.
• Graduates often continue to pursue professional funded research in a variety settings.
• Consultation is also an area where our graduates thrive!

The PhD Program at Indiana University has more than prepared me for a career of scholarship, research, and leadership in the social work profession. The collegiality of faculty members and fellow students truly enriched my experience. Not only did I earn a degree, but I built relationships for the future.

Matt Moore , PhD Indiana School of School Work

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About the program

PhD Application

The Ohio State University

PhD Program Admissions

Get ready to take the first step toward earning your phd, phd and msw+phd completed application packets for autumn 2025 admission due: dec. 2, 2024 for all applicants – application opens aug. 16, 2024.

All application documents for admission consideration for Autumn 2025 must have been received and considered complete by Dec. 2.

We are unable to consider incomplete applications or applications initiated after Dec. 2.

Application Materials

• Graduate Level Application or
• Graduate Intra-University Transfer Application
• 2024 PhD and MSW-PhD Admission and Funding application (create a document)
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• PhD statement for all applicants
• MSW statement for MSW+PhD applicants not currently enrolled in OSU’s MSW
• Field Evaluation or Letter Summarizing Performance for ASAP eligible MSW-PhD Applicants
• Academic (preferred) or professional writing sample
• TOEFL or other English scores for international applicants
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
• Transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended
• For application preparation guidelines see – 2024 Application Instructions for the PhD and MSW+PhD

MSW+PhD Eligibility to Apply

MSW+PhD applicants who have a master’s degree in a related field need only submit a completed application for consideration.

MSW+PhD applicants whose highest degree is a bachelor’s need to meet the following eligibility requirements for admission consideration:

• Completed application
• 3.5 or higher combined undergraduate GPA
• B- or Better in a research course and in a statistics course

ASAP Eligibility – See MSW: Advanced Standing Alternative Program

Learn more about the MSW+PhD program

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• University of Denver
• Graduate School of Social Work

PhD in Social Work

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A Doctoral Degree for Social Change Agents

The Graduate School of Social Work is home to one of the nation’s oldest social work PhD programs, but nothing about it is old-fashioned. We see ourselves as more than social work researchers; we're social justice scholars, educators and policy experts whose work responds to today's most pressing community needs.

There’s never been a better time to embark on a PhD in social work. Social work job opportunities in academia are plentiful, and given the social challenges of the 21st century — challenges such as the growing wealth and achievement gap in the U.S. and the impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations worldwide — the need for social work research and scholarship is greater than ever.

• Request Information about the PhD in Social Work
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6 Cohort size

4-5 years to complete the program, 14% projected job growth for postsecondary social work educators, financial aid.

Most students are admitted to our PhD program with a competitive funding package that typically provides four years of financial support.

Years 1 & 2 

In the first two years, PhD students receive a graduate assistantship, which includes a living stipend, 100 percent tuition waiver and a health care subsidy. PhD students will also receive a Graduate Assistantship which includes a 9-month base salary in exchange for work with a GSSW faculty member on research activities.

Students receive a pre-dissertation fellowship, which includes a living stipend. (A tuition waiver is no longer necessary because all classes are completed during the first two years of the program.)

Students receive a dissertation fellowship, which includes a living stipend. We also support students in seeking adjunct teaching roles, research assistant roles on funded faculty projects, and external fellowships. 

Offered on our campus in Denver, Colorado, the PhD program is geared toward those who already have an MSW or a master’s degree in a related field and who want to work as a faculty member or researcher in an academic setting. From team-based mentorship to an emphasis on training excellent teachers, several features make our program stand apart:

An Emphasis on Teaching

One of the best predictors of success in doctoral programs is the strength of the relationship between students and their faculty mentors. The GSSW faculty is passionate about doctoral education, works collaboratively with students to help them succeed in their job search, has strong national networks within the discipline, and supports students in becoming excellent social work scholars.

Whether it is partnerships between faculty and doctoral students, among doctoral students, or with community partners, most GSSW research involves collaboration. When students share common research interests, they work with faculty as teams that support incoming students with multiple mentors, provide opportunities for more advanced students to mentor, and enhance the productivity of doctoral students and faculty.

Although most programs provide a solid foundation in research methodology and statistics, the focus on theory and the philosophy of science can vary significantly. Because we are committed to developing scholars who are solidly grounded in theory, students are required to take a philosophy of science course along with courses in social work theory and theory in their substantive area.

Across our academic programs, you’ll find a deep commitment to scholarship that is centered in issues of social justice. We educate students to understand practice, teaching and research in the context of social justice.

Most of our faculty members are involved in community-based research, and we have an extensive network of community-based partners — from large health care systems to social service providers to schools and community organizers — that co-create much of our research.

Not all doctoral programs emphasize producing graduates who are excellent teachers, as well as excellent researchers. We require a course on pedagogy and a teaching practicum. GSSW also has a number of faculty members who conduct research on evidence-based teaching and pedagogy.

Unlike most doctoral programs, we provide training in a broad array of research methodologies. You will learn and practice quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research designs as well as analytic techniques. This variety will allow you to select the best research methods for the questions you’re pursuing in your independent research.

Important Links

• PhD Curriculum
• GSSW Research
• GSSW Centers & Institutes
• GSSW Faculty
• GSSW PhD Students

Recent Doctoral Student Research

Improving End-of-Life Care

Serving the Community

Moral Injury in Social Work

“I wanted to find an opportunity where I could pair that passion for social justice with learning how to sharpen my research skills.”  Stephanie Begun, PhD ’17, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

GSSW researchers are doing a world of good. Want to know more?

GSSW Research Projects

Featured Courses

Advanced social welfare policy analysis.

Applies analytical techniques to development of social welfare policy stressing the ability to formulate a policy hypothesis (i.e., a statement, in testable form, of a basic premise undergirding a policy position) and to reach conclusions based on analysis of empirical evidence related to the policy hypothesis. This course is for SOWK PhD students only.

Seminar in Professional Social Work Issues

Examines the dilemmas and challenges confronting the social work profession and social work education. Examines the nature of professional education, the nature of the profession itself and the forces internal and external to the profession that have an impact upon practice and education. Required.

Jennifer Greenfield

Associate professor & associate dean for doctoral education.

Passionate about educating future social work researchers, Greenfield mentors all doctoral students when they first begin the program and throughout their time at GSSW. Her student-focused approach places students’ individual goals at the center of their learning plans and gradually moves them from learning specific tasks to becoming independent scholars. “At GSSW, our scholars-in-training identify how their strengths can align with programs of scholarship that will maximize their impact in the world,” she says.

Career Opportunities

Do you want to train the next generation of social workers and create solutions to pressing social problems? Unlike most other disciplines, the job outlook for social work faculty positions is robust. As the demand for master’s-level social workers continues to increase, so does the demand for new educators to train them at a time when nearly 25 percent of U.S. social work faculty members are nearing retirement.

Most of our PhD graduates pursue careers as social work faculty members or researchers in university settings. Approximately 25 percent of our graduates work in other settings, such as nonprofit organizations and policy think tanks where they can put their research training to work.

Where our PhD Graduates Work

The GSSW PhD program prepared our graduates for teaching positions at Universities across the U.S.

• Amber McDonald : University of Colorado Anschutz (Denver)
• Amy Lopez : University of Colorado Anschutz (Denver)
• Angela Lavery : West Chester University (West Chester, PA)
• Ann Obermann : Metropolitan State University (Denver)
• Antonia Alvarez: Portland State University
• Ashley Daftery (Hanna) : University of Nevada at Reno
• Ashley O'Connor : University of Alaska at Anchorage
• Brittanie Atteberry-Ash : University of Texas at Arlington
• Ceema Samimi : University of Minnesota (Minneapolis)
• Chris Knoepke : University of Colorado Anschutz (Denver)
• Christopher Veeh : University of Iowa (Iowa City)
• Darren Whitfield : University of Maryland
• Dawn Matera : Metropolitan State University (Denver)
• Erin Boyce : Metropolitan State University (Denver)
• Heather Kennedy : Colorado School of Public Health (Denver)
• Jamie Yoder : Colorado State University (Ft. Collins)
• Jennifer Boeckel : Walden University (Minneapolis)
• Jennifer Dickman Portz : Ohio State University (Columbus)
• Jennifer Middleton : University of Louisville
• Jessica Sparks : Tufts University (Boston)
• Jessica Yang : Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC)
• Jon Phillips : University of Connecticut (Storrs Center, CT)
• Jonah DeChants : Colorado State University (Ft. Collins)
• Jordan Farrar: Boston College
• Katie Massey Combs : University of Colorado at Boulder
• Kristie Seelman : Georgia State University (Atlanta)
• Laurie Walker : University of Montana (Missoula)
• Lin Jiang : University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (Edinburg, TX)
• Lisa Langenderfer-Magruder : Florida State University (Tallahassee)
• Mark Plassmeyer : University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)
• Samantha Brown : Colorado State University (Ft. Collins)
• Sarah Nickels: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (Denver)
• Shandra Forrest-Bank : University of Tennessee (Knoxville)
• Shanna Kattari : University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
• Shelby McDonald: Rutgers (Newark)
• Stephanie Begun : University of Toronto
• Stephanie Lechuga Peña : Arizona State University (Phoenix)
• Susanne Klawetter : Portland State University

Living at GSSW

An inclusive environment.

Ours is an environment where every voice matters and a culture that welcomes and embraces the rich diversity of our extended community. We stand in solidarity with immigrants, religious groups, people of color, indigenous communities, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual violence, members of the LGBTQIA community, and all other communities whose civil rights have been threatened and/or violated. As a school dedicated to the development of future social workers who will embody and represent the values and ethics of social justice, we commit ourselves to understanding our place in the larger context of institutional injustice.

• Diversity and Inclusion at GSSW
• Diversity at DU

The Denver Difference

The University of Denver campus is just a short train or bus ride from downtown Denver (all University of Denver students get a free pass!), a city that U.S. News & World Report has named one of the nation’s best places to live. Craft beer, food trucks and art crawls are plentiful, as are urban and mountain parks and recreation opportunities. Denver also is home to a thriving, engaged community of social justice activists. And as one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities with several major universities nearby, Denver has no shortage of job opportunities.

• Campus Life
• City of Denver

"I’ve had colleagues in other PhD programs in social work across the nation who were not as well prepared as I have been in this program. The school really sets you up for a great experience. It’s very supportive but also extremely rigorous." Ann Obermann, PhD ’17, Assistant Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver

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2024-2025 University of Denver Graduate Bulletin

Graduate School of Social Work

• Admission Requirements
• Program of Study
• Course Descriptions
• Course by Category

Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work

The doctoral program at the Graduate School of Social Work trains master's level human service professionals from across the country and around the world to become social work researchers, educators, and policy experts.

Founded in 1968, our PhD program is among the oldest social work doctoral programs in the nation. Students work alongside distinguished  faculty members  to conduct research, write publications and gain substantive and methodological knowledge in the field of social work.

As a doctoral student, you are encouraged to develop a solid understanding of the theories, social interventions and policies that guide research in your individual substantive areas.

The program emphasizes the following:

critical approaches to knowledge development through advanced coursework in theory, policy, and research methodology;

research competencies through required and elective courses, graduate research assistantships and dissertation research;

collaboration with faculty working in diverse, substantive areas of social work research; and

teaching skills through pedagogy coursework, a teaching practicum, elective courses, and faculty mentoring.

Watch our PhD video to learn more.

Master of Social Work with a Concentration in Advanced Social Work Practice

The Master in Social Work degree with a concentration in Advanced Social Work Practice will prepare you with the theoretical knowledge, applied skills, and values to work across a continuum of services at micro, mezzo and macro levels. Our model prepares you to practice with a wide range of populations and settings to meet the needs of your community. The curriculum emphasizes culturally responsive practice needed for the increasing diversity within communities at a local, state, national or global context, including a close examination of power, privilege, and oppression. During foundation coursework, students develop a generalist perspective and introductory skills for working with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. During concentration coursework, students customize and specialize their pathway through the curriculum, ranging from a focus on individual therapy to policy practice and social change.

Global Social Work Certificate (Denver Campus MSW programs)

The Global Social Work Certificate is designed for students who wish to understand global connections and perspectives, whether they ultimately intend to work internationally or domestically. Certificate courses are anchored in social work values and ethics including a close examination of power, privilege and oppression as it plays out across the world, applying these principles to human rights advocacy and intervention, as well as examining and reflecting on the necessity to avoid the “white savior complex”. Approaching international work from a place of humility enables students to decenter their own lens which is crucial for global social work. Students have the opportunity to further their understanding of relationship-based work done in conjunction with local communities, working side by side rather than from a “top down” model.  Appropriate roles for working internationally are examined and discussed. Ethical considerations when working in a community other than one’s own are examined when focusing on injustices and inequalities, including the role of domestic and international policies and agreements. The Global Social Work Certificate is a Specialized Graduate Certificate of 12 credits.

Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work Certificate (Denver Campus MSW programs)

The Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work certificate prepares social work students to recognize the importance and impact of human-animal-environment interactions (HAEIs) in culturally responsive and ethically advanced professional social work practice settings. Clinical and community settings such as mental health agencies, schools, and shelters are emphasized. The certificate centers social justice and highlights intersecting systems of oppression and violence directed towards humans, animals, and the environment. There are three required certificate courses, which are taken in sequence. Students do not need a specialized field internship placement to complete the certificate.

LatinX Social Work Certificate (Denver Campus MSW programs)

The Certificate in Latinx Social Work prepares students to provide culturally responsive practice with individuals and families of Latin American origin.  Three certificate courses and an approved concentration year field internship are required. Students must include a plan for integrating the specific requirements of the certificate into those of the internship on the Individualized Field Education Plan (IFEP). The internship must fulfill the requirements of the concentration year, as well as those of the certificate. The certificate is available to Spanish speaking and non-Spanish speaking students.

School Social Work Certificate (Denver Campus MSW programs)

Students enrolled in this certificate program are required to complete 12 hours of concentration year field internship (four in each of three quarters) in a school setting in the State of Colorado and with supervision by a school social worker. Students must include a plan for integrating specific requirements of the certificate into those of the internship on the Individualized Field Education Plan (IFEP). The internship must fulfill the requirements of the concentration year, as well as those of the certificate. 

The school microsystem is a unique work environment for the social worker. It is a venue that is dynamic and continually changing. Because of the school's central location in the lives of students, the school social worker has the ability to access and to bridge to the peer network, family network, teachers, school administration, neighborhood network, community resources, and the legal system. For some students, the school can be an oasis or a refuge from problems that they are facing outside of school. Other students may keenly feel that the school is a place of humiliation, frustration, or isolation. For both these groups of students, their relationship with their school social worker can have a pivotal role in their lives and their families.

The School Social Work certificate discusses the many roles that the School Social Worker may have and effective techniques for being successful in those many roles. It examines the laws that impact service delivery in the school system. Additionally, it gives students an advanced understanding of school-based assessment and how these assessments fit into the fabric of the school, and by extension, the life of the student and family. 

This certificate also addresses the need for students who wish to be School Social Workers to learn and demonstrate culturally responsive interpersonal skills, techniques, and strategies to effectively work with linguistically and culturally diverse students, families, and communities. It helps students apply social work ethics and values within the framework of a school microsystem. 

School settings are one of the largest providers of employment to GSSW alumni. As many school districts in Colorado move to a mental health provider model, in which the mental health provider can be a school psychologist or school social worker, the School Social Work Certificate provides the advanced training that social workers need to be competitive in this field. 

Accreditation

Since 1933, our MSW program has been accredited by the  Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) , a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation.

CSWE accreditation signifies that our MSW program meets nationally accepted standards in eight areas:

- Mission, goals and objectives - Curriculum - Governance, structure and resources - Faculty - Student professional development - Non-discrimination and human diversity - Program renewal - Program assessment and continuous improvement

All CSWE programs measure and report student learning outcomes. Students are assessed on their mastery of the competencies that comprise the accreditation standards of CSWE. These competencies are dimensions of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their professional training. A measurement benchmark is set by the social work programs for each competency. An assessment score at or above that benchmark is considered by the program to represent mastery of that particular competency.

Degree and GPA Requirements

• Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
• Master's degree: This program requires a master's degree as well as the baccalaureate.
• Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
• Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Prerequisites

• Doctoral students are expected to enter the program with a basic proficiency in descriptive and inferential statistics. This knowledge is necessary for several of the required doctoral courses. If you lack this required statistical proficiency, you should plan to take a basic statistics course before enrolling at GSSW.

English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements

The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:

• Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
• Minimum IELTS Score: 8
• Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 200
• Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125

English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.

Master of Social Work (Denver Campus, Four Corners, Online and Western Colorado Programs)

The western colorado program is unavailable for admission in the 2024-25 academic year. the next cohort of two-year students will begin in the fall of 2025..

• Minimum IELTS Score: 7
• Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185

Master of Social Work Advanced Standing ( Denver Campus, Four Corners, Online and Western Colorado Programs )

The western colorado program is unavailable for admission in the 2024-25 academic year.   the next cohort of students will begin in the summer of 2026..

• Applicants must hold an earned CSWE-accredited bachelor’s degree in social work from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.

Master of Social Work (Western Colorado Program)

The western colorado msw program is unavailable for admission in the 2022-23 academic year. the next cohort of two-year students will begin in the fall of 2023..

• A minimum of 20 semester hours or 30 quarter hours in undergraduate course work in the arts and humanities, social/behavioral sciences and biological sciences.  For each liberal arts course taken to fulfill this requirement, students must earn a grade of "C" (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better. In addition, you must have completed at least one course in English composition or present evidence of testing out of the English composition requirement.

The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/CAE test score requirements for this degree program are:

• Minimum CAE Score: 185

Overall Requirements for Admission to Certificate Programs

Students who wish to be considered for admission to any one of the academic certificate programs must:

• successfully complete the foundation curriculum at GSSW or be admitted to the MSW program as an advanced standing student.
• be in good standing in both academics and field.
• declare intention to complete certificate to the GSSW Registrar by completing the form within the GSSW Student Resource Portal .
• be willing and able to attend all classes required for the certificate at the time these classes are offered.
• be willing and able to meet all academic requirements for concentration coursework, as well as for the certificate program.
• meet any additional eligibility requirements listed within the individual certificate descriptions below.

