Department of Social Work
351 Cato Hall
704-687-4076
http://www.health/uncc.edu
Degree
M.S.W.
Chairperson
Dr. Linwood H. Cousins, Interim Chair
Program
Coordinator
Dr. Deana Morrow,
Associate Professor
Graduate
Faculty
A. Suzanne Boyd, Assistant Professor
Linwood Cousins, Associate Professor
James Dudley, Professor
Gay Jordan, Lecturer & Director of Admissions and Student Services
Terri Matthews, Lecturer
Valerie Miller, Lecturer & Director of Field Education
Deana F. Morrow, Associate Professor
Philip Popple, Professor
Marcia Shobe, Assistant Professor
Carole Winston, Assistant Professor
The Master of Social Work (MSW) degree prepares students for advanced social work practice with individuals, families, and small groups in a variety of public, voluntary, and proprietary human service settings. Graduates are skilled in addressing the many social and individual problems of society—especially for those who constitute membership in low income and vulnerable groups.
The course of full-time study over four semesters requires 60 hours of course work beyond the bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. A structured part-time program is available that students can complete in three years. The UNC Charlotte MSW Degree is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting organization for social work education programs.
The MSW curriculum concentration is in interpersonal practice which is centered in advanced social work practice with individuals, families, and small groups. In addition, students also select a Field of Practice Emphasis from one of three areas—Health/Mental Health; Families and Children; or Aging—to further deepen their expertise in interpersonal practice. f Graduates are employed in a range of human service settings, including youth and family agencies, child and adult protective services, schools, area mental health agencies, substance abuse centers, health care settings, and neighborhood service centers.
Additional
Admission Requirements
Students begin in the Fall semester. In addition to the general requirements for admission to the graduate school, applicants for the M.S.W. program:
1) Must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for the last two years and 2.75 overall for their undergraduate work.
2) Acceptable scores on the GRE. The total quantitative and verbal scores should be in the range of 1000; previous accepted scores averaged 960. Marginal GRE scores may be offset by other exceptionally strong components of the application. Applications with total scores below 800 are considered marginal but would not omit the applicant from consideration.
3) Must present evidence of having a liberal arts foundation for MSW study. Courses in statistics and human biology are required. In addition, transcripts are evaluated for a liberal arts foundation with courses in the humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, and the physical sciences, for example.
4) Social work applicants are required to submit the Statement of Purpose Form included in the graduate application package, but this should be expanded to four or five pages in length to include the following:
a) Your reasons for seeking graduate social work education at this time. If you are currently working in a social service job, explain your reasons for pursuing further formal education. If you are changing fields, discuss your reasons for doing so. Explain why you are making this change now.
b) How your life experiences have led you to seek a graduate social work degree. How do you account for your interest in social work?
c) Your personal strengths and limitations for the practice of social work.
d) The particular aspects of social work that interest you most .
e) What you see yourself doing professionally five years in the future?
f) Diversity is a valued aspect of the social work program. How do you think you might enrich the class with your cultural experiences, unique skills, and interest?
g) Your activities in social work organizations and any honors you have received.
h) Your signature and date.
5) An attachment to the essay outlining the applicant’s educational, work and volunteer experience, and special skills or attributes. The attachment should total no more than two pages and should be in resume format to include:
Personal data: Name, address, phone number, email address
Educational experience: Institutions and the dates you attended
Your academic degrees awarded, include majors and minors
Work experience: List all positions in chronological order (beginning with most recent) with a 2-3 line job description for each.
Include all beginning and ending dates for each position.
Identify if a MSW or a BSW level social worker supervised you.
Indicate whether the position was full-time or part-time.
Volunteer experience: List all positions in chronological order (beginning with most recent) with a 2-3 line job description for each.
Include all beginning and ending dates for each position.
Identify if an MSW or a BSW level social worker supervised you.
Professional affiliations and honors from your school, profession, or community:
List any memberships in professional organizations and service groups
List any offices held in these organizations.
Add honors or special awards received.
6) Three Letters of Recommendation Forms. If you are a graduate within the past 5 years, at least two must be from faculty members. For applicants who have been out of the education system for some time, letters should be from someone who can comment on your suitability for graduate education. It is recommended that at least one reference be from a professional working in the applicant’s field of interest.
