The M.S.W. program prepares community engaged clinical social workers who, guided by a person in environment framework, professional knowledge, ethics, standards and cultural humility, use evidence informed research and practices to improve individual functioning, strengthen families and create equitable communities and policies that advance human rights, social and economic justice, and local and global peace. The M.S.W program partners with community based agencies and practitioners to facilitate access to higher education for employed adults and access to social work services for diverse populations.
Social Work is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States and includes diverse and varied fields of practice. Social Work students prepare for careers in community-based clinical practice in fields such as child welfare, elder services, health and mental/behavioral health, veterans’ services, immigrant and refugee services, school social work and many other fields.
Graduate Social Work students enjoy small classes and caring faculty who offer personal attention, academic advising and guidance in career development. Students gain professional experience while they complete two separate year-long placements in an innovative student unit model.
USJ graduates in the M.S.W. program possess the knowledge and skills to improve the health and well-being of persons and their communities by assessing needs, planning interventions, strengthening resources, coordinating care, delivering services and evaluating outcomes. In addition, the graduates are prepared to promote community mental health by collaborating with community members and with health and human services providers in developing person-centered, evidence-based, integrative clinical services that are culturally responsive, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented and delivered in the person’s community setting. Through its collaborations with community-based agencies, the M.S.W. program works to improve access to high-quality health and human services for all populations, especially high-need populations such as abused and neglected children, senior citizens and veterans. To this end, the program prepares community-based clinical social workers for emerging fields of practice and labor force shortage areas.
The program features a student unit model of field education in which university-employed clinical preceptors supervise students in select partnering organizations. This model of field education provides multidisciplinary opportunities for student learning and community-engaged research. Students, faculty and clinical preceptors contribute to the professional knowledge base by community-engaged research and practice that develops promising practices, demonstrates best practices, and facilitates communication among multidisciplinary providers and the communities that they serve.
The M.S.W. program does not grant Social Work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.
Please note: For traditional 2 and 3 year cohort students, there is an option to extend the required Field Practice courses into three semesters rather than the traditional two. Please speak with an advisor for additional information.
SOCW 510/511 may be replaced with a three term option of SOCW 512 (summer), SOCW 513 (fall), SOCW 514 (spring) .
SOCW 610/611 may be replaced with a three term option of SOCW 612 (summer), SOCW 613 (fall), SOCW 614 (spring).