Global Social Work Certificate

Students who wish to be considered for admission to the Global Social Work Certificate are required to:

• meet the general requirements for admission to certificate programs listed in the introductory section.
• complete the Global Social Work Certificate application once matriculated into a MSW degree programs.
• Attend a group information meeting or individual meeting with the certificate coordinator.
• be willing to attend extracurricular, Global Social Work Certificate activities.

Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work Certificate

Students who wish to be considered for admission to the Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work Certificate program are required to:

• be willing to attend extracurricular, experiential Human-Animal-Environment Interactions activities offered by the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC).
• integrate Human-Animal-Environment Interactions concepts into their concentration year field placement. It is not required to have a therapy animal or therapy animal-in-training to fulfill this requirement.

Latinx Social Work Certificate

Students who wish to be considered for admission to the Latinx Social Work Certificate program are required to:

• complete the Latinx Social Work Certificate application.
• submit a copy of their current Resume/Curriculum Vitae.
• schedule a meeting with the certificate coordinator.

School Social Work Certificate

Students who wish to be considered for admission to the School Social Work Certificate program are required to:

• complete the School Social Work Certificate application.
• submit an application to the certificate coordinator by May 1 in the foundation year or by August 1 for advanced standing and Winter start MSW students within the Denver Campus MSW program.
• have a school placement in the State of Colorado in either their foundation or concentration year.

PhD Degree Requirements for Candidates with an MSW

University policy requires a minimum of 135 quarter hours beyond a baccalaureate for the doctor of philosophy degree in social work. Up to 60 quarter hours toward this requirement may be credited for “A” or “B” work completed as part of a master’s degree conferred through an accredited school of social work.

Minimum number of credits required beyond the MSW: 75

PhD Degree Requirements for Candidates with an MA/MS

Minimum number of credits required beyond the MA/MS: 90

Master of  Social Work: Denver Campus 

Master of social work- denver campus msw program with a concentration in advanced social work practice.

MSW Degree Requirements  The minimum credits required to earn an MSW degree is 81 credits (Foundation Curriculum: 36 credits. Concentration Curriculum: 45 credits).

Master of Social Work- Denver Campus Advanced-Standing MSW Program with a Concentration in Advanced Social Work Practice

The minimum credits required to earn an MSW degree is 54 credits (Advanced-Standing Curriculum: 9 credits. Concentration Curriculum: 45 credits).

Advanced-Standing   MSW Degree Requirements 

Master of Social Work: Four Corners 

Master of social work - four corners msw program with a concentration in  advanced social work practice.

The minimum credits required to earn an MSW degree is 81 credits (Foundation Curriculum: 36 credits. Concentration Curriculum: 45 credits).

Master of Social Work - Four Corners Advanced-Standing MSW Program with a Concentration in Advanced Social Work Practice

Advanced-standing  msw degree requirements .

Master of Social Work: Online 

Master of social work - online msw program with a concentration in advanced social work practice, msw degree requirements .

Master of Social Work- Online Advanced-Standing MSW Program with a Concentration in Advanced Social Work Practice

Master of Social Work: Western Colorado 

Master of social work - western colorado msw program with a concentration in advanced social work practice, msw degree requirements.

Master of Social Work - Western Colorado Advanced-Standing MSW Program with a Concentration in Advanced Social Work Practice

Certificate Programs 

• Complete the Latinx Social Work Certificate application.
• Schedule a meeting with the certificate coordinator.

For Spanish Only Courses- Students must demonstrate, at minimum, an Intermediate-Mid Level of proficiency in Spanish. An online proficiency test is offered for applicants. Transcripts or other means may also be used to waive the need for testing. Students who wish to practice Spanish are encouraged to participate in a Spanish conversation group outside of classes.

Non-Spanish speakers are eligible to take all the certificate courses offered in English. For courses offered in Spanish individual and/or collective arrangements will be made to ensure all classes are made accessible. 

Students enrolled in this certificate program are required to complete 12 hours of concentration field internship in a program or agency offering the opportunity to work with Latinx clients. Students must include a plan for integrating the specific requirements of the certificate into those of the internship on the Individualized Field Education Plan (IFEP). The internship must fulfill the requirements to earn an MSW, as well as those of the certificate. 

Coursework Requirements

Within their course of study, Latinx Social Work Certificate program students must include the following courses:

Social work students are increasingly interested in global work. They are now entering social work programs with rising levels of global experience including previous participation in the Peace Corps. Additionally others are wanting to gain more experience and skills while in graduate school in order to further their careers focused on global issues. Students have goals to work both domestically and internationally.  One of the cornerstones of social work education is the focus on the interconnectedness of all systems so it is understandable that students want to enhance their understanding of global work and international perspectives.  

Global social work courses are anchored in social work values and ethics and apply a power, privilege and oppression framework to human rights advocacy and intervention. Through the Global Social Work Certificate, you will:

• Further your understanding of relationship-based work done in conjunction with local communities—working side by side rather than top-down.
• Explore appropriate roles for working internationally.
• Weigh ethical considerations when working in a community other than one’s own.
• Examine injustices and inequalities in the context of domestic and international policies and agreements.
• Reflect on the need to avoid the “white savior complex.”
• Learn to approach international social work from a place of humility and decenter your own lens.

12 Credit Requirement: three, 3-credit academic courses and 3 credits from field internship

Within their course of study, Global Social Work Certificate program students must include the following courses:

Certificate in Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work Certificate 

The Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work certificate of specialization will prepare students to ethically incorporate non-human animals (primarily domesticated species) and the natural world into social work interventions. 

Within their course of study, Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work Certificate program students must include the following courses:

School Social Work Certificate 

Students enrolled in this certificate program are required to complete either 9 credit hours of foundation field internship or 12 credit hours of concentration field internship in a school setting in the State of Colorado and with supervision by a school social worker. 3 of these credits will count toward the School Social Work Certificate. Students must include a plan for integrating specific requirements of the certificate into those of the internship on the Individualized Field Education Plan (IFEP). The internship must fulfill the requirements to earn an MSW, as well as those of the certificate.

Within their course of study, School Social Work Certificate program students must include the following courses:

SOWK 4000 Professional Development Seminar (1 Credit)

The Professional Development Seminar prepares students to develop a reflective practice and to make connections between applicable lived experience and the learning process, emphasizing professional social work identity. The course provides a supplement to the foundation curriculum and an opportunity for students to discuss their professional growth as social workers. The seminar provides opportunities to reflect on social work values and ethics, populations served, and the many fields and career pathways of social work practice. In conjunction with the foundation curriculum, key ethical issues and requirements are discussed so that students can deepen their understanding of ethics in practice with consideration of local, national, and global contexts. The course also gives an opportunity to reflect on their learning styles, participation in group work and the developmental process of practice. The ideas of conscious use of self and self-care concepts will be explored through a variety of learning modalities.

SOWK 4001 Clinical Social Work Skills (3 Credits)

This foundation course focuses on basic skills for micro social work practice with individuals and small groups. The framework of intentional interviewing teaches students to think critically about applying the skills for engagement, assessment and intervention. Attention focuses on use of these skills with clients from multiple social identities (e.g. ethnic, racial, sexual orientation, gender affiliation) and the pitfalls of practitioner micro-aggressions. An active learning approach requires students to participate in role-play exercises both in and outside of class. Students digitally record some of those exercises and share them with the class and instructor.

SOWK 4003 Clinical Social Work Theory and Practice (3 Credits)

This foundation course helps students develop a multi-dimensional assessment and intervention framework for clinical social work practice. This course builds upon knowledge of human behavior in the social environment and adds a focus on theories of change - at the individual and family level. The course is grounded in empirical information about the importance of relationship skills, across a variety of classic and modern approaches to intervention. We use a social work lens to emphasize the importance of context in client lives, including their socioeconomic status, cultural history, and experiences of oppression. Since no single theory captures the totality of human experiences, we integrate a variety of intervention techniques from multiple human behavior theories and ground them in a social work framework for ethical and effective clinical practice. Pre-requisite courses: SOWK 4020 and SOWK 4006 and SOWK 4001 .

SOWK 4006 Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Theory and Practice (3 Credits)

This foundation course provides an overview of theoretical frameworks for understanding human behavior from a social work perspective. Theories reviewed include the developmental stages across the life cycle in terms of psychological, cognitive, moral, spiritual, identity and social development. Students apply a biopsychological assessment across the life span. The course emphasizes a social work perspective and key frameworks for social work, with an emphasis on the person in environment and systems theory as they describe diverse individual behavior in relation to social class, race and ethnicity, age, gender orientation, sexual orientation, and other multicultural backgrounds. The course aims to develop students' foundational understanding of how theories are used to promote relationship development with diverse individuals and to guide interventions across all system levels. Students may test out of this course and substitute an advanced course in human development, with advisor approval, if they have already successfully completed an equivalent course in human development.

SOWK 4007 Community and Macro Social Work Theory and Practice (4 Credits)

This foundation course provides students with a foundational level understanding of macro social work practice and roles. The course builds upon knowledge of human behavior in the social environment, and adds theories of change to understand diverse communities and social service networks and the relationship of local, national and global interventions. The course introduces students to empirically supported models and emerging interventions that address macro level social issues. Students complete community/organizational assessments and also participate in work groups to learn how to engage, assess, and intervene in communities and organizations.

SOWK 4020 Integrated Social Work Practice for Social Justice (4 Credits)

This foundation course focuses on professional development and identity for social work practice. The course emphasizes values, ethics and ethical decision making in the context of the history of the profession. Students are introduced to person-in-environment, critical theory and empowerment perspectives and apply these concepts to current field of practice and social work roles. Through integration of field placement experiences, students analyze and apply social work frameworks and generalist practice theories to current social justice challenges and diverse contexts that social workers face.

SOWK 4050 Introduction to the Graduate Internship (1 Credit)

The Introduction to the Graduate Internship seminar prepares students to enter the profession of social work at a graduate level. The course provides an overview of social work values and ethics, populations served, and issues that concern social workers. Through engagement in the course content, students will complete a readiness for field assessment, including their personal and professional motivations to join the profession and serve diverse communities. Students will be exposed to the social work profession’s signature pedagogy, field education, and the stages of experiential learning. The course will also help students develop learning goals for field education and identify potential internship sites.

SOWK 4120 Social Policy Analysis, Advocacy, and Practice (3 Credits)

This foundation course analyzes contemporary societal needs and problems, as well as the historical and current context of U.S. social welfare programs and policies. It presents frameworks used to define social problems and analyze social problems, and introduces students to the policy-making process and the role of policy in service delivery with special emphasis on programs designed to aid the poor and the policies that shape them. The course is designed to help social workers advocate for policies within the social welfare system that advance social well-being and fulfill their ethical obligations to improve social conditions and promote social justice.

SOWK 4132 Power, Privilege and Oppression from a Critical Multicultural Perspective (3 Credits)

This foundation course examines the phenomena of power, privilege and oppression and their effect on individuals, families and communities in the context of the values of social and economic justice and the social work profession. The course is intended to increase awareness of the intersectionality of multiple oppressions with a focus on race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation. Students will gain a beginning self-awareness to identify the influence of personal biases and values that impact practice with diverse groups.

SOWK 4150 Foundation Seminar (1-2 Credits)

Required seminar format used to facilitate the integration of the foundation field practicum and the professional foundation course content; emphasis on linking classroom learning with practice in the field, integrating theory with professional practice; field practicum situations and issues used for discussion and deliberation. Co-requisite: SOWK 4950 .

SOWK 4151 Foundation Seminar I (1 Credit)

This required seminar format is used to facilitate the integration of the foundation field practicum and the professional foundation course content, emphasis on linking classroom learning with practice in the field and integrating theory with professional practice, and field practicum situations and issues used for discussion and deliberation.

SOWK 4152 Foundation Seminar II (1 Credit)

This required seminar format is used to facilitate the integration of the foundation field practicum and the professional foundation course content, emphasis on linking classroom learning with practice in the field and integrating theory with professional practice, and field practicum situations and issues used for discussion and deliberation. Prerequisite: SOWK 4151 .

SOWK 4153 Foundation Seminar III (1 Credit)

This required seminar format is used to facilitate the integration of the foundation field practicum and the professional foundation course content, with emphasis on linking classroom learning with practice in the field and integrating theory with professional practice, and field practicum situations and issues used for discussion and deliberation. Prerequisite: SOWK 4152 .

SOWK 4201 Evidence for Practice (3 Credits)

This foundation course focuses on developing student skills in identifying, analyzing, and applying empirical evidence in order to inform their social work practice. The course introduces students to studies designed to examine the effectiveness of interventions. The course aids students in developing a familiarity with basic research concepts such as research design, internal validity and external validity, so that they may critique the utility of evidence for practice. Students also engage in critically examining available evidence for biases and relevance for the diverse array of clients, populations, and contexts with which they work.

SOWK 4202 Creating a Regenerative Future (3 Credits)

This course explores how we can create a regenerative future that is life-renewing for people and planet—a future in which all people, species, and ecosystems thrive. The concept of a “regenerative future” will be examined for how it goes beyond the limitations of a sustainability paradigm and analyzed from the lenses of ecological justice and power, privilege, and oppression. This course will use frameworks of permaculture, regenerative design, and futures thinking to move beyond “fixing” climate change or other planetary emergencies to a more robust, holistic framework for planning socio-ecological change. Students will gain skills of regenerative design, regenerative mapping, and emergent theories of change. These skills will be discussed in a vast array of applications (with both social and ecological systems) to focus on integration and regeneration of humans and the more-than-human world.

SOWK 4203 Environmental Change Impacts and Resilience Strategies for Mental Health (3 Credits)

The impacts of the climate crisis and global environmental degradation are becoming increasingly apparent upon mental health. Social workers are well positioned to address the mental health implications of the climate crisis, ecological injustice, and environmental degradation. Understanding how these phenomena bear upon the mental wellbeing of clients and communities will be explored in this required choice methods/skills class. Emphasis will be placed on building resilience to climate grief, solastalgia, eco-anxiety, and climate trauma utilizing a strengths-based perspective. Students will develop knowledge and awareness of how climate change impacts our thoughts, emotions, and behavior to be of support to clients and foster self-care as social work practitioners.

SOWK 4204 Policy Advocacy for Ecological Justice in the U.S. (3 Credits)

Contemporary policies in the U.S. are critically analyzed for how they promote or hinder human well-being, environmental sustainability, and ecological justice. Students will analyze policies and develop advocacy skills, with emphasis on intervening at local and state levels of U.S. policy making.

SOWK 4205 Contemporary Ecological Justice Issues and Social Work Practice (3 Credits)

This course is designed to support student learning by providing a dynamic review and exploration of contemporary social work issues with a focus on communication and intervention skills for ecological justice social work practice. Current events related to contemporary ecological justice social work practice, theory, or research will be covered included but not limited to: global environmental change, climate justice, environmental degradation and eco-systems loss, disasters, and instances of environmental and ecological injustice. Contemporary social work practice problems and possibilities are elevated, especially in the regard of trending and emerging interventions in social work practice. In this course, students will learn about the disproportionate burdens of ecological injustices in communities at the local, state, national, and international levels. From a social justice perspective, students will critically explore, analyze, and discuss current ecological injustices and relevant social work interventions and communicate them ethically and effectively utilizing web 2.0 platforms and social media outlets.

SOWK 4232 Critical Race Theory Praxis and Social Work (3 Credits)

An advanced multicultural social work practice course, this uses the fundamentals of Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a framework for contextualizing and intervening with client systems at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. This course is a values elective for all concentrations. CRT is used as a framework to examine, critique, and challenge the way that race and racism is unwittingly sustained and perpetuated by traditional social work approaches to the amelioration of personal and social ills. Through this course, students learn the central tenets of CRT, how to evaluate traditional social work practice using these tenets, and begin to design to design a professional social work practice that uses CRT tenets as a foundation for micro-, mezzo-, and macro-level interventions. This course is offered within the concentration curriculum as a Values for Practice course to assist in the training and preparation of social workers practicing with historical underrepresented and marginalized clients and communities of color. Students develop skills and techniques grounded in anti-oppressive culturally grounded social work practice.

SOWK 4235 Disproportionality and Disparities Across Systems: The Impact on Children and Youth (3 Credits)

This course will explore the interrelatedness of institutional racism and discrimination across major social systems within the U.S., focusing on the historical context of current racial disproportionalities and disparities in youth service systems such as child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, education, and health. Using a critical lens, the course is designed to help students analyze how policy decisions have long-range impact on generations; specifically for children and youth of color. Students will have the opportunity to apply this critical lens to their current field placement and the youth populations they serve. As an elective course, the class is open to all GSSW students; however, students concentrating in child welfare, children and youth, and families are especially encouraged to take the course.

SOWK 4240 Intergenerational Justice (3 Credits)

This course engages students in the conversation, scholarship, and social work practice issues related to how social justice is promoted across age groups and generational cohorts (i.e., baby boomers, generation X, millennial generation). While looking at debates for how families, local communities, states, and nations link age to power, decision-making, funding, and access to resources, the course also examines what within age group issues of injustice and inequality persist. Topics include: generational equity in terms of government budgets and debt, intergenerational issues related to sustainability and ecological justice, age-based versus need-based service delivery models, interventions to address intergenerational conflicts within families, and best practices in intergenerational social service models. This course is designed as a seminar course for social work students from any concentration to explore values related to social justice as they play out across all levels of practice.

SOWK 4245 Restorative Approaches in Social Work Practice (3 Credits)

This course applies the conceptual framework, strategies, and benefits of restorative approaches to social worker roles and responsibilities. This course is designed to help students develop a historical and theoretical understanding of restorative approaches, build restorative-based skills that can be used in a variety of roles, and apply restorative approaches to a variety of client population systems, settings, and needs. Ethical dilemmas, cultural competence, and decision-making in restorative approaches, and the impact this has on oppressed populations, will be discussed. This course fulfills the Values for Practice requirement, and is a general elective with relevance to all social work concentrations. Prerequisite: SOWK 4132 or SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4250 Concentration Seminar (1 Credit)

This course is taken (by distance education students only) concurrently with the concentration year field practicum and the concentration year required courses. The purpose of this course is to integrate the concentration field experience and concentration year course work to prepare students for employment as professional social workers. This is also an evolving seminar co-created between faculty and students. Clinical issues and skill development at a more advanced clinical level is integrated into the seminar format as well as topics the student and faculty members agree upon that will enhance their first year learning. Prerequisite: SOWK 4150 or 4153 or SOWK 4299 .

