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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK |
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Dr. Shelly Wyckoff, Chairperson
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MISSION
The
mission of the Graduate Social Work Program of Alabama A&M University is to
prepare students, particularly minority students, to become competent, ethical,
and advanced professional social work practitioners capable of assuming a wide
range of roles and functions in working with vulnerable individuals, families,
groups, public and private organizations and institutions in rural and urban
communities. The Graduate Social
Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
OBJECTIVES
1.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who have incorporated
social work values and ethics and who demonstrate the application of these
standards in their professional practice.
2.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who will utilize the
ecological perspective and problem-solving process model and the
empowerment perspective as conceptual frameworks, and who will apply
critical thinking skills, synthesizing and applying appropriate theories
and knowledge to multiple levels of interventions in meeting needs and
addressing problems with a wide range of client systems, including
individuals, families, groups, public and private organizations, and rural
and urban communities.
3.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who have acquired the
knowledge, skills, values and ethics of the professional foundation and
who will apply the knowledge, skills, values and ethics of the generalist
social work perspective in practice with systems of all
sizes.
4.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who have acquired
specialized knowledge in an area of concentration and who will apply this
knowledge, including values, ethics, and skills, in their professional
practice.
5.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who understand and can
interpret the history and current structures and issues of the social work
profession.
6.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who understand and
appreciate human diversity and understand the forms and mechanisms of
oppression and discrimination as well as change strategies and skills that
advance social and economic justice, and who are committed to practice on
behalf of the poor, minority populations, oppressed and other socially
disadvantaged and vulnerable people and who will work toward the
elimination of social and economic injustices, including poverty,
oppression, discrimination, and stereotyping.
7.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who demonstrate mastery
of knowledge and skills of social work practice, including the
professional use of self, relationship and communication skills, and the
differential use of communication skills with a variety of client
populations, colleagues, and the community at large.
8.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who critically analyze,
synthesize and apply knowledge of human behavior in the social
environment, including the positive value of diversity, the
interrelatedness of the biological, psychological, sociological and
cultural systems, and the environmental influences on diverse populations
and who apply theoretical frameworks to understand client systems, and the
interactions between client systems (individuals, families, groups,
organizations, and communities).
9.
To
prepare advanced-level social work practitioners who are knowledgeable
about the research process, and who use research methods to assess,
improve, monitor and evaluate relevant research and apply findings to
social work practice, to conduct empirical evaluations of their own
practice and those of relevant systems, and contribute to the development
of theory and the social work knowledge base.
10. To prepare advanced-level
social work practitioners who understand social welfare policies and
services, including the nature and scope of politics, power and the
bureaucracy, and who will analyze the impact of social policies on client
systems, workers, and agencies, and who demonstrate skills for influencing
policy formation and change.
11. To prepare advanced-level
social work practitioners, who have the knowledge, values, ethics, and
skills of the generalist social work perspective, and in their area of
concentration, and who synthesize and apply these standards in the
Field.
12. To prepare advanced-level
social work practitioners who use supervision and consultation
appropriately to advanced practice in the area of their
concentration.
13. To prepare advanced-level
social work practitioners who function within the structure of
organizations and service delivery systems and seek necessary
organizational change.
14. To prepare advanced-level
social work practitioners who critically apply knowledge of rural and
urban characteristics and populations to their advanced professional
social work practice; and to encourage students to practice in rural
areas.
15.To
attract, recruit, prepare for advanced practice, and graduate minority
students.
ADMISSION
REQUIREMENTS
To
be considered for the Master of Social Work (MSW) program, applicants must
submit documents demonstrating they have:
1. A
grade point average of 2.5 or more (on a 4.0 scale) and meet the general
requirements for admission to the School of Graduate Studies at Alabama A&M
University.
2. A
Bachelors Degree from an accredited College or University.
3.
Official
transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate
work.
4.
Successfully completed courses in Human Biology and Statistics
5. Completed
the Graduate Record Examination and any additional evaluations required by the
Social Work Program
6.
Written
two essays not to exceed 500 words each on the following
topics:
a)
Why do
you wish to pursue the MSW degree and become a professional social
worker?
b)
Identify
a major contemporary social problem that is of concern to the profession
of social work; state why, in your opinion, it is a problem for the
profession, and how you would intervene to ameliorate and/or eradicate
this problem.
