Master in Social Work
The Master in Social Work is a 60-credit hour program designed to prepare students for a multitude of professional practice positions, particularly in clinical healthcare, mental health, and forensic social work systems of care. The program is cohort-based and builds on the University of Saint Mary's core values of community, respect, justice, and excellence. The University of Saint Mary MSW prepares students for licensure; licensure is granted by individual states and not guaranteed by the University of Saint Mary. Licensure is dependent upon a state's licensing laws and passage of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) licensure test.
The curriculum consists of 15 3-credit hour classes (45 credits) and Field Practica (9 to 15 credits).
Admission Requirements
- Successful completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or undergraduate social work program (for Advanced Standing) from a CSWE-accredited program
- Minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
- Two letters of recommendation
- Personal statement as to why entering the social work field
- Resume/CV
Program Options
MSW, 2-Year Pathway, 60 credits completed in two years
MSW, 3-Year Pathway, 60 credits completed in three years
MSW, 1-Year Pathway with Advanced Standing, 30 credits completed in one year (3 semesters)
MSW, 2-Year Pathway with Advanced Standing, 30 credits completed in two years (6 semesters)
Program Learning Outcomes
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) explicitly provides the nine competencies, or program outcomes, needed to be a competent and successful social worker. The USM Social Work program has adopted these nine competencies.
The program develops social workers who:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior
- Engage diversity and difference in practice
- Advanced human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice
- Engage in policy practice
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
Generalist: Foundational Social Work
The foundational, generalist curriculum plan is based on generalist social work practice and is guided by the nine generalist competencies and 31 behaviors of the Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards (2015) by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The generalist curriculum plan lays the foundational knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes necessary for generalist practice of social work. The generalist, foundational curriculum also provides the framework for more advanced and specialized social work practice at the graduate level. Social work is competency-based education. The CSWE explicitly provides the nine generalist social work competencies, or program outcomes, needed to lay the foundation for master of social work practice.
Specialist: Health and Mental Health Social Work
The specialization of Health and Mental Health Social Work is the clinical and direct practice of social work with diverse populations within health and mental health care systems. The specialization supports bio-psycho-social-spiritual and trauma-informed knowledge bases of direct practice social work in the context of the biomedical model of health and mental care services. The specialization emphasizes the values of social justice and dignity and worth of all people to promote adequate standards of living and comprehensive health care in the context of health disparities and unjust health and mental health care policies. The specialized curriculum trains students in comprehensive skills of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation to address the diverse needs of individuals, families, groups, and organizations in the health and mental health care system. The Health and Mental Health specialization focuses on the curriculum and competencies necessary for advanced knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes for social work in health and mental health systems of care. The Health and Mental Health specialization is guided by nine health and mental competencies, and 22 behaviors that extend and enhance the generalist social work curriculum and competencies.
Specialist: Forensic Social Work
The specialization of Forensic Social Work is the intersection of the profession and social work and the law. The specialization emphasizes systems theory, restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, and human rights and social justice systems perspective that gird forensic social work practices with individuals, families, and communities. Forensic social work education emphasizes the values of human rights, social justice, and dignity and worth of all people in the context of existing policy and legal issues with populations that contribute to social injustices and human rights violations. The specialized curriculum equips students with translatable engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation skills that are necessary to help a variety of populations interfaced with the legal system. The population areas of forensic social work include: adult and juvenile criminal justice, family violence, child welfare, mental health, substance abuse, immigration, public education, and disability and aging populations. The Forensic specialization focuses on the curriculum and competencies necessary for advanced knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes for social work in forensic systems of care. The Forensic specialization is guided by nine forensic social work competencies, and 22 behaviors that extend and enhance the generalist social work curriculum and competencies.
Core Curriculum (45 crs)
Required Courses (27 crs)
| SW 601 | Orientation Seminar | 3 |
| SW 603 | Human Rights, Social, Economic, and Racial Justice (HR-SERJ) | 3 |
| SW 605 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) | 3 |
| SW 610 | Generalist Practice with Individuals | 3 |
| SW 612 | Generalist Practice with Families and Groups | 3 |
| SW 614 | Generalist Practice with Communities and Organizations | 3 |
| SW 618 | Social Welfare Policy and Services | 3 |
| SW 630 | Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SW 730/PY 730 | Methods of Research and Assessment | 3 |
Specialization - Concentration Areas (18 crs)
Select a Specialization/Concentration area from Health and Mental Health OR Forensic Social Work
Health and Mental Health
| SW 620 | Professionalism in Social Work | 3 |
| SW 710 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | 3 |
| SW 712 | Trauma Informed Care | 3 |
| SW 714 | Integrated Health Care Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SW 716 | Crisis Intervention-Disaster Response | 3 |
| SW 950 | Capstone Project | 3 |
Forensic Social Work
| SW 620 | Professionalism in Social Work | 3 |
| SW 710 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | 3 |
| SW 752 | Introduction to Forensic Social Work | 3 |
| SW 754 | Forensic Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SW 756 | Social Work and the Law | 3 |
| SW 950 | Capstone Project | 3 |
Field Practica (15 crs)
| SW 700 | Foundation Practicum Seminar | 1 |
| SW 702 | Foundation Practicum Internship | 5 |
| SW 800 | Specialization Practicum Seminar | 1 |
| SW 802 | Specialization Practicum Internship | 4 |
| SW 900 | Specialization Practicum Seminar | 1 |
| SW 902 | Specialization Practicum Internship | 3 |
The Social Work department utilizes the traditional letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) for all practica. All letter grade marks are included in the GPA calculation.