SOWK 4251 Concentration Seminar I (1 Credit)

This course is taken by MSW@Denver students concurrently with the concentration year field practicum and the concentration year required courses. The purpose of this course is to integrate the concentration field experience and concentration year course work to prepare students for employment as professional social workers. Clinical issues and skill development at a more advanced clinical level will be integrated into the seminar format as well as topics the student and faculty members agree upon that will enhance their first-year learning. Concentration field experiences and their relationship to concentration year field competencies will also be discussed.

SOWK 4252 Concentration Seminar II (1 Credit)

This course is taken by MSW@Denver students concurrently with the concentration year field practicum and the concentration year required courses. The purpose of this course is to integrate the concentration field experience and concentration year course work to prepare students for employment as professional social workers. Clinical issues and skill development at a more advanced clinical level will be integrated into the seminar format as well as topics the student and faculty members agree upon that will enhance their first-year learning. Concentration field experiences and their relationship to concentration year field competencies will also be discussed. Prerequisite: SOWK 4251 .

SOWK 4253 Concentration Seminar III (1 Credit)

This course is taken by MSW@Denver students concurrently with the concentration year field practicum and the concentration year required courses. The purpose of this course is to integrate the concentration field experience and concentration year course work to prepare students for employment as professional social workers. Clinical issues and skill development at a more advanced clinical level will be integrated into the seminar format as well as topics the student and faculty members agree upon that will enhance their first-year learning. Concentration field experiences and their relationship to concentration year field competencies will also be discussed. Prerequisite: SOWK 4252 .

SOWK 4260 Contemporary Social Work Issues in Western Colorado (3 Credits)

In this hybrid seminar course, students will learn about the disproportionate burdens of environmental injustices in communities across the Western Slope of Colorado. From a social justice and human rights perspective, students will critically explore, analyze and discuss current environmental health disparities and relevant social work interventions. Students will review environmental health and environmental justice theories and perspectives as they bear on place-based case studies from the region. Students will use contemporary media and relevant web 2.0 platforms, including social media to demonstrate understanding of applied e-advocacy social work practice while exploring such case studies.

SOWK 4299 Advanced Standing Seminar (3 Credits)

The seminar reviews knowledge, skills and values that form the basis of GSSW concentration year curricula in clinical practice, community practice and policy practice. The seminar combines content planned by instructors with individualized guided study and planning for field instruction based on student self-assessments. Prerequisite: Admission to advanced standing program.

SOWK 4302 Advanced Evidence for Practice (3 Credits)

This course engages continuing social work students in further developing skills for using research evidence in social work practice. These skills support social workers’ need to engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice, as well as facilitates access to resources in the evidence base to support all aspects of social work practice. This course invites students to consider the place of scientific inquiry and research evidence in the resolution of social problems at various levels (e.g. individual, group, organization, community, or societal). This course further develops student skills in identifying, analyzing, and applying empirical evidence to inform their social work practice. The course focuses on studies designed to examine the effectiveness of interventions, aids students in developing a familiarity with basic research concepts such as research design, internal validity and external validity, so that they may assess the utility of evidence for practice. Students also engage in critically examining available evidence for biases and relevance for the diverse array of clients, populations, and contexts with which they work.

SOWK 4303 Advanced Standing: Engaging Anti-oppressive Social Work (3 Credits)

This course examines the individual, family, community, and societal factors that are linked to the dehumanizing of people engaged with social work institutions. The course is intended to increase analytical skills in the context of individuals, families, organizations, and communities in the preparation for engaging in anti-oppressive practices in micro and macro social work processes. This course uses an ecological systems approach to introduce students to the dynamics of power related to social problems and social action and its impact on social work’s engagement with human communities and the environment.

SOWK 4305 Child Maltreatment: Causes and Developmental Consequences (3 Credits)

This course examines theory and research concerning causes and developmental consequences of child maltreatment, as well as theory and research concerning attachment and the developmental consequences of separation and loss that often follow intervention in child maltreatment.

SOWK 4315 Critical Theories of Child and Adolescent Development (3 Credits)

This course provides students with knowledge of critical theories of child and adolescent development. The course focuses on understanding development in context, considering the concepts of trauma, damage, resilience, potential, difference, resources, and healing. Ecological factors, including systemic conditions, that are deleterious to development and those that promote healthy development will be considered. The role of oppression in enabling or constraining children and adolescents’ progressive developmental trajectories will be highlighted.

SOWK 4320 Family Systems Theories for Social Work Practices (3 Credits)

This course introduces systems theory as it is applied to family contexts which may include traditional therapeutic settings, home-based practices, parenting approaches, family religious/spiritual strength and conflict, and transgenerational family processes. Emphasis is given to the integration of theory, practice, and skill development. Students will also explore family organization and development and family subsystems, as they apply to assessment, case conceptualization, and intervention from a family systems perspective with clients, individuals, couples, families, organizations, constituencies, and communities. This course analyzes intersecting issues of power, privilege, and oppression, and requires that students examine their own personal characteristics, preferences, experiences, biases, predispositions, and affective reactions that influence the professional relationship.

SOWK 4323 Psychopharmacology (1 Credit)

This course is intended for social work students who plan to work in mental health and health care settings. Students will be introduced to a basic understanding of neurobiology and pharmacotherapy addressing the more common DSM-5 diagnoses. Key medications, including indications, symptom management, and side effects will be addressed. Students will be introduced to the most common medications that providers in medicine and psychiatry use to help improve clients’ functioning. The course will provide the basics of the language used to discuss pharmacotherapy and will improve students’ ability to interact with prescribers in order to improve care and coordination. The course will emphasize the role of the social worker in alerting medical providers to adverse side effects experienced by the clients, as well as improvement or lack thereof. Critical thinking about pharmacotherapy will emphasize that a good differential diagnostic process must precede any attempt to prescribe medication, just as it precedes the selection of a psychotherapeutic modality. The course will also explore cultural and ethical considerations around the prescription of psychotropic medications.

SOWK 4325 Evolving Perspectives and Trends in Health and Wellness (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the frameworks that inform social work practice in the area of health and wellness. The broad concept of health is examined for its understanding and meaning in communities and cultures along with the historical and conceptual bases of public health. There is a focus on understanding racism in health and the impact of health inequities for historically marginalized and oppressed communities. While studying evolving trends in health, a range of topics are covered including a systems perspective along with the integration of health, mental health & wellness. There is a focus on health equity, the social determinants of health, prevention, wellness, complementary and alternative practices with an emphasis on social work’s role as change agents working towards solutions and promoting equity.

SOWK 4330 Assessment of Mental Health in Adults (3 Credits)

Focuses on the assessment of psychological, social and biological contributors to mental health disorders in adults and the use of this assessment as a guide for treatment/clinical interventions. Examines the strengths and weaknesses of the DSM-IV classification system in terms of social work values and ethics. Examines symptoms, theories of etiology, treatment interventions and prognosis within each diagnostic category, and reviews a variety of assessment tools in the context of gender, ethnicity, cultural diversity, sexual orientation and historically oppressed and/or disadvantaged populations.

SOWK 4334 Assessment of Mental Health in Children and Adolescents (3 Credits)

This course focuses on the assessment of psychological, social and biological contributors to mental health disorders in children and adolescents and the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as a guide for mental health assessment. The course examines the strengths and weaknesses of the DSM-5 classification system for children and adolescents, especially in the context of culture and social work values. It examines symptoms, theories of etiology, and prognosis within each diagnostic category and reviews diagnostic challenges in the context of gender, ethnicity, cultural diversity, sexual orientation and historically oppressed and/or disadvantaged children and adolescents.

SOWK 4338 Assessment of Mental Health Across the Lifespan (3 Credits)

This course focuses on the assessment of psychological, social and biological contributors to mental health disorders in children, youth, adults, and older adults and the use of this assessment as a guide for treatment/clinical interventions. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of the DSM-5 classification system in the context of social work values and ethics. It examines symptoms, theories of etiology, treatment interventions and prognosis within each diagnostic category and reviews a variety of assessment tools in the context of gender identity and expression, ethnicity, cultural diversity, sexual orientation and historically oppressed and/or disadvantaged population.

SOWK 4340 Leadership and Supervision Skills (3 Credits)

This course examines the application of leadership and supervision theories to practice settings in communities, organizations and policy contexts. A focus is placed on leadership roles and an examination of leadership styles, with an emphasis on the skills of transformational leadership and supervision. Topics covered include team leadership and supervision, one to one supervision skills, managing conflict, personnel management, and cross cultural work.

SOWK 4345 Intersections of Mental Health, Substance Use and, Trauma (3 Credits)

This course is an advanced theory for practice course with builds upon foundation courses in Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) and clinical theories, and covers conceptualization, dynamics of, and interventions in mental health, substance use, and trauma. The course examines the independent and intersecting theory bases of mental health, trauma and substance use approaches. It also explores recent evidence about individual and environmental risks associated with these conditions and evidence about both specific therapeutic interventions and the importance of common relational factors. Social workers make up one of the largest professional groups working with clients living with mental health concerns, and bring a unique person-in-environment and strengths perspective to that work, which fits well with a recovery philosophy. Clinical frameworks and interventions common across these fields, such as harm reduction, motivational interviewing, self-determination theory, and the transtheoretical model of changes are presented, and students are introduced to integrative approaches that show promise in responding to client conditions.

SOWK 4350 Evolving Perspectives and Trends in Aging (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of how theories of aging inform the role of social workers with older adults and their families across a range of service settings, including emerging fields of practice. The course examines multiple perspectives on the late life adult years, spanning the period from middle adulthood and on into late life, including: historical, biological, psychological, social, cross-cultural, and spiritual theories and related empirical evidence. While addressing evolving trends, the importance of difference, and ethical implications the topical issues include: work and retirement; economic status; residence and housing location; education and learning styles; interpersonal relationships with partners, families, and peers; creativity, spirituality, and religiosity; political beliefs and ideologies (including the formation, maintenance and alteration of prejudice and racism); the experience of chronic illness, disability, and death; and wisdom attained during adulthood and aging.

SOWK 4355 Genocide: A Social Justice Issue (3 Credits)

Genocide is both the gravest of crimes under international law and the ultimate violation of human rights. After the Holocaust during WWII, a strong cry of “never again” became the symbol for the world’s desire to stop genocide and other crimes against humanity. Unfortunately genocides and other atrocities continue to happen around the globe, including during our present day. This course will study the role that nationalism, propaganda, the media and film have played and continue to play in genocide. We will study how these factors played out in Armenia, the Holocaust, Rwanda and Bosnia, as well as the current situation with the Rohingya people. The role of the United Nations will be studied. We will seek to understand the role of power, privilege and oppression as well as political forces in defining a crime against humanity as a genocide or not. The stages of genocide will be studied and applied to current situations around the globe, including the United States of America. We will pay close attention to how mass atrocities end as well as how they might be prevented.

SOWK 4360 Social-Ecological Resilience: Connecting Human and Environmental Wellbeing (3 Credits)

Social-Ecological Resilience: Connecting Human and Environmental Wellbeing is a required theory-for-practice course in the Sustainable Development and Global Practice concentration. This course builds a social ecology perspective that emphasizes integrated social-ecological systems as a necessary theoretical framework for understanding the inter-connectedness of human health, wellbeing and resilience with that of other species and the natural environment. This course reviews and analyzes theoretical concepts and models for contextualizing the important social and ecological issues impacting our global environment as well as the societal implications of global environmental change. Using an integrated social science approach that highlights regenerative development as a paradigm that acknowledges the interdependence and interconnection between humans and the more-than-human world, social workers practicing in local and global communities will be prepared to implement effective, strengths-based solutions to support sustainable development and capacity-building efforts at various scales. This course promotes systems and critical thinking and develops a knowledge base for resilience-oriented prevention and intervention strategies, environmental awareness, sense of belonging in a social-ecological community, adaptation and advocacy.

SOWK 4361 Adapting and Implementing Interventions (3 Credits)

Although evidence-based practice has been increasingly integrated in social work practice, the growing area of implementation science is relatively new. An important part of implementation science is the process of deciding whether, and how, to implement an intervention. Existing interventions do not well serve all communities and service settings. The course begins with an introduction to implementation science, emphasizing the role of research practices that engage communities in the data collection and implementation process. The course focuses more deeply on using data collection strategies to inform practice-relevant adaptation and implementation research questions with communities including: 1) whether an existing intervention is a good fit for a specific community or context, 2) whether an adaptation or a completely new intervention is warranted, and 3) how to adapt an intervention. This project-based course includes the opportunity for students to focus on individual, family, organizational, or community-focused interventions. Students learn basic skills in specific data collection strategies including conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Over the course of the quarter, students will select an adaptation research question, design a study, pilot a data collection strategy, and identify implementation supports for their intervention.

SOWK 4362 EmBODYed Practice: Ethical Approaches to Fatness and the Body (3 Credits)

Weight-based discrimination is a significant source of social inequity (e.g., economic, healthcare, educational). This class explores body-based oppressions through a lens of weight stigma, body image, & body liberation. Course topics include weight stigma & eating disorders, weight science & associations between weight & health, neoliberal origins of the healthism, racial origins of fat phobia, queering & cripping fatness, indigenous perspectives on embodiment, size-inclusive care, & ethical responses to weight stigma. Students will participate in a photo-voice reflection project to increase awareness of fat discrimination, tell their own body story using traditional or digital mediums, participate in a book club, & write an "ethics brief" documenting their approach to body diversity within the scope of their professional practice.

SOWK 4370 Community and Organizational Change: Theory for Practice (3 Credits)

This course presents key theoretical frameworks for students to be informed and innovative in responding to changing community, organizational and societal contexts. Theories of social change are presented that can assist social work leaders in promoting positive social change in the lives of vulnerable populations through the development of policy, community interventions and human services organizations. Students apply theories to understanding organizational change and innovation and the promotion of social and economic justice through community and policy practice.

SOWK 4390 Cultural and Linguistic Competency in Integrated Behavioral Health (3 Credits)

This course provides students with the skill and tools to deliver culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate services to diverse, vulnerable populations in Integrated Behavioral Health. The course builds on concepts taught in the foundational Power, Privilege, and Oppression course (prerequisite) and integrates key foundational concepts of the Intercultural Development Continuum (Hammer, 2009). Prerequisite: SOWK 4132 and SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4401 Integrated Health Care: Models and Practice (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the knowledge, skills and theory of integrated health care social work practice, where physical and behavioral health services are most often provided in a primary care medical environment. Students will learn roles/functions of the behavioral health professional and their effectiveness as a member of the collaborative care team. Incorporating knowledge of evidence-based practice models of care and behavior change theory, they will increase their practice abilities to effectively work at an advanced level of skill as an integrated care behavioral health provider. Strategies and skills in patient engagement, motivational enhancement and advocacy will be taught through case studies and group activities. Cultural competency and effective care planning in an integrated healthcare environment will be emphasized.

SOWK 4410 Prevention & Treatment of Adolescent Substance Abuse (3 Credits)

This course examines causal factors and theories that seek to explain why some adolescents develop problems with alcohol and other drugs. Effective substance abuse prevention and treatment approaches are identified at the individual, family, school and community level.

SOWK 4412 Practice Elements in Interventions with Children and Youth (3 Credits)

This course offers an integrative framework of theory and research to intervene with children and adolescents in school, family, and community-based agencies. Interventions include both direct work with children and collaborative/conjoint work with parents. Techniques include common elements across empirically-supported interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavioral treatment, client centered treatment, social skills training, and parent management training. Intervention strategies are described across four primary problem areas common among children/adolescents: anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior, and attention deficit disorder. For each of these problem areas, intervention techniques are demonstrated, practiced in class, implemented in field placements, and monitored for client progress. The use of empirically-supported interventions is discussed from a multidimensional perspective with consideration for cultural context and adaptations necessary for particular client groups.

SOWK 4413 Virtual Field Experience Seminar I (1-4 Credits)

Virtual Field Experience is a non-traditional experiential online course, designed to build social work competencies through participation in purposeful simulation events that mirror real-life situations, and which are nested within a simulated agency environment. Simulations tackle broad complex competencies by partializing them into component skills and developing those skills in a graduated/scaffolded manner. Students will develop significant applied skills prior to beginning a live agency field placement.

SOWK 4414 Virtual Field Experience Seminar II (1-4 Credits)

Virtual Field Experience is a non-traditional experiential online course, designed to build social work competencies through participation in purposeful simulation events that mirror real-life situations, and which are nested within a simulated agency environment. Simulations tackle broad complex competencies by partializing them into component skills and developing those skills in a graduated/scaffolded manner. Students will develop significant applied skills prior to actually beginning a live agency field placement. Prerequisite: SOWK 4413 .

SOWK 4416 Foster Care and Permanency Planning (3 Credits)

This course presents strategies for culturally competent assessment and intervention with children who are in foster care, adoption, or with their families. It focuses on permanency planning, involving extended families in making case decisions and caring for children, family reunification, relinquishment of children for adoption, termination of parental rights, preparing children and parents for adoption or guardianship, working with young adults nearing emancipation, and providing post-adoption/guardianship services. Prerequisites: SOWK 4305 and SOWK 4600 or permission of the instructor.

SOWK 4418 Child Welfare Practice: Assessment & Intervention (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the continuum of care of child welfare practice from entry to exit. The course uses an evidence-based approach taking a comprehensive look at child welfare services through a culturally responsive and multi-systemic lens. It presents strategies for culturally competent assessment and intervention with children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system focusing on engaging families in assessment, service, and permanency planning. The course is required for students in the child welfare track. The prerequisite is SOWK 4600 (Child Welfare Policy and Services, or permission from the instructor.

SOWK 4419 Rural Child Welfare Practice: Assessment and Intervention (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the continuum of care of rural child welfare practice from entry to exit. The course will provide students with a brief overview of the history of child welfare and relevant major federal legislation that impacts child welfare practice. The course uses an evidence-based and theoretical approach taking a comprehensive look at child welfare services through a culturally responsive and multi-systemic lens. It presents strategies for culturally competent assessment and intervention with children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system focusing on engaging families in assessment, service, and permanency planning. It focuses on the unique challenges of child welfare practice in rural counties across America. The course is required for students receiving the Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend in the Four Corners, Western Colorado, or Online MSW programs. It is an elective option for Denver campus students.