Upon acceptance to the program, students will be asked to complete an Intent to Enroll form and a Field Application Form. Because some field placement agencies serving vulnerable populations exclude personnel with criminal convictions, students entering the program may be subject to a criminal history inquiry. Many agencies require drug testing as well.
Degree Requirements
Foundation Curriculum (first year):
SOWK6101 Human Behavior and the Social Environment I: Individuals, families, and small groups (3)
SOWK6111 Social Welfare Policy I: Historical and Policy Context of Social Work Practice (3)
SOWK6112 Social
Welfare Policy II: Theory, Policy, and Analysis of Social Welfare Policy and
Programs in the
SOWK6121 Social Work Practice I: Theories and skills in practice with individuals, families, groups (3)
SOWK6131 Social Work Research I: Introduction to social science research methods (3)
SOWK6202 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II: Groups, organizations, communities (3)
SOWK6222 Social Work Practice II: Theories and skills in practice with groups and communities (3)
SOWK6232 Social Work Research II: Philosophies and methods of evaluating social work practice and programs (3)
SOWK6441 Practicum I: Application of foundation knowledge, values, and skills to practice setting (3)
SOWK6442 Practicum II: Application of foundation knowledge, values, and skills to practice setting (3)
Advanced Curriculum (second year):
SOWK7103 Human Behavior and the Social Environment III: Theories of mental illness, DSM- (3)
SOWK7123 Advanced Interpersonal Practice with Individuals: Evaluation and intervention methods (3)
SOWK7124 Advanced Interpersonal Practice with Families: Diversity among family systems, intervention models (3)
SOWK7125 Advanced Interpersonal Practice with Small Groups: Group development and facilitation methods (3)
SOWK7443 Practicum III: Application of advanced knowledge, values, and skills to practice setting ()4
SOWK7444 Practicum IV: Application of advanced knowledge, values, and skills to practice setting ()5
SOWK7651 Field of Practice Seminar: Study of theory and practice issues of student’s specialty (3)
Two Field of Practice Electives selected according to the student’s specialty (6)
Electives may be selected from the offerings of any department on campus, but must be approved by the student’s advisor prior to registration.
The
Field Placement
Field placements are assigned from a variety of agencies and practice settings approved by the UNC Charlotte Social Work Field Office. Field Instructors, approved by the Department, guide the student through learning experiences, coordinating field experiences with the concurrent classroom coursework. The first year of field placement focuses on foundation practice skills. The second year of placement, in a different setting, focuses on advanced practice within the student’s Field of Practice Emphasis area.
State
Certification
Graduates of the MSW Program are eligible to pursue North Carolina State Licensure/Certification at three levels: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Master Social Worker, and Certified Social Work Manager. Licensure/certification is managed by the North Carolina Certification Board for Social Work. The Board may be contacted at www.swboard.org or (800) 550-7009.
Financial
Assistance
Paid internships and assistantships are limited. Contact the department for more information.
Courses in Social Work
SOWK 6101. Human Behavior and the
SOWK 6111. Social Welfare Policy I: Historical and Policy Context of
Social Work Practice. (3) The development of social work practice
theories is presented in the context of the historical evolution of society and
specifically social policy. The interaction between social work’s professional
aspirations, public and private social welfare policy, and the development of
practice theories is emphasized. Particular attention is paid to the current
trend toward privatization of social welfare services and the effect this is
having on social work practice and social workers’ career paths and prospects. (Fall)
SOWK 6112. Social Welfare Policy II: Theory, Philosophy and Analysis of
Social Welfare Policy and Programs in the
SOWK 6121. Social Work Practice I: Individuals, Families, & Groups. (3) The first course in a two-course foundation practice sequence. Introduces foundation skills and theories of culturally competent social work practice with individuals, families, and groups. Develops the ecological systems perspective of practice with an emphasis on client strengths and problem-solving processes within a context of adherence to social work values and ethics. (Fall)
SOWK 6131. Social
SOWK 6202. Human Behavior and the Social Environment II. (3) Prerequisite: SOWK 6101, Human Behavior and the Social Environment I. Overview of theories related to human behavior with an emphasis on various theories of small groups, organizations and communities. System theories, social construction theories, and theories related to disenfranchised groups such as feminist theories and non-western, non-English speaking systems of thought are also integrated throughout the course. (Spring)
