[DRAFT] Master of Social Work
Master of Social Work mission statement
The mission of the MSW program is to prepare students for advanced social work practice that addresses complex human needs through interpersonal practice or knowledge and skills in community, policy, and leadership. The MSW program creates a collaborative and diverse partnership between faculty, staff, students, and the larger social work community to utilize evidence-informed practices to address and advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice, with a particular focus on urban communities. Informed by a person-in-environment framework, a global perspective, and respect for human diversity, the MSW program produces community-engaged, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive social work practitioners who are guided by core social work values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence, human rights, and scientific inquiry.
Degree options
MSW students are offered full- and part-time program options with day, evening, weekend, and online classes to fit their schedules. Classes are offered on the main Detroit campus and at our Macomb and Schoolcraft centers. MSW students select from two concentrations: Innovation in Community, Policy, and Leadership (ICPL) or Interpersonal Practice (IP). Additionally, students have the option to select from the following specialty options:
- Dual-title and joint degrees: Dual-title in Social Work and Infant Mental Health and Joint degree in Social Work and Public Health
- Course series: Holistic Defense and Temporary Approval for Michigan School Social Workers
- Graduate certificates: Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies (CADAS), Child Welfare Certificate, Developmental Disabilities Certificate and Gerontology Certificate
Wayne State BSW students interested in obtaining an MSW degree may also choose to save time and money via AGRADE and Senior Rule. AGRADE and Senior Rule participants take courses that apply to both degrees at the lower undergraduate tuition rate, providing them the opportunity to enter the job market faster and for less money.
Pre-requisites
Applicants must have earned a minimum 2.75 undergraduate grade point average (GPA), hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and be admissible to the WSU Graduate School. Applicants must have also completed 30 semester credits in academic work, distributed in the social and biological sciences and in the humanities, and demonstrate suitability and fitness for the profession and the ability to undertake successfully graduate professional education in social work.
- CORE: Applicants who hold an undergraduate degree in a field other than social work or hold a baccalaureate degree from an undergraduate social work (BSW) program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) that was received over 5 years prior are admitted as "Core" students.
- ADVANCED STANDING: Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree from an undergraduate social work (BSW) program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) within the last 5 years may be admitted with advanced standing. Students admitted with advanced standing are required to complete eight graduate credits toward the MSW degree during the summer term following admission, and subsequently, an additional 30 credits in the advanced curriculum of the graduate program, as prescribed within the student's concentration.
Program requirements
MSW Core students are required to complete a total of 60 graduate credits and Advanced Standing students are required to complete a total of 36 graduate credits. All students are also required to complete at least 450 field education clock hours. Students are required to achieve and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 throughout the classes and field experience.
Students must show suitability and fitness for the profession of social work. Any breach of the values and ethics of the profession embodied in the Code of Ethics established by the National Association of Social Workers may result in termination from the MSW program.
Curriculum
The Master of Social Work requires a minimum of 60 credits of graduate course work or 36 credits of graduate course work for those who hold advanced standing, completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the School of Social Work. The program includes a foundation (core) curriculum at the first level. At the second level, it includes one of two concentrations: Interpersonal Practice or Innovation in Community, Policy and Leadership. The core curriculum provides the foundation for the advanced curriculum. Learn more
- CORE: The foundation (core) curriculum provides a knowledge base for later study of advanced practice in the concentration. The core curriculum has content in the five major curricular areas: social work practice, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and services, research, and field education. The core curriculum stresses fundamentals and knowledge of social work practice as they relate to individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities. During the foundation (core) year, students declare their interest in an advanced curriculum concentration. Students must complete the core curriculum (32 credits) before enrolling in advanced curriculum courses.
- ADVANCED STANDING: Students admitted with advanced standing are required to complete six graduate credits toward the M.S.W. degree during the summer term following admission but before enrolling in courses in the advanced curriculum, and subsequently an additional 30 credits in the advanced curriculum of the graduate program, as prescribed within the student's concentration (total 36 credits).
Field education
Field education takes place in a wide variety of social service agencies and students may work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities. Emphasis is placed on working in urban areas with the poor and oppressed, persons of color, and at-risk populations representing a variety of ethnic, racial and cultural groups. Field work stresses both amelioration and prevention of personal, interpersonal, and social problems, as well as improvement of the human condition.
Field education in the MSW Foundation year requires students to learn the fundamentals of social work, which prepares them for their Advanced Year with the program, where students specialize in a chosen interest area. Foundation Year students complete 16 hours per week of field work totaling 450 clock hours. Advanced Year students (traditional or advanced standing) may opt to do field work for 24 hours each week (totaling 676) instead of the traditional 16 (totaling 450). This is often called a "three-day placement" and is an option for students in place of some elective credits.
Accreditation
The Wayne State University School of Social Work BSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). WSU M.S.W. program assessment of Student Learning Outcomes - form AS-4 (M)
Contact
Naelah Burks
Academic Advisor II for Core Students
nburks@wayne.edu
Lawrence Robinson Jr., LLMSW
Academic Advisor II for Advanced Standing Students
dz2996@wayne.edu
Shirley Thomas, PhD
MSW Director and Assistant Professor, Clinical
av3743@wayne.edu