SOWK 4420 Multisystemic Social Work Practice and Advocacy with Families (3 Credits)

This course facilitates the development of family systems practice skills with clients, individuals, couples, families, organizations, constituencies, and communities. This course focuses on the development of multisystemic strategies and techniques utilizing family systems theory as part of the ongoing process of engagement, assessment, and preliminary interventions. It emphasizes the integration of research, theory, and practice through experiential learning and skill building. Students will learn strategies and techniques through role play demonstrations practicing intake/assessment/goal setting, preliminary intervention development, and professional documentation. Students will be asked to discuss their own “use of self” development throughout the class and reflect on personal bias, cultural bias, assumptions, values and affective reactions that may influence the relationship with client systems or constituencies. Prerequisite: SOWK 4320 .

SOWK 4425 Positive Youth Development Programming (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the positive youth development (PYD) approach to working with young people diverse in age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, socioeconomic status, geographic location/neighborhood, religion/faith and culture. Many services provided for young people focus on reducing societally-deemed negative outcomes such as teen parenthood, violence, substance use, and school dropout. Instead of focusing on deficits or reducing problem behaviors, the PYD approach reframes the historical pathological approach to treating deviance and focuses on youth’s strengths and building assets and skills. PYD programming employs an intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive. It promotes positive outcomes by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and harnessing youth leadership. The PYD approach draws attention to opportunity gaps that social workers can address in partnership with young people. Students in this course will design an innovative PYD program, taking into account how such an approach to social work practice can be applied across different community settings to promote young people’s well-being.

SOWK 4430 Substance Use Interventions (3 Credits)

There is widespread recognition that substance use is one of America's most pressing social problems. Social workers increasingly find themselves attempting to help individuals and families resolve substance use problems, as well as directly or indirectly related issues. This course introduces students to current and emerging substance use treatment approaches so they can conduct their practices from an informed perspective.

SOWK 4435 Grassroots Organizing for Social Justice (3 Credits)

This course examines grassroots approaches to community organizing and social change for social justice. Topics include: power and empowerment theory, insider/outsider considerations, development of critical consciousness and popular education techniques for organizing, history and genealogy of community organizing and social movements related to social work, direct action tactics and strategies, arts-based organizing, campaign development, and ethics and skills for working with diverse communities.

SOWK 4445 Social Work Assessment and Intervention in Aging (3 Credits)

This course focuses on biological, neurological, psychological, social, spiritual, and environmental aspects of late life as a foundation for the delivery of assessments and interventions to older adults. This course presents information on demographic projections, population trends, and theoretical perspectives that inform gerontological social work practice. This class additionally focuses on the unique nature of social work with this diverse population including a continuum of care services for older adults, interdisciplinary nature of helping services, dynamic nature of aging for multiple vulnerable older adults such as those facing institutionalized oppression, and specific attention to elder wellness.

SOWK 4454 Child and Adolescent Trauma (3 Credits)

This course introduces students to the common concepts (general theory and foundational knowledge), components (intervention and treatment elements) and skills (practitioner skills) underlying evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. Trauma is broadly defined, and includes children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events including, but not limited to natural disasters, war, abuse and neglect, medical trauma, witnessing interpersonal crime (e.g. intimate partner violence), and other traumatic events. The course highlights the role of development, culture, and empirical evidence in trauma-specific interventions with children, adolescents, and their families. It addresses the level of functioning of primary care giving environments and assesses the capacity of the community to facilitate restorative processes. The course focuses on assessment and intervention as a foundation for subsequent learning about treatment. This course incorporates the new National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) core curriculum on child trauma (CCCT). The course conveys the crucial evidence-based concepts, components, and skills designed by NCTSN to strengthen competency in assessment, referral, and treatment.

SOWK 4465 Human Security (3 Credits)

Human security is a new paradigm for understanding complex global vulnerabilities. Human security goes beyond traditional notions of national security and highlights the security of the individual rather than that of the nation state. Human security uses a person, entitlement and human rights centered view of security. It is essential for national, regional and global stability and sustainability. In defining human security, the United Nations stressed “the right of all people to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty and despair”, and recognized that “all individuals, in particular vulnerable people, are entitled to freedom from fear and freedom from want, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights and fully develop their human potential” (A/RES/60/1). “Human security aims at ensuring the survival, livelihood and dignity of people in response to current and emerging threats - threats that are widespread and cross cutting. Such threats are not limited to those living in absolute poverty or conflict.” (UN-OCHA) Today, the impacts of natural disasters, climate change and other forms of environmental change, and global economic crises, among others, are considered to threaten human security in developing as well as developed countries. The increasing numbers of internal violent conflicts, forced migration, natural disasters and environmental degradation have resulted in national and international security failings that reflect the challenges of the post-Cold War security environment. The failure of mainstream development models to generate growth, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), or to deal with the consequences of complex new threats (e.g., HIV/AIDS, climate change, social and economic inequality) reinforced the sense that international institutions and states are not organized to address such problems in an integrated way. Social workers focusing on human, social and economic issues in global settings will use various human development strategies and other capacity-building approaches in practice. This course will develop students’ skills in human and social development strategies, sustainable livelihood and conflict management strategies, and other capacity-building community strategies, and fosters a solid understanding of the programmatic and practical requirements for human security in a global context.

SOWK 4480 Social Justice in Mental Health (3 Credits)

This course builds skills in identifying, analyzing, and attempting to remedy social justice challenges in mental health practice. These challenges include practices that risk marginalizing, oppressing or doing other harm to people with mental health challenges. Using research, theory, and extensive case studies, the course reviews perceived conflicts between clinical social work’s focus on mental health practice and the larger social work profession’s commitment to social justice. The course then provides an overview of mental health practices that raise ethical and social justice issues, reviews the justifications provided for such practices, and examines the efforts of critics to change them. Special attention is paid to controversial practices with vulnerable populations such as children, older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and sexual minorities.

SOWK 4500 Foundations of Play Therapy with Young Children (3 Credits)

This course offers an integrative framework of theory and research to understand and intervene in the major mental health problems experienced by children. This course is also designed as an introductory experience to play therapy. Interventions include both direct work with children and collaborative/conjoint work with parents. Play therapy techniques include both directive and non-directive approaches including but not limited to child-centered play therapy and cognitive-behavioral interventions. Children’s development is considered from a multidimensional perspective including cultural context, risk and protective factors, and the development of psychopathology with an emphasis on early and middle childhood.

SOWK 4501 Wellness Assessment & Promotion Across the Lifespan (3 Credits)

This course builds students’ skills and strategies to enhance wellness for individuals, organizations and communities. Students will explore differences and beliefs related to health and wellness in both their internal/personal experience and in social work practice. The western medical industrial complex of ableism and “moral and physical fitness” is focused on illness treatment. In contrast, holistic health models of assessment focus on wellness promotion. Course topics include soul and nature based human development models, Eastern and Indigenous medicine models, and traditional or evidenced based wellness frameworks. Students, use complementary and holistic approaches to assess and address gaps found in public health data, community health, organizational and public policies. The course emphasizes the application of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, professional ethics and values, and the role of social workers as change agents in creating solutions for public health issues at micro, mezzo and macro levels.

SOWK 4505 Relationship Therapy (3 Credits)

This course focuses on assessment, problem/solution path identification, intervention strategies and outcome evaluation in counseling heterosexual, gay and lesbian couples. Identifies common relationship patterns and explores intervention strategies including behavioral, strategic, structural, narrative, transpersonal and feminist. Also covered are issues such as conflict management, relationship enhancement, intimacy, power and control, domestic abuse, infidelity and divorce. Students will analyze the intersecting issues of oppression: sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism and ageism.

SOWK 4520 Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice with Families (3 Credits)

This course is an advanced skill-based course that extends students' knowledge and application of family systems therapy. The course engages the activate participation of students in role-play scenarios and the discussion and deconstruction of actual cases enhancing their developing skills as family therapists-in-training. In this course, students have the opportunity to plan and implement an entire course of treatment for a family. This allows the development of a conceptual understanding of family therapy practice, treatment skills and interventions, and utilization of self-as-therapist that influences the therapeutic system. Students have multiple opportunities to practice family interventions and receive feedback from both classmates and the instructor through the use of the clinical family therapy methods of ‘live supervision’ and ‘reflecting teams’. Students will experience the connection between theory and practice and learn to integrate multiple theories. Issues related to transference, culture based countertransference, resistance, and working with involuntary clients are discussed. Advanced Clinical Social Work Skills with Families builds on the family systems theory and practice applications learned in the required family systems concentration courses and expands students’ opportunity to apply theory to cases in diverse practice and client situations. An emphasis is placed on the development of personal theory, professional development, and therapeutic change/outcome as it relates to common factors in family therapy. This course also builds upon SOWK 4505 : Relationship Therapy and aspects unique to couple’s therapy. Prerequisites: SOWK 4320 and SOWK 4420 .

SOWK 4521 Advanced Skills for Working with Military Families (3 Credits)

The class is designed to give students an understanding of the issues military families face and how to apply that understanding to clinical interventions with military families. It also investigates individual service member concerns, spousal/partner relationships, and family dynamics surrounding deployment, active duty, and returning home permanently or between deployments.

SOWK 4523 Care Management Skills and Resources to Promote Community Living (3 Credits)

Many individuals and their families of all ages cope with physical and mental health conditions that impede their ability to live in the community. A vast array of formal and informal resources, public programs, and privately funded services can promote community living. Social workers often provide care management to enhance access, coordinate care, and ensure equality of these long-term services and supports. This course will develop students' skill at care management and knowledge of resources, including resources for persons with developmental disabilities, chronic mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and age-related functional impairments.

SOWK 4530 Poverty and Community Economic Development (3 Credits)

This is an advanced community practice class focused on poverty, low-income neighborhoods and local economic development. The class begins with a thorough review of the scholarly literature related to poverty, sustainability, and the concentration of poverty in low-income neighborhoods. Then, public and private responses to poverty are examined. The class focuses on both governmental policies and programs supported by the private sector. Next, the class turns to local responses to the concentration of poverty in low-income neighborhoods. The class focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of programs and interventions aimed at community economic development in low-income neighborhoods.

SOWK 4535 Planning and Program Development (3 Credits)

This course prepares students to engage in strategic planning and program development roles and practice within a social work community, organizational, or policy practice setting. Students in this course gain knowledge in the principles of planning, social enterprise, the engagement of stakeholders in planning processes, community collaboration and the elements of designing and implementing programs. Students have the opportunity to put this knowledge base into practice by developing a comprehensive program proposal applying the skills of strategic thinking, planning, critically evaluating research informed practice and practice informed research. In addition, students engage in communicating professional judgment in both written and oral formats.

SOWK 4545 Social Work Practice with LGBTQIA Communities (3 Credits)

This values course will facilitate students’ exploration of their own perceptions, biases, and belief systems with regards to the broad topic of LGBTQIA identities and communities. A values perspective encourages students to reflect on their personal, professional, cultural and political perceptions of these identities. This course will explore the social construction of sexual orientation and gender identity, examine the idea of binaries, engage in historical analysis of LGBTQIA histories, and will familiarize students with legal and societal barriers and challenges facing members of the LGBTQIA community. Students will learn definitions around these identities, learn more about the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender, and utilize critical theoretical perspectives. Students will engage in critical dialogue around the representation of LGBTQIA people in our culture and media. Utilizing a person-in-environment perspective, students will look at the Social Work Code of Ethics as it relates to LGBTQIA individuals, explore various facets of self-determination, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, the role of family, friends and community, and how power, privilege and oppression may impact the lives of LGBTQIA people. Lastly, students will synthesize this information to envision how their social work practice will be inclusive of LGTBQIA individuals and communities, including those who hold other marginalized identities. Prerequisite: SOWK 4132 or SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4555 Spirituality and Social Work (3 Credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a nondiscriminatory framework of knowledge to respond competently and ethically to populations with diverse spiritual perspectives and religious cultures in social work practice. This social justice-informed course underlines and respects the diversity of all spiritualities with special attention to spiritual populations historically marginalized and neglected by Eurocentric assumptions common to social work. This course builds on the generalist approach of our foundation curriculum and integrates theories of multiculturalism, human development, and identity development while exploring how individuals view spirituality and religion as they move through the life cycle. Drawing on the work of Edward Canda, Ken Pargament and Froma Walsh, the course will explore definitions of spirituality and religion, survey methods of approaching spiritually sensitive bio-psycho-social assessments, and examine culturally and spiritually sensitive social work interventions. Class activities will emphasize dialogue, reflection, exploration and experiential learning in order to develop a balanced framework for navigating spiritually and religion in practice settings with individuals, groups, families, communities and organizations. In this course, students will gain self-awareness and learn how their own cultural and spiritual perspectives have shaped their worldview and professional sense of self. It is assumed that students enrolling in this course will bring an interest in learning about the many facets of spirituality. As such, students will be asked to explore their own ideology of spirituality as it relates to their professional identity and practice effectiveness. Prerequisite: SOWK 4132 or SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4565 Social and Environmental Impact Assessments (3 Credits)

Social and environmental impact assessments are important tools for analyzing and managing both the intended and unintended consequences of development projects on human and ecological systems in order to bring about a more equitable and sustainable social ecological system. This class will incorporate an understanding of the history and concepts of the three levels of impact assessments (micro, mezzo, and macro) into the research process that is the core of social impact assessments. Students will be able to prepare and evaluate social ecological impact assessments through learning to identify and define problems, select theoretical frameworks appropriate to the problem, identify research questions, design a study appropriate for the identified questions, gather and analyze data, and write the final assessment. Particular attention will be paid to assessing the effects of interventions on vulnerable populations. Other topics will focus on the practical aspects of project team selection and management, timelines, and the communication of findings to stakeholders.

SOWK 4600 Child Welfare History & Policies (3 Credits)

This course examines contemporary U.S. child welfare policies in historical perspective, focusing on prevention, report and investigation of child abuse and neglect, as well as family preservation, out-of-home care, adoption and services for troubled adolescents. Also evaluated are the impact of policies and proposals for change in policies, considering empirical evidence, values and ethics. Provides a framework to analyze policy choices and encourages students to advocate for needed policy changes.

SOWK 4610 Policies and Programs for Children and Youth (3 Credits)

This course examines the history and evolution of social policies and programs targeting high-risk youth. Students will seek to critically analyze the effects of current and recent policies in the context of youth offending and other adolescent problem behaviors. Prerequisite: SOWK 4120 or SOWK 4299 .

SOWK 4630 Family Policies and Services (3 Credits)

Identifies challenges contemporary American families are experiencing and presents strategies for developing policies and services to meet these challenges. Examines specific policies and services that most affect families, as well as broader questions concerning power and its distribution, allocation of resources and the role of government in promoting individual and family well-being. Prerequisite: SOWK 4120 or SOWK 4299 .

SOWK 4635 Immigration Policies and Services (3 Credits)

This course identifies challenges for immigrants and presents strategies for developing policies and services to meet these challenges. It not only examines specific policies and services that most affect immigrants but also considers broader questions concerning power and its distribution, allocation of resources, and the role of government in promoting individual and family well-being. This is a concentration policy course for all concentrations.

SOWK 4640 Mental Health and Substance Use Policies (3 Credits)

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of policies related to mental health and/or substance use, their historical antecedents, and the socio-political forces that influence their development. This course also introduces students to emerging controversies concerning these policies.

SOWK 4641 An Introduction to Prison-Industrial Complex Abolition (3 Credits)

Grace Lee Boggs said we must “transform ourselves to transform the world,” and this course is rooted in this belief. Prison-industrial complex (PIC) abolition is a philosophy, a daily practice, and an organizing strategy. It requires us to examine our default frameworks (built by settler colonialism, racial capitalism, and white supremacy) for relating to one another, and to create entirely new ways of being with and caring for one another. My aim is to co-create a space with all of you where we can think collectively and speak boldly about how, as the writer, performer, and activist Morgan Bassichis states, “The very systems we are working to dismantle live inside of us.” It’s easier to look outward and critique an institution/system than it is to look inward and be honest about—and work to disassemble— the dangerous carceral logics embedded in our.

SOWK 4642 Global Trauma (3 Credits)

Social workers often find themselves working with people who have experienced, endured, and survived traumatic events such as terrorist attacks, sexual violence, refugee camps, food scarcity, and war. People are fleeing their homes and communities, most often unwillingly, due to forced migration, war, food insecurity, and environmental degradation. Some are unable to leave and are continuously retraumatized. All of this has resulted in increasing numbers of people experiencing trauma on a collective and global scale. Most of this is not new but it is exacerbated by current events, including a global pandemic. This course examines ways in which people collectively experience trauma and the impact on them within their cultural context. The context of peoples’ lives will be examined and the unique impact of collective trauma on children will be explored. This course is designed to challenge assumptions about those who have experienced collective trauma and the meaning they place on their experiences. We will also explore the role of international and national policies and communities in causing situations that result in collective trauma as well as their response to it. The role of social work in prevention, advocacy, and intervention will be explored. Resilience of survivors will be studied and the need for self-care will be incorporated into this course.

SOWK 4643 Digital Justice in Social Work (3 Credits)

Should internet access be a universal right? What will be the next “internet”? And what does social work have to do with any of this? Transformation or revolution, the digitalization of the human project is progressing rapidly and demands of social work’s leadership and contributions. As tele-practice evolves across industry, social workers not only require a specific skill set to meet consumer and service delivery demand, but a mindset and approach prepared for an uncertain, innovative, and networked future. This includes the evolution of power, privilege, and oppression and what inclusion and equity mean in a digital ecosystem. This course will explore the possibilities of digital social work practice and opportunities for micro, mezzo, and macro change, while providing students with constructs and strategies for promoting equity.