7. Three
letters of reference that reflect the applicant's academic and professional
potential, and ethical and value orientation.
8.
A broad
liberal arts background with a minimum of 24 credits in social,
behavioral, and natural sciences and humanities.
9.
A
college course in human biology and
statistics.
It
is recommended that the major undergraduate preparation of applicants should be
in one of the following:
·
Social
Work
·
Psychology, Sociology, or
other Social Services
·
Other
human service areas (health sciences, teaching, nursing, special
education)
·
Liberal
arts (e.g. humanities, philosophy, history, literature)
While
there is no requirement for a specific undergraduate major to qualify for
graduate study in social work, applicants are expected to have had preparation
in the liberal arts, usually through undergraduate coursework in the social and
behavioral sciences, humanities, and life sciences. At
least 24 credits are required in these areas.
Note: Credit for life
experience is not granted.
WORK AND VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE Work experience (either paid or volunteer) and field practice are also considered in the student's application. It is strongly preferred that applicants have some work or volunteer experience in human services.
ANNUAL
APPLICATION DEADLINE
SUMMER ADMISSIONS FEBRUARY 15
Please
note: Admission to the Graduate
Program will occur twice annually, in Summer, and in the Fall. There will be no
Spring admission.
THE
MSW PROGRAM
The
Graduate Social Work Program will provide an integrated curriculum that leads
to the Master of Social Work degree. Students will have a solid base in the
professional foundation courses:
social welfare policy; human behavior and the social environment; social work practice; research and field
instruction. Students will have the opportunity to select one of two advanced
concentrations:
1.
Direct Practice (Family & Child Welfare or Community Mental Health)
2.
Policies, Planning, and Administration
The
field instruction component of the program will complement the student's
concentration.
DEGREE
REQUIREMENTS
The Two Year
Program
The
Master of Social Work (MSW) degree requires 60 semester hours over a two-year
period of full-time study. For part-time students, there is an extended three
or four-year program. The 60 hours involves 48 hours of classroom instruction
and 12 hours of field instruction in community-based social welfare agencies.
Advanced
Standing
Applicants
with a B.S.W. degree from a CSWE-accredited program and a minimum 3.0
cumulative GPA may apply for advanced standing. Qualified applicants will be
required to take 39 semester hours, instead of the 60 hours required for the
two-year program. Of these 39 hours, 8 are required in field instruction. In
order to complete the degree in the Spring semester, the students should enroll
in three bridging courses (SWK 522, SWK 523, SWK 587: nine credits) in the
summer, prior to the regular Fall semester.
In
addition to the successful completion of all classroom and field instruction, a
student is required to pass a written comprehensive examination. In lieu of the
comprehensive examination, students have the option of writing a thesis.
MSW
CURRICULUM
The
60 (39 credit hours for advanced standing students) credit hour Master of
Social Work degree program consists of foundation and advanced concentration
courses and electives. The purpose of the graduate social work curriculum is to
prepare students within a context of supervised autonomous social work practice
within a multi-system perspective based upon the EPPSE framework. This
preparation is consistent with the Department and Program Mission, Goals, and
Objectives and CSWE's CPS.
Admission
requirements include completion of a minimum of twenty-seven liberal arts
courses in biology, social sciences and humanities. Advanced standing students
must have graduated from a CSWE-Accredited BSW Program.
MSW
CURRUCULUM
PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATION
30 credit hours SWK 600 Social Work Intervention Strategies 3 sem. hrs SWK 601 Therapeutic Intervention 3 sem. hrs SWK 610 Family and Child Welfare Policies 3 sem. hrs SWK 621 Family Theories and Processes 3 sem. hrs SWK 630 Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation 3 sem. hrs SWK 660 Personality Theories & Psychopathology 2 sem. hrs SWK 680 Field Practicum & Seminar II 4 sem. hrs SWK 681 Field Practicum III4 sem. hrs SWK 689 Integrative Seminar 3 sem. hrs SWK ___ Elective 2 sem. hrs DIRECT PRACTICE (Mental Health)
POLICY, PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
ELECTIVES
The
professional foundation courses have been designed and structured to assure
that students receive content essential to entry-level social work
practice and advanced concentration courses. Four
(4) hours of Field Practicum are included in the professional foundation. The
electives are designed to support the concentration areas. Each
elective includes knowledge and skills essential for practice with diverse
client systems and problems.
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