SOWK 6222. Social Work Practice II: Organizations and Communities. (3) Prerequisite: SOWK 6121, Social Work Practice I. The second course in the foundation practice sequence. Introduces foundation skills and theories of culturally competent social work practice with organizations and communities. Areas of focus include leadership development in nonprofit organizations and collaborative approaches to building and strengthening neighborhoods. (Spring)
SOWK 6232. Social Work Research II: Practice and Program Evaluation. (3) Prerequisite: SOWK 6131, Social Work Research I. The second course in the foundation research sequence. Introduction to a range of philosophies, methods, and activities involved in evaluation of professional social work practice and of social service programs. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are explored. (Spring)
SOWK 6441. Social
SOWK 6442. Social Work Practicum II. (3)
Continuation of SOWK 6441, Social Work Practicum I & Seminar. (Spring)
SOWK 6895. Directed Independent Study. (1-6) Prerequisite: Permission of the department and instructor to be obtained in the semester preceding the semester in which the course is to be taken. Guided individual study in topics related to Social Work that are not offered in the MSW curriculum or available through elective courses in other graduate programs at UNC Charlotte. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
SOWK 7090. Special Topics in Social Work. (3) A topics course that is only available for graduate credit. (On demand)
SOWK 7103. Human Behavior and the Social Environment III. (3) Prerequisite: SOWK 6202, Human Behavior and the Social Environment II. Overview of theories related to mental health and mental illness. Content on the responsible use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. Social Construction theories and theories related to deviance and social control will be emphasized. (Fall)
SOWK 7123. Advanced Interpersonal Practice with Individuals. (3) Prerequisite: SOWK 6222, Social Work Practice II. As a part of a three- course advanced practice sequence the focus if this course is on multi-theoretical and multi-method approaches for advanced interpersonal practice with individuals. Emphasis is on in-depth assessment, intervention, and evaluation of services with attention to time-limited and empirically supported methodologies. (Fall)
SOWK 7124. Advanced Interpersonal Practice with Families. (3) Prerequisite: Social Work 6222, Social Work Practice II. As a part of a three course advanced practice sequence the focus of this course is on multi-theoretical and multi-method approaches for advanced interpersonal practice with families. Diversity among family systems and time-limited intervention models for social work practice with families are emphasized. (Spring)
SOWK 7125. Advanced Social Work Practice with Groups. (3) Prerequisite: SOWK 6222, Social Work Practice II. As a part of a three course advanced practice sequence the focus of this course is on multi-theoretical and multi-method approaches for advanced interpersonal practice with small groups. Emphasis is on various approaches to group development and facilitation including social change, therapeutic factors, leadership, composition, contracting, goal setting, and evaluation. (Fall)
SOWK 7443. Social Work Practicum III. (6) 4Prerequisite: SOWK 6442, Social Work Practicum II. Corequisite: Enrollment in at least one advanced social work practice class (SOWK 7123, SOWK 7124, or SOWK 7125). Students work in an approved social service agency developing specialized social work skills in their area of focus. Students are expected to demonstrate advanced social work practice skills that indicate an integration of theories, research, and policies in relation to their area of specialization within interpersonal practice. (Fall)
SOWK 7444. Social Work Practicum IV. (3) Prerequisite: SOWK 7443, Social Work Practicum III. Corequisite: Enrollment in at least one advanced social work practice class (SOWK 7123, SOWK 7124, or SOWK 7125). Continuation of SOWK 7443, Social Work Practicum III. (Spring)
SOWK 7651. Field of Practice Seminar. (3) Prerequisite: Student must be in the last semester of the M.S.W. curriculum. This is a capstone course in which the student prepares a comprehensive paper describing the major historical and current theories, philosophies, and research issues of social work practice, policy, and human behavior in the social environment, related to the field of practice in which the student has indicated a specialization. The student will be expected to present sections of the paper at least twice during the semester. (Spring)
SOWK 7627. Seminar in Advanced Practice: Supervision and Staff
Training. (3) Prerequisite: Student must be in the last semester of the
M.S.W. curriculum. Students may choose to satisfy their social work elective
requirement with this course. This seminar is for students who anticipate
working in traditional social welfare organizations in the public or private
sectors. The focus of this seminar is on knowledge and skills that a social
worker will need to succeed in practice in large organizations. Included is
content on supervision, staff training and development, and the role of the
professional in large organizations. (Spring)
SOWK 7999. Masters Degree Graduate Residence. (1) (Fall, Spring, Summer)