SOWK 4645 Health Care Policy (3 Credits)

This policy course provides an overview of health care policy as it is relevant to social work practice in multiple health and behavioral care settings. With the advent of health care reform and the implementation and operationalization of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), there are rapidly changing policy issues related to this innovative integration and delivery of health care services. Students in this course critically analyze the practice of policy in this new and quickly evolving service arena. This course explores key health policy strategies to foster integrated delivery system development and sustainability in line with health policy goals to reduce cost of care, improve population health and improve quality of integrated care services, with special emphasis on the integration of primary care, behavioral health services and wellness/health promotion initiatives. Strategies for students to influence policies and promote change in the interest of the individual/family/community, agency/organization and the communities they serve are presented. Critical thinking skills in developing and analyzing proposals to improve integrated health policy are encouraged. The course builds on policy content offered in the professional foundation year and links policy to practice and research skills.

SOWK 4650 Aging Policy (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of social policy and service delivery issues in gerontology. It includes a critical review of rapidly developing policy issues, as well as an overview of U.S. health care and social service delivery systems serving older adults. The course encourages students to participate in critical analysis of issues and to develop and analyze innovative proposals to improve policy and programs for older adults. This course fulfills the policy requirement for the Aging Services and Policy concentration.

SOWK 4655 Mental Health and Health Care Policy (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of social policy and service delivery issues in mental health and health care, with emphasis on achieving quality and addressing disparities. It includes a critical review of United States’ historic and developing policy issues, as well as mental health and health care financing and delivery systems and other key issues in the field. Students will participate in critical analysis of issues and will examine various proposals to improve mental health and health care policy and programs. Prerequisite: SOWK 4120 or SOWK 4299 .

SOWK 4660 Social Policy Advocacy (3 Credits)

Facilitates student learning within policy-making arenas. Students are paired with health and social service agencies and coalitions to assist in agenda-setting, legislative research, and issue-advocacy development and implementation in the state legislature and bureaucracy.

SOWK 4670 Policy Development & Analysis (3 Credits)

Focuses on the development and analysis of social welfare policy. Reviews the structure of the policy-making and implementation process, and examines perspectives on the definition of social problems and approaches to the development and analysis of social welfare policies. Students apply the perspectives and frameworks as they analyze a specific social problem and policy directed toward it, identify needed change in policy, select place and strategy for change in policy, and communicate knowledge to central actors in the policy-making and implementation process. Prerequisite: SOWK 4120 or SOWK 4299 .

SOWK 4680 Native Peoples Practice: History and Policy (3 Credits)

This course is designed as the background to practice with Native Peoples. It will explore the relationship between theory and practice, socio-economic, political, and health issues, and the dynamics of changes in reservation and urban Native communities. Historical trauma, federal policies, impacting Native people, and laws and regulations that impact social service delivery will be reviewed. Social services delivery systems will be analyzed with the uniqueness of the cultural parameters of tribal communities. Guest lecturers from tribal communities may partner with faculty to teach the course. Prerequisites: SOWK 4132 .

SOWK 4681 Cultural Connectedness: A Journey Into Native American Country (3 Credits)

This course provides an immersion experience into the Native American cultures of the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Navajo Nation tribes. It provides a mixture of experiential and academic learning based on a community-learning model. The course begins with orientation at GSSW and/or the Four Corners Social Work program in Durango, Colorado. The course is open to foundation, advanced standing, and concentration students. Students must have completed their first year of the academic program. Slots will be distributed proportionately to main campus, Glenwood Springs and Four Corners programs, with priority given to Four Corners students. This course is designed for students in all tracks who have an interest in understanding current and historical issues that impact social work practice with indigenous populations, particularly those who have suffered intergenerational legacies of oppression and genocide. The course will emphasize the development of cultural responsiveness in social work practice with populations who come from a different historical context where oppression and historical trauma have occurred.

SOWK 4682 Values for Social Work Practice Native Peoples (3 Credits)

This course addresses culturally responsive practices with Native individuals, families, and communities. The focus will be on the problem-solving processes across a variety of social systems within Native communities. Social problems that are common in tribal communities will be presented, equipping the student with awareness, a knowledge base, and multilevel practice skills, so that they can effectively engage professionally in Native communities. Students will explore the cultural expectations, understand cultural biases, and standards of practice necessary for assessment, interventions, and evaluation of ethical social work with Native Peoples. Tribal communities and cultures span a wide range of cultural histories, belief systems and practices creating a rich and individual cultural context. It is beyond the scope of this course to address all tribal cultures or a depth of knowledge about any one tribal community. However, foundational perspective that will include values, principles, assumptions and cultural beliefs shared by Native Peoples will be addressed. Given that many tribes experience similar spiritual, physical and mental health consequence as a result of historical and modern colonial violence, content on needed services and delivery systems that are applicable across most tribes, locations, and geographies will be presented. This course provides content relevant to Native Peoples living on their sovereign lands as well as those living in rural and urban areas occupied by the United States. At the end of this course, students will have appropriate skills, processes, and resources required to engage in their own discovery of cultural variations among tribes to address their Native client’s needs. Pre-requisite: SOWK 4680 : Native Peoples Practice: History and Policy.

SOWK 4700 Solution Focused Brief Therapy (3 Credits)

This course explores solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) and its application in a variety of settings and populations. Focusing on strategies for assessment, intervention, evaluation, and termination, the course applies solution-focused therapy to specific client systems, drawing on knowledge of appropriate techniques, sociocultural factors, and types of problems presented. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is an elective course in the Mental Health and Trauma Concentration and the Health Equity & Wellness Concentration.

SOWK 4705 Forensic Orientation in Social Work Practice: Assessment and Interventions with High-Risk Offenders (3 Credits)

Presents and applies a framework for assessing and intervening with offender populations. This risk and containment framework takes a community safety and victim-centered perspective and focuses on assessing and intervening with multiple systems surrounding offenders. The framework is then applied to specific interventions with domestic violence abuse offenders and with adult and adolescent sexual offenders.

SOWK 4710 Intimate Partner Violence (3 Credits)

This is a concentration year practice elective focusing on understanding, assessing, and intervening with domestic violence, understood as violence occurring in the context of intimate relationships. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the theoretical understanding and practice skills necessary to establish a beginning competence in assessing and intervening with domestic violence and in developing community, systemic, and policy responses.

SOWK 4712 Social Work & the Law (3 Credits)

Examines legal principles and procedures relevant to social work practice with families and children: structure and operation of the American legal system, principles to follow in conducting legal research, basic principles of constitutional law and law related to juvenile delinquency, child protection, child adoption, education and domestic relations. Covers legal aspects of social work practice including licensing, confidentiality and professional liability.

SOWK 4713 Interdisciplinary Approaches to School, Family and Community Prevention (3 Credits)

Behavioral health problems in childhood and adolescence take a heavy toll on millions of lives. These problems range widely – from anxiety and depression to alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse; delinquent and violent behavior; dropping out of school; and risky sexual activity and unwanted pregnancies. SOWK 4713 presents an overview of practices and policies aimed at preventing behavioral health problems in young people. Emphasis is placed on developing the practice and policy skills that are necessary to deliver preventive interventions and programs in schools, families, and communities. Students will select an effective program, learn the skills necessary to deliver the program, and then implement the program in a classroom setting. Class content will emphasize the importance of increasing the role of social work practitioners and social work values in the interdisciplinary field of prevention practice.

SOWK 4715 School Social Work Interventions (3 Credits)

Designed to give students the ability to identify, understand and apply the varied roles of school social worker. Examines politics of education, the educational organizational structure, special education law and process, collaborative teamwork with school and community professionals and intersystem case coordination. Emphasis placed on meeting the needs of special education populations through assessment, intervention and evaluation and on preventive programs for children and youth at risk for school failure, truancy and dropping out.

SOWK 4718 School Social Work Assessment and Realities (3 Credits)

This concentration course is the third in the School Social Work Certification. Both SOWK 4715 (School Social Work Interventions) and SOWK 4712 (Social Work and the Law) are prerequisites for this class. The class provides advanced skills in assessment pertinent to the school ecosystem. It also juxtaposes these skills with field trips to several schools to interact with School Social Workers in a variety of settings and work roles to understand how these assessments are used in the school setting. The course emphasizes the written tasks and social work skills that School Social Workers need to perform on a regular basis, as well as how these skills are used to help the student, family, and school environment. Prerequisites: SOWK 4712 and SOWK 4715 .

SOWK 4720 Prevention and Treatment of Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Violence (3 Credits)

Examines causal factors and theories that seek to explain why some adolescents engage in delinquent conduct and/or violent behavior. Effective delinquency and violence prevention and treatment approaches are identified at the individual, family, school and community levels.

SOWK 4721 Existential Social Work Practice (3 Credits)

The problems facing people can be understood in the context of situations and meanings they give to them. This course seeks to identify useful ways to clarify and validate the client's unique "world view", bypassing the many dangers and misuses of diagnostic categorization and empowering clients in relation to themselves and problem definition.

SOWK 4723 Social Work Practice in Health (3 Credits)

This course is designed to explore and develop advanced social work knowledge, skills and practice in diverse health care settings. It includes an examination of the social work role on interdisciplinary teams and how to impact change in the health care system and support positive health outcomes for patients and their families. There is an emphasis on patient and family-centered care and interprofessional collaborative practice to reflect social work values in various health settings by focusing on health literacy, evidence based clinical interventions, and responsive multi-cultural practice for acute and chronically ill patients and their families across the lifespan. Modules include content on bioethics, trauma informed care, grief and loss, self-compassion, and special contemporary topics relevant to a social justice approach to advance health and well-being.

SOWK 4725 Mind-Body Connections and Social Work Practice (3 Credits)

This course teaches skills for implementing mind-body techniques, models for wellness assessments, and evidence-based mind-body strategies for intervention in client and community problems. An evidence-based approach creates a foundation for: 1) understanding the mind-body connection that influences an individual’s and community’s physical, emotional, and social well-being and 2) the most efficacious methods for mind-body social work practice skills. Research evidence demonstrates that mind-body strategies are helpful for an array of concerns such as, military personnel with PTSD, adults with emotional regulation issues, academic concerns of stressed-urban youth, community mobilization, and emancipatory practice.

SOWK 4726 Experiential Therapy (3 Credits)

This course provides students with knowledge and skills to facilitate experiential-based therapy with children, youth, families and couples with a focus on environmentally sound practices. This is considered a service learning class since we are partnering with nature. Please wear comfortable clothes and comfortable closed toed shoes for all classes and bring a water bottle.

SOWK 4727 Experiential Therapy in Nature (3 Credits)

SOWK 4727 is a methods/skills course which provides students with knowledge and skills to facilitate experiential therapy with groups with a focus on environmentally sound practices in the outdoors.

SOWK 4730 Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (3 Credits)

This course examines major cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) suggesting methods focusing on clients' problem-solving abilities, building on client strengths, targeting specific thought patterns that impede clients from reaching goals, and assessing outcomes in terms of changes in thinking and behavior. Theory is applies to individuals, dyads, families, and groups. Additionally, this course examines relevant research suggesting both indication and counter-indications of approaches.

SOWK 4732 Disrupting Privilege through Anti-Oppressive Practice (3 Credits)

This course, building on the theoretical foundation in SOWK 4132 Multicultural Social Work Practice, examines the barriers to the professional use of self as an ally to historically disenfranchised groups, both in the context of day-to-day relationships with clients as well as in the context of community and macro-level interventions. The course is intended to assist in understanding the personal, situational, structural, and cultural influences that impede justice-oriented social work practice. The course supports students in developing strategies, skills, and approaches to anti-oppressive practice. Anti-oppressive social work practice is a range of practice approaches that adopt a critical and structural perspective on issues of social inequality, oppression, power, privilege, and domination. It encompasses approaches such as feminist, anti-racist, Afrocentric, disability practice, and critical social work frameworks to name a few (Campbell, 2003). It attends to both process and outcome (Dominelli, 1998), and links the provision of individual assistance to people from marginalized groups with involvement in social movements corresponding to the marginalization (Carniol, 2000). "The [anti-oppressive] framework enables links to be made between individual action and social structures. It informs practice by enabling the worker to evaluate differences that exist at an individual level and within society and how these impact on each other. It provides the means of making accurate assessments by taking into account the inequalities that texture the lives of those denied access to society's resources because of their defined social status and the exclusionary practices of the dominant system. It demands that we consistently engage in the process of critical self examination, which in turn enables us to engage in the process of change." (Dalrymple and Burke, 1995, p. 18). Prerequisites: SOWK 4132 or SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4735 Interpersonal Approaches to Counseling (3 Credits)

This course is an elective course which utilizes the interpersonal models of psychotherapy and neurobiology, drawing upon psychodynamic theories and techniques. The course examines traditional and contemporary psychotherapy theories and techniques. Interpersonal interventions are grounded within the values, ethics and standards of practice for clinical social work.

SOWK 4741 Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan (3 Credits)

This course is designed to prepare students to understand social work roles and practice (engagement, assessment, intervention and evaluation) in working with those experiencing loss across the life span. Whether the loss is related to health or functioning, family system, developmental stage or an actual death, this course prepares students to be culturally responsive to diverse perspectives and bereavement needs. Students will learn theoretical models of grief and loss and how to effectively evaluate the needs of grieving individuals, families, communities and their support systems.

SOWK 4742 Disability Studies (3 Credits)

This values course will facilitate students’ exploration of their own perceptions, biases, and belief systems with regards to the broad topic of disability. A values perspective encourages students to reflect on their personal, professional, cultural and political perceptions of the epistemology of the notion of disability. This course will explore the social construction of concepts of ableism and identity, engage in historical analysis of disability (both domestically and internationally), and familiarize students with pertinent legislation/policies that impact persons with disability (PWD). Students will learn definitions of disability, come to know more about the spectrum of disability and utilize critical theoretical perspectives. The study of disability includes persons with disability (PWD), including the broad range of categorizations related to mental health, physical health, and cognitive ability. Students will engage in critical dialogue around the representation of PWD in our culture. Utilizing a person-in-environment perspective, students will look at the Social Work Code of Ethics as it relates to PWD and explore various facets of self-determination, independent living, relationships and sexuality, and the role of family, power and privilege in the lives of persons with disabilities. Prerequisite: SOWK 4132 or SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4749 Culturally Responsive Practice with LatinX (3 Credits)

Addresses issues related to mental health needs within Latinx populations in the US, as well as intervention and theoretical approaches for working with Latinx communities. Covers a selection of interventions and strategies for cross-cultural use in adequately addressing the needs of Latinx communities. A required course for the Latinx Social Work Certificate. Prerequisite: SOWK 4750 .

SOWK 4750 Critical Perspectives on the Latinx Context (3 Credits)

This course provides a framework for culturally responsive social work practice designed to meet the needs of the Latinx community. Students acquire core principles grounded in an understanding of social justice, privilege and oppression, including the interconnection between human and civil rights, globalization, immigration and poverty. Students learn about the diversity of Latinx cultures, community development, historical patterns of oppression, spirituality, and the role of Latinx movements. In an effort to decolonize the classroom, the students are invited to engage as full co-creators of the curriculum and class experience through social, emotional and somatic learning. As a result of this course, students understand how to advocate for nondiscriminatory cultural, social and economic practices within a Latinx context and experience. The course is designed for students who have an interest in understanding issues facing the Latinx community. Enrollment preference is given to Latinx Social Work Certificate students. Interested students not in the certificate should contact the Latinx Social Work Certificate coordinator.

SOWK 4752 Trauma Informed Assessment and Interventions (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of multi-system level definitions of traumatic experience—historical, individual, interpersonal, family, organizational, and community. The emphasis is on social work practice that is culturally responsive, growth-oriented, and strengths based, in which the study of trauma is approached from a theoretical base that perceives the trauma response as a "response" rather than a "disorder." Trauma informed assessment and interventions are examined, incorporating a social justice perspective on historical trauma, poverty, and interpersonal violence. This course promotes the unique contribution social workers offer through the lenses of strength, resilience, and coping as well as commitments to cultural responsiveness and ecological/systems factors. Students will identify how secondary trauma impacts social workers and the importance of professional accountability to self-care and ongoing growth and development.

SOWK 4753 Social Development in Latin America (3 Credits)

This course examines social development in Latin America. Knowledge acquisition is focused on social, political, economic and cultural realities of this region and on the skills required to be an active participant in effective change efforts. This course is required for students in the LatinX Social Work Certificate Program and is open to all students with shared interest.

SOWK 4757 Social Work and Latino/a Cultures: An Intensive Practice and Spanish Immersion Course (1-3 Credits)

This required course (health and travel alerts permitting) for the Latinx Social Work Certificate combines academic classroom instruction with experiential and conversational learning. Country location for this study abroad course is determined based on yearly certificate objectives and travel advisories. The course has previously travel dot Chiapas, Mexico to explore human rights, development, economic policy, culture and language. Students engage and learn alongside community partners, including nonprofit's that focus on hunger and education, gender equity, sustainability as well as nongovernmental organizations that defend human rights by accompaniment with indigenous communities.

SOWK 4758 Social Work in Kenya: Context, Conservation, Empowerment, Sustainability (1-3 Credits)

This course is designed to introduce students to the social, cultural and conservation issues of Kenya and East Africa. This course is field-based with strong emphasis on service learning and direct experiences. Course readings, lectures, classroom discussions, service learning projects and field work in rural Kenya provide participants firsthand experience in the social, cultural, historical, political, environmental, ecological and economic realities that exist in Kenya. This course is open to qualified concentration and advanced standing Graduate School of Social Work students. The course meets on campus for four sessions before traveling to Nairobi, Voi, and Kasigau, Kenya. Due to the intensive nature, remote travel logistics and costs for this course, direct communication with the professors is required. Qualifications include: willingness to sign International Travel Agreement, willingness to receive required medical authorization and immunization, academic good standing, and readiness for the physical and emotional demands of traveling in rural and remote Africa.

SOWK 4759 Global Cultural Perspectives: Ethical Considerations (3 Credits)

Social workers increasingly practice in global communities both nationally and internationally. Changes in practice environments demand that social work practitioners are informed citizens of comparative cultures and societies. This course examines the values and ethics of social work practice in a global context of power, privilege and oppression. Course materials and educational experiences are used to challenge students to examine ethical and value-based conundrums when practicing in global settings and to develop practice skills to enhance the health, well-being and sustainability of communities. Through the use of case studies, critical thinking, cultural inventories and reflexivity the course supports and challenges students' personal growth and professional practice.

SOWK 4760 Resource Development and Fundraising (3 Credits)

This course examines strategies and tactics around skill building in fundraising, resource-development strategies, grant-proposal writing, budgeting, and fiscal processes common to not-for-profit or governmental organizations. Topics include resource development and acquisition (fundraising) and discussions on the budget process required resource management for nonprofit organizations.

SOWK 4762 Bosnia in Transition: The Social Work Response (1-3 Credits)

This course provides students with the unique opportunity to learn firsthand about the social work response in post-war Bosnia through a social justice lens. The social, cultural, historical, political, economic, religious, legal and ethnic characteristics of the former Yugoslavia will be explored as context for studying the genocide that occurred in the l990s. Learning will occur in the classroom at GSSW, followed by travel to Bosnia. Students will be exposed firsthand to the local, national and international efforts toward rebuilding and healing, through lectures provided by faculty at the University of Sarajevo School of Social Work, interaction with Bosnian social work students, visits to NGOs focused on the post-war efforts, visits to sites important during the war, visits to war tribunal sites, and exposure to current legal, economic and human service processes.

SOWK 4763 Social Work and Social Justice in South Africa (1-3 Credits)

This three-credit course will be conducted in partnership with Educo Africa in Cape Town, South Africa. The course will provide experiential and service learning social work experiences. Course activities will encourage cross cultural learning experiences and increase knowledge pertinent to South Africa’s social, cultural, environmental, political and historical reality. It will expose students to Community Development challenges as well as environmental and social justice issues in a South African context. The goal of the course is to increase personal, community and global leadership potential of social work and social development professionals. This course in partnership to Educo Africa will use a community-based context to increase the effectiveness and expertise of students and will support student’s engagement in program development and building international networks and partnerships.

SOWK 4764 Historical Trauma and Healing (3 Credits)

This course is designed to provide students with a context for practice with communities experiencing historical trauma. We learn about the conceptualization of historical trauma, its impact on communities as well as community responses to it. We also discuss the importance of cultural protective factors, strengths, and culturally relevant models of healing around multigenerational, collective experiences of trauma. A number of practice approaches found useful with communities experiencing historical trauma are presented and discussed. Class format includes presentations, small group discussions, films, poetry, movement, and experiential learning in the community. This course is built upon the concepts of empowerment practice, indigenous models of social work, and narrative theory and practice. We use these perspectives as we explore work around historical trauma in communities. This class provides social work direct practice skills on individual, family, community and policy levels.

SOWK 4765 Global Social Change (3 Credits)

Social development is a process of planned change intended to bring about a better correspondence between human needs and social policies and programs. This class has a fully global focus with particular emphasis on transitioning economies to align with human wellbeing. Practice-oriented, the class is geared toward a knowledge of policy-making for global human security within a dramatically changing environment and the skills required for local social development.

SOWK 4782 Feminisms in Social Work Practice (3 Credits)

This course engages students in the conversation of scholarship and social work practice issues related to social justice and the oppression of women. The course is designed to expand the knowledge of theory, research, policy and practice for working with diverse groups of women in multiple settings. Feminist social work perspectives for social work practice at micro, meso and macro practice levels will be critically examined. Topics include feminist theories, or feminisms, including eco-feminism and womanism, clinical and community feminist practice models, globalization and women, and the value of feminist research. These topics will be informed by knowledge and awareness of intersectionality, oppression and privilege. Prerequisite: SOWK 4132 or SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4784 Suicide Assessment and Interventions (3 Credits)

This course builds students' competencies in assessing suicide risk, planning for safety, and providing counseling to individuals who are thinking about suicide or have made a suicide attempt. This class examines theories of suicide causation, methods of suicide risk assessment, and models of techniques for intervention. Students will learn practices for eliciting sensitive information about troubling thoughts, assessing and documenting a client's level of suicide risk, and using cognitive-behavioral and other methods to help reduce suicide risk.

SOWK 4786 Human Trafficking: Prevention, Intervention, and Support of Its Victims (3 Credits)

This course meets the values for practice requirement and is relevant for students who are interested in trauma, human rights, international issues, prevention of child abuse, intervention with victims of violence, interventions with child abuse, interventions with high-risk youth, and PTSD. This class investigates human trafficking from a social work perspective: prevention, intervention, and support of victims. Additionally, this course investigates regional differences in both labor and sex trafficking. The class also studies how prevention, intervention, and giving support to victims change from different regional (Asian, African, European, and Latin American) perspectives. The course also investigates human trafficking in the US, both with domestic and international victims. Prerequisite: SOWK 4132 or SOWK 4303 .

SOWK 4790 Human Sexuality (3 Credits)

Integrates human sexuality in the thinking and practice of social workers. By viewing sexual behavior from the social work perspective, the student is prepared to assume a significant role in helping clients deal with issues of human sexuality. Focuses on clients experiencing sexual dysfunction and on sexually oppressed client groups including the elderly, the homosexually or bisexually oriented, the physically or developmentally challenged and the sexually abused. An elective course.

SOWK 4795 Foundations for Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work (3 Credits)

Foundational course with broad survey of the field and value exploration. Introduction to cultural and social justice aspects of human-animal-environment interactions. Formation of personal HAEI-SW vision and ethical framework, and beginning of culmination project concept development. This is the initial required course for the Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work (HAEI-SW) certificate.

SOWK 4796 Human-Animal-Environment Interventions in Social Work Practice (3 Credits)

Focus on skill development for the integration of animals in social work practice with a primary focus on treatment. Exploration of clinical and community practice frameworks across the lifespan. This is the second required course for the Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work (HAEI-SW) certificate. Prerequisite: SOWK 4795 or permission of instructor.

SOWK 4797 Professional Integration of Human-Animal-Environment Interactions in Social Work (3 Credits)

Culmination course with a focus on applying knowledge and demonstrating competence through service or program design. Includes professional development and job search preparation, unique to HAEIs in social work. Prerequisites: SOWK 4795 and SOWK 4796 .

SOWK 4900 Methods for Evaluating Practice and Programs (1-3 Credits)

Provides students with strategies for evaluating social work practice at multiple system levels. Prerequisite: SOWK 4201 or admission to advanced standing program.

SOWK 4901 Applied Practice Evaluation Research (3 Credits)

Provides students with the opportunity to conduct a practice evaluation project in their field setting. Prerequisite: SOWK 4900 .

SOWK 4902 Public Impact for Policy, Community Organizing, and Research Dissemination (3 Credits)

This course examines strategies for translating research for non-academic audiences. Topics include identifying the best approaches based on audience and goal of dissemination, ethical issues in translating complex research findings, and issues in working with media. A central value of dissemination for public impact is bridging the academy and communities most impacted by the research with particular attention to communities experiencing marginalization.

SOWK 4903 Photovoice as Intervention and Research Methodology (3 Credits)

This course explores the use of Photovoice as a social work intervention, advocacy tool, and research method. Through participating in a mini-photovoice project on the future(s) of social work, students will learn the basics of implementing Photovoice, ethics surrounding the approach, and the various ways it can be applied in practice and research.

SOWK 4904 Introduction to Human-Centered Design for Evaluation & Program Development (3 Credits)

This course will provide an introduction to the Human-Centered Design process and its application in developing and evaluating programs. Human-Centered Design is both a creative and practical process for generating solutions that place the people you serve at the center of the design process. During this course, you will move through the human-centered design process with a team, empathizing, prototyping, iterating, and finally pitching to a community partner from GSSW for whom you will be evaluating and developing a solution. You will first build insight and understanding about a focal issue through interviews with experts and end users, in-person observation, and other creative exercises intended to evaluate existing processes and experiences. Teams will utilize this knowledge to take a fresh look at the presented issue and generate breakthrough ideas in partnership with the end user and the GSSW groups who serve them. An iterative process of ideating and prototyping solutions, eliciting feedback, and refining ideas will culminate in pitch presentations at the end of the course. Your team will document its design process and final solutions in detail, which will then be delivered to the GSSW partner for potential implementation.

SOWK 4950 Foundation Field Internship (0-15 Credits)

This required practicum provides foundation students with the opportunity to integrate social work theory and practice for effective professional intervention at clinical and community levels.

SOWK 4965 International Field Practicum (0-18 Credits)

This international course fulfills partial requirement for a student’s concentration year practicum. In an international social work setting, the practicum provides students with the opportunity to integrate social work theory and practice for effective professional intervention at clinical and community levels.

SOWK 4970 Concentration Field Internship (0-18 Credits)

Concentration students participate in planned practice experience that integrates classroom theory, the learning of practice skills and the continued development of social work attitudes, ethics, and values. Prerequisite for 2-year students: successful completion of foundation-year course work and field internship. Prerequisite for students with advanced standing: successful completion of advanced standing prerequisite courses and BSW-year internship. Field must be taken concurrently with concentration-year course work, or after core concentration course work. Concentration-year field requires a minimum of 20 hours a week experience at the assigned field agency. Any deviation from this standard requirement must be approved by the Director of Field Education. Prerequisite: SOWK 4950 or 4299.

SOWK 4971 Experimental Class (3 Credits)

Experimental courses allow GSSW to provide a wide variety of course offerings that respond to current issues and themes in the profession as they arise, as well as providing specialized courses that relate to the interests and areas of expertise of our faculty. All experimental courses are offered as electives open to all students. Prerequisite: determined by each instructor.

SOWK 4990 Topics in Social Work (1-4 Credits)

This topics course provides students with the opportunity to learn content appropriate to graduate social work education that is not currently incorporated into the standard MSW curriculum. Given the ever-changing nature of social work practice, theory, and research, topics of importance emerge each year that have particular relevance for a period of time or may be new emergent topics that will have relevance for the future of the discipline of social work. As such, this course provides a mechanism through which courses may be offered on a one-time basis. Topics may be related to social work practice, theory, or research. Topics vary from term to term and may be limited by program administrators, faculty, or by student interest.

SOWK 4999 Capstone (0-1 Credits)

This course is a 0-1 credit (Pass-Fail) required course in which students document their work through the development of an individual portfolio. Students are asked to upload artifacts (papers, presentations and field accomplishments) from both classroom and field internship that demonstrate how they have met the CSWE foundation and concentration specific EPAS competencies and practice behaviors. Students complete a reflection statement on their learning as it relates to the EPAS competencies.

SOWK 5000 Seminar in Professional Social Work Issues (2-6 Credits)

Examines the dilemmas and challenges confronting the social work profession and social work education. Examines the nature of professional education, the nature of the profession itself and the forces internal and external to the profession that have an impact upon practice and education. Required.

SOWK 5001 Grant Writing for Soc Science (3 Credits)

This course provides foundational knowledge for social work researchers preparing to engage in grant seeking and proposal development. This course is designed to help students develop the knowledge and skills to identify targeted research funding opportunities, navigate Requests for Proposals from government and foundation funding sources, develop tailored proposals to fit a particular problem definition and funding source, prepare a budget and management plan to support a research project, work collaboratively with community partners, and understand university grants management mechanisms. Ethical dilemmas in grant seeking, grant writing, and grants management will be discussed. This course is a general elective with relevance to social work students entering a research profession.

SOWK 5005 Categorical Data Analysis (4 Credits)

This course is an intermediate statistics class for doctoral students in the social sciences. The course is designed to provide a general understanding of categorical data analysis. Course content will focus on regression analyses for categorical dependent variables/outcomes. Students are often familiar with linear regression analyses that are used for continuous dependent variables/outcomes, but these data analysis methods are inappropriate when working with binary, ordinal, multi-categorical (i.e., nominal with >2 categories), and count dependent variables/outcomes. This course will cover a range of data analysis methods to examine categorical dependent variables/outcomes, such as logistic, ordinal, multinomial, and poisson/negative binomial regression analyses. For each method, students will learn the background; statistical underpinnings/assumptions; computation of statistics; interpretation and reporting of statistical results. Students also learn computer applications that are used to perform these statistical analyses. Data analysis using computer software (Stata) is required.

SOWK 5101 Social Welfare Policy Analysis and Development (3 Credits)

Applies analytical techniques to development of social welfare policy stressing the ability to formulate a policy hypothesis (i.e., a statement, in testable form, of a basic premise undergirding a policy position) and to reach conclusions based on analysis of empirical evidence related to the policy hypothesis. Required.

SOWK 5110 Introduction to Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (3 Credits)

This required doctoral course introduces students to quantitative approaches to conducting social research. The course includes material related to measurement, sampling, research design, data collection, and data analysis. While each of these topics encompasses technical issues to be mastered by doctoral students, the logic and underlying rationale of these research methods is of prime importance in this course. A second component of the course requires students to define and begin to develop a substantive area of intended study and research during their enrollment in the doctoral program. Elements of articulating a substantive research area and steps toward defining key research questions in a topical area are reviewed. Aspects of conducting literature reviews leading to the articulation of a substantive research area are discussed in class sessions.

SOWK 5111 Quantitative Methods for Assessing Social Interventions (3 Credits)

Social work researchers are in a unique position to contribute to knowledge about the causes of individual and societal problems and to test interventions that seek to prevent or ameliorate such problems. A variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to advance knowledge about etiological factors contributing to individual and social problems and to assess the outcomes of specific social policies and practice strategies. This course presents a detaile3d examination of quantitative methods and designs that are useful in assessing the effects of social interventions. Measurement, sampling and design issues in generating and testing research questions and hypothesis are explored. Experimental, quasi-experimental, and survey research designs are assessed and applied to practice and policy issues and problems. Special emphasis is placed on developing skills necessary to conduct intervention research. Cognate students may be permitted on a case by case basis, space permitting.

SOWK 5120 Introduction to Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (1-3 Credits)

This course provides a substantive doctoral-level review of content on qualitative research methods and strategies. It is developed for students from social science disciplines. The content includes the nature of the method, the epistemological implications and assumptions, and appropriate applications. Student learning and evaluation includes the experience of developing a research proposal based on qualitative methodology and conducting data collection for a mini-research project. This course is required for social work doctoral students. Students from other departments may register with permission from the professor.

SOWK 5121 Qualitative Data Analysis (1-3 Credits)

The focus of this course is on data analysis and interpretation, demonstration of the science of the analysis, and presentation of findings in oral and written forms. Students are expected to conduct qualitative analyses on textual data they collected as part of SOWK 5120 or as a result of some other qualitative data collection experience. Over the course of the term students learn to code and analyze their data, interpret findings, orally present those findings, and write a final paper in which they demonstrate a rigorous engagement with qualitative data analysis and the literature relevant to their topic. This course is for SOWK PhD students only. Cognate students may be permitted on a case by case basis, space permitting. Prerequisite: SOWK 5120 .

SOWK 5130 Mixed Methods Research in Social Work (3 Credits)

This course introduces doctoral students to mixed methods research in social work and the social sciences. Students explore mixed methods as a third research paradigm that strategically combines both quantitative and qualitative methods within a single inquiry. The course encourages students to actively reflect on previous quantitative and qualitative research training. Specific topics for the course include: history and language of mixed methods research; relevant paradigms and epistemological debates; mixed methods design and research questions; and analysis and dissemination consideration. SOWK PhD students only. Cognate Students will be allowed to register on a case by case basis, space permitting.

SOWK 5131 InDIGIqualitative RsrchMethods (3 Credits)

This course is designed to provide students with a foundation for advanced qualitative research methods with Indigenous and other minoritized communities using arts-based inquiry and interpretive methods for collecting and analyzing data. Grounded in an Indigenous epistemological framework applied across intersectional and diverse communities, students will explore deeply contextualized questions about individual and social phenomena. Consistent with Indigenous ways of knowing, self-reflexivity and location of self-in-relation to community and knowledge will be prioritized as questions are developed and considered. We will explore auto-ethnography and auto-archaeology as methodologies while also engaging in performative, creative expression and visual praxis methods for inquiry and analysis. Class format will include presentations, small group discussions, films, poetry, movement, and collaborative pedagogical techniques.

SOWK 5201 Intro to Statistical Methods in Social Work (5 Credits)

Examines the use and interpretation of statistics in educational and human services research, including descriptive and inferential statistics. Required.

SOWK 5202 Correlation and Regression (4 Credits)

Examines correlational and multiple regression research designs and their application to social work and social science problems. Cross-listed with RMS 4911 , SOWK 5952. Prerequisite: SOWK 5201 .

SOWK 5204 Intro to Multilevel Modelling (4 Credits)

This course is an advanced course in statistics for doctoral students and an introductory course in multilevel modelling. It is an applied course designed for students with a thorough knowledge of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression (SOWK5202 and SOWK 5005 or equivalent). The course will cover not only the traditional theories and application regarding two-level models for continuous outcomes and binary outcomes, and growth curve models, but also the innovative methodology in using multilevel modelling to address socioeconomic intersectionality and disparities, i.e., multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA). The goals of the course are to develop the skills necessary to identify an appropriate technique for multilevel data analysis, estimate models, conduct diagnostics, and interpret results for continuous and binary outcomes. We will use Stata 15 (or any later version) to perform the analyses. Pre-requisites: SOWK 5202 and SOWK 5005 or equivalent.

SOWK 5300 Social Science Theory and the Philosophy of Science (3 Credits)

This foundation doctoral level course introduces traditional issues and recent developments in the philosophy of science, and provides an overview of social science theory and theoretical frameworks. It examines philosophical questions on scientific inquiry and the consequences modern science imposes on our basic understanding of knowledge and nature. The course analyzes and critiques the social-and-behavioral-science foundations that undergird the social work knowledge base and current social work theories. There are no prerequisites for this course. This course is required to social work doctoral students.

SOWK 5301 Social Work Theory in Research and Practice (3 Credits)

This course builds on SOWK 5300 , Philosophy of Science and Social Work Theory, to examine how theories, conceptual frameworks, perspectives, and models are used specifically within social work research, education, and practice. This course explores how theories are used in research and in social work interventions on individual, family, group, organizational, community, and policy levels. The course analyzes and critiques the social work knowledge base and the current state of social work theories. This course is required for social work doctoral students. Prerequisite: SOWK 5300 .

SOWK 5401 Quantitative Research Methods (4 Credits)

Focuses on basic elements of quantitative social research methods: measurement, sampling, research designs, data collection and data analysis. Emphasizes logic and underlying rationale, as well as technical issues. Prior understanding of computer-based statistical analysis is helpful. Required.

SOWK 5405 Advance Qualitative Analysis (3 Credits)

Provides an understanding of analysis methods used to draw meaning from qualitative data, methods that must be practical, applicable and understandable to other observers. Prepares students to use a systematic, scientific process of analysis that captures the meaning of data while avoiding research self-delusion and unreliable or invalid conclusions. Topics include data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. Methods include application of computer software. Prerequisite: SOWK 5121 . Required.

SOWK 5406 Critical Perspectives on Quantitative Research Methods (3 Credits)

This required doctoral level course introduces students to critical perspectives on quantitative approaches to conducting social research. The course is the 2nd course in the required quantitative research methods sequence and will examine what it means to be a social scientist with a specific focus on critical perspectives in quantitative methods. The course includes material related to data processing, interpretation of results, use of results for non-academic audiences, and intersectionality, as well as an overview of experiments, surveys, and secondary data analysis. Students should gain mastery in these areas while critically examining the rationale and ethics of quantitative methods. Prerequisite: SOWK 5110 .

SOWK 5450 Preparing for the Comprehensive Exam: Integration from a Social Justice Perspective (1-3 Credits)

The focus of this course is to help you frame, organize, develop, and complete a proposal for your comprehensive exam, with a particular emphasis on building your skills in integration, synthesis, and critical thinking related to the social justice implications of your work. Students will receive support and feedback about how to integrate theory, policy and empirical research when stating the aims and implications of their proposal. Additionally, students will learn to apply a critical social work perspective to analyze the limitations of existing understandings of their substantive areas of interest. Students will learn to acknowledge complexity and bias of vantage and values in social work scholarship, identify the influence of context and question assumptions about dominant policy, research, and theoretical frameworks, and demonstrate a general understanding of the ways societal privilege and prejudice set the frame for analysis and intervention with the problem. Advisors and mentors participate in class presentations and critiques as a part of preparing the student for the comprehensive exam proposal meeting.

SOWK 5500 Pedagogy in Social Work Education (3 Credits)

This foundation course examines philosophies, theories, and pedagogical models that are utilized in social work education. It explores how various perspectives shape the approaches and techniques used and how these in turn impact classroom effectiveness and issues of classroom management. The course incorporates concepts and develops skills based on evidence-based teaching. This course is a required course for social work students and has no prerequisite. This course is for SOWK PhD students only.

SOWK 5600 Critical Approaches to Facilitating and Teaching: Anti-Racist, Feminist, and Queer Pedagogies (3 Credits)

This course introduces students to anti-racist, feminist, queer, anti-oppressive and other critical perspectives on facilitation and pedagogy. The course is organized in four sections: theoretical frameworks; the role of identities in facilitation, training, and teaching; facilitation and course design and strategies; and supporting social action. Prerequisite: SOWK 5500 .

SOWK 5700 Teaching Practicum (3 Credits)

This 3-hour required course provides classroom instruction and teaching opportunities designed to prepare doctoral students for faculty positions in undergraduate and graduate level social work education. Students work with a faculty mentor to pursue practicum placements that match their substantive interests. Students are expected to devote approximately 8 hours to the practicum per week. Restricted to Ph.D. students only.

SOWK 5903 Photovoice as Intervention and Research Methodology (3 Credits)

This doctoral level course explores the use of Photovoice as a social work intervention, advocacy tool, and research method. Through participating in a mini-photovoice project on the future(s) of social work, students will learn the basics of implementing Photovoice, ethics surrounding the approach, and the various ways it can be applied in practice and research. Finally, students will make an actionable plan for integrating photovoice into their doctoral-level research.

SOWK 5990 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

This special topics course provides students with the opportunity to learn content appropriate to graduate social work education that is not currently incorporated into the standard PhD curriculum. Given the ever-changing nature of social work practice, theory, and research, topics of importance emerge each year which have particular relevance for a period of time or may be new emergent topics that will have relevance for the future of the discipline of social work. As such, this course provides a mechanism through which courses may be offered on a one-time basis. Topics may be related to advanced social work theory, pedagogy, or research. Topics vary from term to term and may be initiated by program administrators, faculty, or by student interest.

SOWK 5991 Independent Study (1-10 Credits)

This is an opportunity for MSW students to undertake special study in a defined area of interest with faculty consultation.

SOWK 5995 Independent Research (1-10 Credits)

SOWK 6991 Independent Study (1-10 Credits)

PhD students undertake special study in a defined area of interest with faculty consultation. By arrangement.

SOWK 6995 Independent Research (1-18 Credits)

The formal mechanism for undertaking the dissertation, providing for faculty support through the appointment of a dissertation committee. By arrangement.

Foundation Curriculum

Concentration Curriculum

Doctoral Curriculum

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PHD IN SOCIAL WELFARE

Bring your intellect, curiosity, and creativity to tackling complex social challenges.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Social Welfare (PhD) Program will transform you into a scholar well-equipped to identify and solve social problems – both close to home and around the world. Grounded in innovation and academic rigor, the SP2 PhD allows you to explore diverse perspectives and approaches to social work, social welfare research, social policy, social theory, and social justice.

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Learn more about the PhD program and the SP2 experience.

Ready to experience SP2? Learn more about the application process.

Join us for an upcoming in-person or virtual event.

An Invitation from the Co-Directors

“Social welfare” is a complex term. Its basic definition is deceptively simple—the collective welfare or wellbeing of a given society. But what constitutes that wellbeing and how it can and should be achieved, who belongs in that society and can and should form and formulate the “social,” are abiding questions that have been posed, debated, and contested for as long as collective human settlements have been in existence. World-shaping works of art, science, and philosophy have been crafted to answer these questions. Disagreements on those answers are at the heart of the social, cultural, and political tumult in which the U.S. is embroiled. Social welfare is, in other words, a weighty, vital, and pressing field of study.

The social welfare field draws from all social science disciplines and the discourses of multiple professions including social work. Whatever the domain of interest—health, poverty, education, incarceration, climate change, racism, migration, philanthropy, homelessness, history, and whether it is framed as a theoretical, methodological, issue-focused, or population-based inquiry—what we seek is students interested in not only finding the answers but in critically interrogating the questions themselves. Given the school’s commitment to advancing social justice in all of its programs, the courses of study students engage in should, no matter the specific domain, actively attend to issues of power, inequality, and disparity.

We believe that the vitality of the social welfare field is maintained by the passion for social justice brought by those who enter it. SP2’s rigorous yet flexible curriculum aims to provide the training necessary to forge the students’ passion into disciplined scholarship. To encourage each student to develop unique work and an individual scholarly voice, the program is intentionally interdisciplinary, designed to expose students to an array of approaches to social welfare offered by the world-class faculty of the school and the university.

The PhD in Social Welfare prepares students for careers as outstanding researchers and scholars committed to critically and rigorously analyzing social problems to propose effective, research-based solutions, to offer new theories and methods for approaching research and scholarship, and to formulate new paradigms for social welfare. We welcome your questions about the program and the school. We invite you to join us in this endeavor.

Yoosun Park, MSW, PhD Co-Director, PhD in Social Welfare Program

Tamara J. Cadet, PhD, LICSW, MPH Co-Director, PhD in Social Welfare Program

“ Whatever the domain of interest—health, poverty, education, incarceration, climate change, racism, migration, philanthropy, homelessness, history, and whether it is framed as a theoretical, methodological, issue-focused, or population-based inquiry—what we seek is students interested in not only finding the answers but in critically interrogating the questions themselves.”

The SP2 Difference

A highly selective program for students with a proven record of academic excellence and strong potential to contribute to their field

Instruction and mentoring from world-class faculty researchers and practitioners in multiple disciplines

Four years of support in the form of tuition, fees, individual health insurance, and stipend

INVISIBLE – leave blank

Access to Penn’s vast institutional resources

A diverse global alumni network in academia  and industry, government, nonprofits, think tanks, and research institutes

World-Class Faculty

The PhD program faculty are here to help you shape your specific area of expertise, drawing on their own decades of scholarship, teaching, and experience in areas including mental health , queer studies , sex work, homelessness , incarceration, gerontology , foster youth , and more .

Coursework provides students with core knowledge and skills as well as the opportunity to develop a specific expertise area. Papers and projects in core courses, combined with strategically selected electives, ensure a broad understanding of the field as well as deep study in the theoretical and empirical aspects of a specific area.

Students work with their academic advisors to develop an individualized plan for five electives. Graduate-level electives can be taken in any Penn department. At least one of these electives must be an advanced methods course, such as advanced statistical methods or qualitative research methodology.

Courses may be offered in varying order and year of program. Students are notified of such arrangements well in advance.

*Subject to change.

Fall Semester

• SOCW 8110: Social Theory
• SOCW 8520: Social Welfare Research Methods
• SOCW 9010: Proseminar
• SOCW 6300: Quantitative Reasoning/Social Statistics

Spring Semester

• SOCW 8030: Advanced History and Philosophy of Social Welfare
• SOCW 8550: Advanced Social Welfare Research Methods
• SOCW 8970: Applied Linear Modeling

Second Year

• SOCW 8610: Advanced Policy Analysis Research Methods or elective
• Theory Course or Elective
• Advanced Methods Course or Elective
• Theory course or elective
• Advanced methods course or elective

Third & Fourth Years

Fall & Spring Semesters

• Dissertation research & writing
• Teaching practicum

Your Experience

You’ll devote 15 hours per week to a research fellowship during your first year and 20 hours per week during your second through fourth years. You typically begin by working with your first-year advisor to identify research experiences that align with your skills and interests. To develop a broad range of methodological skills, we encourage students to work on multiple faculty projects as well as their own research.

Each student is assigned a doctoral advisor upon entering the program. At the end of their first year, students are encouraged to assess the arrangement and decide whether to continue with that faculty member or to choose another advisor from among the Graduate Group faculty. The advisor helps the student prepare an individual educational plan, choose courses, form a dissertation committee, and become familiar with SP2 and Penn’s wide array of educational resources. Students are responsible for initiating meetings with their advisors at regular intervals.

Please see University guidelines for best practices around academic advising and building strong mentor relationships.

After completing all required coursework, typically at the end of the second year, students must take the Preliminary Exam.

After completing the required coursework and passing the Preliminary Exam, students defend their dissertation proposal. Upon a successful defense, students become PhD candidates.

A dissertation defense serves as the program’s final examination. Passing this defense completes all degree requirements.

Recent Awards & Honors

Federal research awards.

Shana Merrill

• American Board of Genetic Counseling, up to $50,000

Alexandra Schepens

• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31), National Institutes of Health, 9/1/2014 – 8/31/2017, $105,409
• Yoga Intervention for Substance Use and ART Adherence in Community Reentry.

National Research Honors

Michael L. Shier, PhD’15

• Received the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) for the Doctoral Dissertation Award for 2015-2016. Each year NAGS recognizes an outstanding dissertation that has been produced by a PhD candidate at one of its member institutions. The $1,000 award is presented at the annual meeting.

Staci Perlman, MSW’01, PhD’10

• Selected by the American Psychological Association Section on Child Maltreatment to receive the Early Career Award in the Field of Child Maltreatment. This award recognizes individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field within eight years of receiving a terminal degree and who have demonstrated the potential to continue such contributions. One award is made each year to a practitioner or researcher whose work has demonstrated an influence on the field of child maltreatment.

Sara Wiesel-Cullen, PhD ‘11

• Awarded honorable mention for the best dissertation from the Society for Social Work Research. Her dissertation chair was Professor Phyllis Solomon. Washington, DC: January 2012.

Joanna Bisgaier, PhD ’11

• Received the 2012 Student Research Award for Social Work Research from GADE (Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education). Shown are Jill Duerr Berrick, awards committee chair; Joanna Bisgaier; Karin Rhodes, Joanna’s dissertation chair; and Kia Bentley, Chair Elect of GADE. Washington, DC: January 2012.

The Hal Levin Award

Presented to a meritorious doctoral student who is continuing the process of completing coursework. All students enrolled in classes at the time of award nominations and who have passed their preliminary exams are eligible to be nominated. The recipient is chosen by nomination and voting of the SP2 faculty. Dr. Herman (Hal) Levin was a professor in the School of Social Work.

Recent Recipients

• 2023-2024: Husel Husile
• 2022-2023: Samaita Jana and Codi Smith
• 2021-2022: John Gyourko
• 2020-2021: Jessica Cho Kim
• 2019-2020: Michelle Mullen
• 2018-2019: Viviana Chiu-Sik Wu
• 2017-2018: Allison Russell

Penn Healthcare Innovation Challenge

• Meagan Cusack, 2020

Frank R. Bruel Memorial Prize

Social Service Review recently announced that the 2022 Frank R. Bruel Memorial Prize has been awarded to Aaron Gottlieb and SP2 graduate Kalen Flynn MSW ’09, PhD ’18. The prize honors their article, “The Legacy of Slavery and Mass Incarceration: Evidence from Felony Case Outcomes.”

Presidential PhD Fellows

• Sandhya Jha
• Sharon Zanti
• Jessica Kim
• Rebecca Pepe
• Mira Phillips
• Christopher Wodicka

Career Success

Our PhD graduates go on to hold prestigious positions in academia, government, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, research firms, and more. Here are just some of the places where our recent graduates have found full-time employment:

• American Federation of Teachers
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Inspector General
• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorney
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center to End Homelessness
• Columbia University, School of Nursing
• Hebrew University of Jerusalem, School of Social Work
• Hong Kong University, Department of Social Work
• McGill University, School of Social Work
• National Institute on Poverty
• New York University, School of Social Work
• Rutgers University, School of Social Work
• Temple University, Graduate School of Social Work
• University of Massachusetts, School of Public Policy
• University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine
• University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
• University of Toronto, School of Social Work
• Yonsei University

FEATURED ALUMNI

Amy blank wilson, phd ’06.

“I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to pursue my PhD studies at SP2. The invaluable education and training I received at SP2 created opportunities for me to help develop policies and practices for people with mental illness that I could only dream about when I was a practicing social worker in the community mental health system. Through my educational experiences at SP2, I also built relationships with faculty and fellow students that continue to support and fuel my work to this day.”

Ready to join the PhD community?

Related news.

SP2 honors five accomplished social change agents at 2024 Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony

Five distinguished alumni were celebrated at the 2024 SP2 Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, May 17. The event marked the sixth year that the School has honored alumni through the SP2 Hall of Fame.

Faculty & Research

Exploring sustainable development & the human impact of natural disasters

What factors allow people to prepare for and recover from natural disasters? Dr. Chenyi Ma, a research assistant professor at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), conducts interdisciplinary research that investigates the role of inequality in disasters’ impact and points to policy solutions.

SP2 ranked #8 among Schools for Social Work by U.S News & World Report

SP2 has been named #8 among Schools for Social Work in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings. This marks SP2’s highest ranking ever, and the second time that the School has appeared in the list’s top 10.

Coordinator, PhD in Social Welfare Program

215 573 7268

eerich@upenn.edu

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TUITION & FEES >

PHD ADMISSIONS >

PHD RESOURCES >

PhD Student Handbook >

CURRENT PHD STUDENTS >

RECENT PHD GRADUATES >

2024 PhD in Social Welfare Graduates >

2024 PhD Cohort

Welcome to the 2024 incoming PhD class!

Mary Coyle received her undergraduate degree from Fordham University and her master’s in social work from The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. She is currently the Director of Social Work in the Criminal Defense Practice at Brooklyn Defender Services. There, she manages a team of over 30 social workers and works closely with the Senior Director of Interdisciplinary Practice. Mary’s specialty is mitigation writing and she has written hundreds of mitigation reports for pre-trial and post-conviction clients at various public defender organizations. Notably, she was a mitigation specialist with the Juvenile Life Without Parole project at the Defenders Association of Philadelphia and assisted in the resentencing hearings of dozens of individuals sentenced to life without parole as juveniles. She trains dozens of staff members each year in mitigation writing and conducts various writing workshops and presentations. She has presented her work nationally at social work conferences and trained staff at other public defender organizations in mitigation writing. Mary is thrilled to be a part of Adelphi’s School of Social Work’s doctoral program and she looks forward to the journey ahead!

Sharmaine Francis

Shamaine earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work from Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus. Shamaine has a background in case management and nonprofit administration. She has been a School Social Worker for over a decade and currently works for New York City Public Schools (NYCPS). Shamaine is interested in examining the impact of Social Workers in leadership positions in K-12 education. She resides on Long Island with her husband and their 2 daughters.

Yvette Jones

Yvette Jones, LMSW is a licensed social worker and a NYSPEP Certified Parenting Educator. She has worked as the Clinic Coordinator for the Derner Child and Family Center, and is co-author of two articles in the Journal of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: ”Meeting the Needs of Children from Disadvantaged Households” and “Using Weaving Thoughts Peer Supervision Method to Generate a Nested Mentalization frame.” Her areas of focus are the impact of trauma on the mental health of children and families.

Neil Ramsahai

Neil earned his MSW from Stony Brook University, graduating from the School of Social Welfare. Right after completing his studies, he received his state license as an LMSW. He specializes in treating individuals who suffer from severe mental illness and addiction disorders. Neil started his Social Work career working at a homeless shelter in Sunnyside Queens, before joining Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in 2022. In 2024, Neil was honored as the Social Worker of the Year by Creedmoor. Neil currently holds a CASAC-T and has ambitions of becoming a CASAC-Advanced Counselor. Neil enjoys spending time with friends and family. He is a movie enthusiast as well. A Beautiful Mind and Vanilla Sky are among Neil’s favorite films.

Gwendolyn Taylor

Gwendoyln is a dynamic speaker, writer, and leader. Through her poetry and spoken word, Gwendolyn empowers women to be authentic by writing and telling their true stories. Gwendolyn’s academic journey is a testament to her commitment to learning and growth. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Medgar Evers College, a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Nyack College, and a Master’s in Social Work from Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College. Her professional credentials include being a New York State Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), New York State Credentialed Prevention Counselor (CPP), certified Christian Counselor, and licensed Chaplain through the International Chaplains Association Chaplain Corps. Gwendolyn is the Director of Prevention Programs and the Center Director of Hope Leadership Academy at the Children’s Aid Society in New York City. Gwendolyn is also a licensed Minister and a distinguished author of Picked to Survive, a testament to her life’s journey as an ovarian cancer survivor.

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Spring 2025 Application NOW OPEN for On-Campus MSW

At the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, we prepare our students for a life of impactful work. To help our graduates promote lasting social change, our faculty delivers bold, principled and forward-thinking training, blending classroom instruction with real-world training.

As important as your training is, making the most of your time at the school can be difficult if you're worrying about how to pay for it. Our Stipend Wizard helps you hone in on relevant stipends and scholarships to help you pay for your world-class education.

• Current Get Started
• Areas of Interest
• Your Financial Aid Opportunities

How the Workforce Development Stipend and Scholarship Programs Work

The Office of Recruitment and Workforce Development (ORWD) was specifically formed to create a robust stipend program that connects MSW students with organizations and areas of practice with a high need for qualified social workers. Students receive a financial incentive in the form of a stipend or scholarship that requires workforce development responsibilities during the MSW program and after graduation. Stipend/scholarship recipients benefit from specialized curriculum and practicum placements.

In practice, this means that students with financial concerns can still attend USC and make a difference in their communities. But workforce development goes beyond money. According to a recent article, "the ORWD provides an integrated approach, with many stipend programs providing specialized training, internships and priority job placement in social service agencies upon receipt of their MSW degree, allowing fresh graduates to realize their dreams right away."

Read more about how MSW stipends have changed lives.

All Workforce Development Stipend Opportunities

Lac dcfs , 30 stipends.

The stipend offered by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services is $52,000 over two years.

CalSWEC PDH

16 stipends.

The Public Behavioral Health MSW Training Program offers a stipend of $25,000 per academic year.

Primary Care Project 

20+ stipends.

The Primary Care Project is a one-year scholarship of $30,000. 

RecoverUSC 

48 stipends.

The RecoverUSC: Addiction Treatment Certification Project offers a $20,000 stipend per academic year.

LAC DMH 

10+ stipends.

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health offers an $18,500 stipend.   

Next-Gen Partnership

30 stipends.

The stipend offered by the Next Generation Partnership Project is $10,000. 

The Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium offers a stipend ranging from $1,000 to $8,000.

USC Trojan Scholar

This scholarship offers full tuition benefits and one-on-one mentorship.   

Students can apply to workforce development stipend/scholarship program from an area(s) of focus based on their interests. Stipend/scholarship programs differ in length, funding, requirements and competitive application processes. 

Please keep in mind that these programs rely on the availability of external funding every year. Some stipend scholarships are able to be compounded with one another.

If your stipend award doesn't cover the full amount of your tuition, we can help you find other ways to afford this life-changing experience.

Find scholarships

Learn about financial aid

Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)

Social Work

Our Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) program prepares students for a broad range of entry-level positions in behavioral health, community organizing, and/or health care agencies.

Rowan’s B.S.W. program can also provide a pathway to licensure as an Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) allowing graduates to apply for Advanced Standing into accredited M.S.W. programs. Rowan’s Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program also allows students the opportunity waive a full year of graduate courework with a B.S.W.

KEITH DICKENS

Assistant Director of Admissions

SMS: (856)-347-8833

(856) 256-4206

[email protected]

thinkers, doers, and helpers

WHO ARE INTERESTED IN CAREERS IN:

• Social Worker
• Social Advocacy
• Welfare Services

Discover Rowan

• Request Info

I want to do more than just be in a classroom. I want to be active in the community as a whole and see how I can help firsthand. Sydney R. Middlesex County, NJ

I feel how dedicated, motivated and passionate professors are about their classes. With my major, I want to be an advocate for mental health. Tara L. Burlington County, NJ

WE'RE HERE DURING YOUR KEY MOMENTS

first-year Counselor

Keith Dickens

Transfer Counselor

SMS: (856) 347-5055

International Counselor

Georgeton Charles

SMS: (856) 347-5251

International

Ready To Learn More?

Related programs, psychological sciences.

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• Master of Social Work, MSW

Belmont’s Master of Social Work program combines cutting edge coursework and hands on experience to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively engage in advanced practice, lead teams and organizations in the provision of trauma informed services, and effect social change. 

In This Section

• Cost & Financial Aid

Why Belmont's Master of Social Work? 

The Belmont School of Social Work faculty and staff partner with Master of Social Work students from day one to ensure a student’s program of study, and hands-on experience in the field, equips them to serve the populations they have a passion for! Belmont Social Work students are known, loved, and deeply supported as they work to gain the knowledge and skills needed to practice in an array of contexts–including mental health agencies, health care, schools and community organizations–where they can address the complex needs of individuals, families, and communities.  The Belmont MSW offers a broad curriculum with a unique focus on trauma informed care and leadership in advocacy practice, ensuring our students have the cutting-edge training and support needed to gain licensure and impact change in their chosen field of practice.

What Sets Us Apart

Belmont MSW students are uniquely prepared for clinical and advanced generalist practice via our student-centered and personalized approach to their education. This includes:

• A cutting-edge curriculum that makes use of Belmont’s 60,000 square foot Center for Interprofessional Engagement and Simulation where MSW students counsel simulated clients, make home visits, and practice group therapy sessions – all in the comfort of a class session, with the support of their teachers and classmates!
• Preparation for the entry level licensure exam built into the curriculum – students work in class prior to graduation to study for this important exam under the guidance of experienced and licensed faculty!
• Over 900 hours of personalized field work that can include their place of employment.

What You'll Learn

Through personalized agency-based field placements, unique access to a 60,000 square foot interprofessional simulation center, and a state-of-the-art curriculum informed by the needs of our community, the Belmont MSW program prepares students to advance social work practice around trauma informed care, and lead in supporting clients and their communities immediately upon graduation.

Program Details

Courses you'll take add.

The Belmont MSW is a 60-credit hour advanced generalist in-person degree designed to provide students with the requisite knowledge, values, skills that support competency for advanced social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities/social systems.

• Foundational Coursework: 30 credit hours
• Advanced Coursework: 18 credit hours
• Trauma Theory and Leadership Coursework: 6 hours
• Elective Coursework: 6 credit hours
• Fieldwork/Internship: 900 clock hours over four courses

See All Program Requirements

Courses You'll Take

• SWK 5000 Social Policy, History, and Ethics This course delves into the historical, ethical, and policy foundations that shape social work practice. This course prepares students to develop their framework for social work practice that is anti-racist, anti-oppressive, reflective, and focused on seeking justice. In this course, students will examine the major fields of practice in the profession, and critically reflect on the development of social welfare policies, their historical contexts, and the ethical principles guiding social work interventions.
• SWK 5100 Social Work Practice I: Individuals and Families This course is one part of a series of required Social Work practice courses taken in the foundational year of the MSW program.  This course is an examination of the knowledge, values, and skills central to the generalist practice of social work with individuals and families. Students utilize an understanding of the social work process to develop skills in in problem solving within the context of social work values and ethics. Emphasis is placed on the ability to engage and assess with individuals and families using a strengths-based and culturally responsive approach.
• SWK 5200 Exploring Human Diversity This exploring human diversity social work course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and political factors that shape human diversity and the ways in which these factors impact individuals, families, groups, and communities. The course will cover the impact of systems of oppression, privilege, and discrimination on marginalized populations and how these systems are interconnected. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the unique experiences and perspectives of diverse populations and on developing skills in culturally responsive practice. The course will also cover self-care and self-awareness for the social worker. 
• SWK 5300 Human Behavior and the Social Environment This course provides an overview of development through the lifespan in an environmental context.  Students will utilize major theoretical frameworks to assess individual and family development and will examine the impact of diversity and of trauma on health and well-being. This course builds on a liberal arts background and is designed to provide an understanding of key biological, psychological, social, spiritual, historical, and cultural factors associated with individual development, as applied to social work practice.
• SWK 5400 Field Instruction I The signature pedagogy of the Master of Social Work degree is the field experience.  In this experiential course, students will complete 200 hours of fieldwork, supervised by a professional social worker in a local social service agency. This will provide the student an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in a practice setting. Emphasis is on developing generalist social work practice skills with individuals, families, groups, and organizations. The accompanying seminar provides a supportive environment for processing the field experience, and space for students to reflect on their knowledge, skills and abilities as they move from theoretical understanding to applied learning.
• SWK 5500 Social Work Research Methods This course is designed to introduce social science research methods in the context of social work practice. This foundational level course will encourage critical thinking skills that build on a liberal arts undergraduate education in science, social sciences, and the humanities. Emphasis will be placed on how research skills are integrated within social work practice, using an ethical, anti-oppressive framework. Specifically, this course will examine the relationship between theory and research, conceptualization of research questions and hypotheses, and elements of research design. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies will be introduced as a means of building knowledge for practice.
• SWK 5600 Social Work Practice II: Groups, Organizations, and Communities This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with diverse groups and communities in a variety of settings. The course will cover group work theories and interventions, as well as social justice principles for community organizing. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the impact of systems of oppression and discrimination on groups and communities and learning how to address these issues in organizational practice settings. Students will develop skills in culturally responsive practice, including understanding and valuing the unique perspectives and experiences of group members and community members.
• SWK 5700 Social Work Policy Analysis and Advocacy This course examines the history of social welfare policy in the United States and analyzes the values and assumptions that form the foundation of social welfare policies and programs. This course introduces students to the key social policies and programs that shape current social work practice while providing a historical context for how they came to be. 
• SWK 5800 Psychopathology This course provides an in-depth exploration of psychopathology with a focus on understanding the complex interplay of biological, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and social factors that influence mental health. Grounded in trauma-informed practice and utilizing the DSM-5 as a guide, students will examine how various influences converge to impact individuals' mental health trajectories.
• SWK 5900 Field Instruction II This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with diverse groups and communities in a variety of settings. The course will cover group work theories and interventions, as well as social justice principles for community organizing. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the impact of systems of oppression and discrimination on groups and communities and learning how to address these issues in organizational practice settings, via 200 hours of fieldwork. Students will develop skills in culturally responsive practice, including understanding and valuing the unique perspectives and experiences of group members and community members.
• SWK 6000 Advanced Practice with Individuals & Families This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with individuals, couples, and families in a variety of settings. The course covers advanced practice theories, interventions, and ethical considerations specific to working with individuals and families. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the impact of systems of oppression and discrimination on individuals, couples, and families and learning how to address these issues in practice. Students will also develop skills in culturally responsive practice, including understanding the unique perspectives and experiences of clients. The course will also cover self-care and self-awareness for the social worker.
• SWK 6100 Advanced Practice with Groups This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with diverse groups in a variety of settings. The course will cover advanced group work theories and interventions, as well as ethical considerations and cultural responsiveness in group practice. Students will learn how to design, facilitate, and evaluate group work, and will also examine the impact of systems of oppression on individuals and groups. Emphasis will be placed on the process of forming, developing, and terminating groups and the importance of self-care and self-awareness in group work practice.
• SWK 6200 Trauma Theory in Practice This course will present the current conceptualizations of trauma and trauma-informed care from an ecological perspective. Emphasis is placed on the biology and neuroscience of stress and trauma, the effects of trauma on populations at-risk and the evolving conceptualization of social work’s role in the treatment and prevention of stress and trauma. Acquisition of diagnostic skills will be emphasized throughout the course as well as the knowledgeable application of “trauma-informed care” to all levels of advanced practice. Students will consider issues such as vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burn-out, exploring approaches to self-care and promotion of wellness. Through case presentations, written work, and class discussions students are encouraged to use their experiences in the field to deepen their understanding of course content.
• SWK 6000 Level Electives Students will be able to choose a minimum of two elective courses during their specialized curriculum. These courses will allow students a chance to explore theoretical perspectives more deeply, populations of interest, practice areas, or social problems. Exemplar courses include Race-Based Trauma, Poverty in the United States, Mental Health Practice, Crisis Intervention, School Social Work, and Family Practice in Social Work.
• SWK 6300 Field Instruction III In this third experiential course, students will complete an advanced generalist placement in a micro, macro and/or mezzo environment.  This second field placement, supervised by a professional social worker in a local agency, will provide the student an opportunity to further apply advanced knowledge to practice through the course of 250 required field hours. Students will engage in specialized practice in a local social service setting. Emphasis is on furthering skills of advocacy, and leadership in social work practice.  
• SWK 6400 Advanced Practice with Organizations & Communities This course explores contemporary theories, models, and practices for leadership in human service organizations, emphasizing skills in team building, program design and implementation, development and funding, organizational change and genuine commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The community practice dimensions of this course engage students in examining theory, methods, and strategies for community practice within complex political and economic environments, emphasizing participatory action and anti-racist, anti-oppressive practice.
• SWK 6500 Evaluation for Advanced Social Work Practice This course provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to evaluate their practice and the programs in which they work. Students will develop evaluation skills which can be used as practical tools for social change by improving the quality of individual level and social programming. In acquiring these skills, in the context of their field placement, students will: a) explore ethical responsibilities associated with evaluating practice; b) apply research methods to conceptualize and measure problems and goals; c) implement research design and methods of evaluation; d) conduct data analyses and interpret results; and e) report their findings.
• SWK 6600 Leadership for Advanced Social Work Practice   This integrative seminar provides students with the knowledge and skills to be leaders in their practice environments and communities. Students will learn models and theories related to general supervision, power, and authority in public and nonprofit organizations. The course will explore the influence of politics, economics, technology, and socio-cultural factors within supervisory practice, across multiple contexts. Students will explore social work leadership ethics and deepen their understanding of caring for self and others. A capstone experience, this course will also support students in their preparation for employment and licensure.
• SWK 6700 Field Instruction IV The signature pedagogy of the Social Work degree is the field experience.  In this fourth experiential course, students will continue an advanced generalist placement in a micro, macro and/or mezzo environment, supervised by a professional social worker in a local agency. This will provide the student an opportunity to further deepen and apply advanced knowledge to practice through 250 required hours of field work. Emphasis is on deepening skills of advocacy, leadership and social work practice in a specialized setting. Additional attention is given to preparing students for post-program destinations.  

Two Year Full-Time Program of Study add

Three Year Part-Time Program of Study add

Admissions Information add

Applications for admission and an applicant’s credentials are received exclusively through the Social Work Centralized Application Service (SocialWorkCAS). Learn more about the admissions process

Accreditation Status add

The Belmont University MSW program is currently in pre-candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). A program that has attained pre-candidacy status has not yet been reviewed by the BOA nor verified to be compliant with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Students that are admitted to pre-candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Review our program’s pre-candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.

Social Work Licensure add

Once accredited by the Council on Social Work Education , those earning a Master’s degree in Social Work from Belmont University have met the first of several steps needed to attain state licensure to practice social work at the Master’s level. It is important to note that state licensure is a separate process from that of attaining your master’s degree and requires additional criteria. For example, Tennessee requires that additional examinations be taken. State licensure is handled through state boards and not through Belmont University. Students are advised to seek licensure information through the requisite state Department of Health’s Social Work Licensure Board. Belmont’s faculty and staff are a resource for Belmont MSW graduates seeking licensure but are the licensing authority.

Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to be eligible to take the national certification examination or obtain state licensure.

Student Resources add

Student Handbook

Field Manual

Career Possibilities

A Master of Social Work degree from Belmont University can open the door to a diverse range of career possibilities. Graduates find success in various fields, utilizing their skills in unique and impactful ways.

Here are some of the many paths you may pursue after completing the MSW program:

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Mental and Behavioral Health Counselor

Military Affairs Social Worker

Non-Profit Leader

Hospital Social Worker

Frequently Asked Questions

May i apply while i am still in the process of completing my undergraduate degree add.

Yes! You are welcome to apply in the year before you graduate. All credits associated with your bachelor's degree must be completed before June 1 and your final transcript sent to Belmont.

Do I need to have a bachelor’s degree in social work? add

No, students do no need an undergraduate degree in social work to apply. We do not require a specific major to apply for the MSW. Common majors include psychology, child and family studies, sociology, public policy, and other social science disciplines.

Do you offer Advanced Standing? add

Yes, we will begin enrolling for Advanced Standing in September 2026.

Is this program online? add

No, the Belmont MSW is a face-to-face program. However, our classes are scheduled such that students will not be on campus more than two days a week.

Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.

Can I complete my internship/field hours where I work? add

Yes! Students working in a social work setting may be eligible to complete their internship at their place of employment during their work hours.

Is a specific major or courses required? add

No, there is not a specific major, or specific courses required. It is suggested that students have successfully completed approximately 18 credit hours of courses such as psychology, sociology, statistics, biology, anthropology, economics, history, political science, government, and/or languages.

I am not a Tennessee Resident may I still apply? add

Belmont University makes no distinction between in-state and out-of-state students for admission or tuition purposes, and all are welcome to apply.

Do you require an interview? add

No, however, the faculty reserves the right to request an introductory interview to ensure we are able to fully evaluate your application for admission. Additionally, information sessions and campus preview days will be scheduled throughout the year to offer students an opportunity to visit Belmont and learn more about the MSW and School of Social Work in person!

How long is the program and how many credit hours are required? add

The traditional program is 60 credit hours (5 classes a semester for four semesters). The Advanced Standing program is 30 credit hours (5 classes a semester for two semesters). The Advanced Standing program will begin accepting applications in September 2025.  

Can I go part-time? add

Yes, there is a part-time option enrolling now. Please reach out to your admissions counselor for further information.

When do classes meet? add

Students will attend class no more than two days a week throughout the program. Students in Year 1 of the program will complete approximately 13 hours a week of field work outside of class. Students in Year 2 of the program will complete approximately 16 hours a week of field work.

Do you accept transfer credit? add

Yes! Students with undergraduate course credit from a CSWE-accredited baccalaureate social work program – earned within the last seven years – are entitled to have generalist-equivalent course credit evaluated for waiver, regardless of the undergraduate degree they hold, or their ability to enter the advanced standing program. Applicants requesting a transfer of credits must also meet specific criteria and provide additional documentation. Institutional policy holds graduate applicants can request the transfer of up to 15 graduate credit hours, while advanced standing transfer applicants can request up to 9 credits.

See further details here.

Do you offer scholarships or other financial aid? add

Scholarships are not available. Students typically fund tuition through loans or private sources. All questions concerning financial aid should be directed to our Student Financial Services department. You can reach the Student Financial Services office by phone at 615-460-6403 or  online .

Learn more about financial aid for graduate students

Do you offer on campus housing for graduate students? add

Belmont does not offer graduate student housing but does have resources available to students who are looking to relocate to the Nashville area.

Off Campus Housing Helper

Request Information

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Sarah Caylor Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions (615) 460.6722 Email Sarah Schedule a Call

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