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Social Work ProgramsDirector: Joyce Z. White, Ph.D. Master of Social Work ProgramMission Statement || Curriculum Structure || Human Biology Course Work || Course of Instruction || Foundation Curriculum || Advanced Curriculum || Concentration Courses || Electives || Independent Study || Field Education || Work Study || Standard for Ethical Behavior || Suitability for Professional Social Work || Program Plans || MPA/MSW || MSW/Art Therapy || MSW/Master of Arts Pastoral Counseling and MSW/Master of Divinity || Gerontology Specialization || Home & School Visitor Certification Mission StatementThe Marywood University school of Social Work, accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1969, honors and promotes the core values of the social work profession: dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, intergrity, professional competence, social justice, and service, especially with oppressed and marginalized groups, to maximize their physical, mental, social, and spiritual health in interactions with their environments. Grounded in these values, the Marywood University School of Social Work educates full and part-time undergraduate (BSW) and graduate students (MSW and interdisciplinary doctorate) and prepares them for entry and advanced levels of direct social practice across a broad spectrum of settings and methods. Our students become practioners who are resourceful, creative, self-reflective, culturally and ethically competent, crtically thinking life-long learners, and leaders committed to social justice. The School's hallmark flexibility in both scheduling and locationss, as wellas its welcoming learning environment, is reponsive to beginning, career changing, and mid-career social work students. The School is an engaging participant in the community, fostering mutually helpful partnerships between the School and community agencies that: identify talented prospective students, facilitate successful practice experiences for current students, and provide professional opportunities for graduating students, while fulfiling client/community needs. These partnerships also create opportunities for the School to advocate for and lead systemic change that enhances the agency, community, and profession's ability to serve emerging needs. Curriculum Structure The Master of Social Work curriculum is organized as an integrated whole, including foundation and advanced content. Each semester builds upon knowledge from the previous semesterm and the completion of the foundation content is preparatory to advancement to concentrations. A system of organizing principles threads throughout the core content areas of the curriculum to form a foundation based upon the ecological perspective, social work values and ethics, appreciation of diversity, soical and economic justice, the strengths perspective, professional use of self, systematic mode of inquiry, and populations at risk. Foundation course work provides students with educational experiences designed to assure the acquisition of knowledge, values, and skills that form the basis of professional practice. This course work consists of 31 credits and includes six areas of core content: Social Policy (three credits), Human Behavior and the Social Environment (six credits), Research, (six credits), Ethics for Social Work (three credits), Social Work Theory and Practice (six credits), and two concurrent field experiences (seven credits). The foundation is designed to develop basic knowledge of social welfare policy, issues of oppression and social justice, bio-psycho-social-spiritual aspects of human behavior, utilization of the speicifc methods and processes,and methods of assessment, intervention, and evaluation with sensitivity to diversity among people. Upon completion of the foundation curriculum students begin twenty-nine credits of concentration. Students choose a concentration in either Advanced Social Work Practice with Client Systems or Administration in Social Work. Each concentration consists of six courses. During the first semester of the advanced curriculum, students take the first advanced practice course in the alternate concentration (3 credits) The two semesters of advanced practicum are taken concurrently with practice courses and are specific to the area of concentration. Advanced content in Social Policy (3 credits) is also taken as part of the advanced curriculum. Electives round out the concentrations. Those electives that are deemed advanced are taken only after foundation practice courses and field experiences are completed. Course of InstructionThe courses of the M.S.W. degree curriculum may be classified generally
into two
Foundation Curriculum
Advanced CurriculumAs students move to more advanced levels of their studies, more specialized courses are offered to assist in the acquisition of knowledge and skills in greater depth.
Concentration CoursesElectivesElectives allow study of a particular intervention methodology or
area of significance for social work and usually follow completion
of foundation course work. The school offers a range of elective choices
to respond flexibly to priority concerns and emerging issues in social
welfare, in accord with faculty resources and student interests. A
minimum enrollment of ten students is required for an elective to
be offered.
Independent StudyIndependent study is open to students who have completed one year full-time or the equivalent part-time study in Marywood's Master of Social Work program. A 3.50 quality point average is required in order to be eligible. No more than two independent study courses may be taken by non-advanced-standing students, or one by advanced-standing students during their Master of Social Work programs. Only one independent study may be taken per semester, and no more than one independent study may be taken with any given faculty member. Independent study courses may be taken for variable credit (one-, two-, or three- credit hours). The exact number of credits assigned to a particular course is determined by the faculty member who agrees to monitor and evaluate the student's performance. The determination of credit hours is consistent with the purpose, the nature, and the extent of the porposed indenpendent study. All independent study courses must be of comparable rigor to other courses in the curriculum of similar value. Field EducationIn addition to the classrrom courses, social work education places great emphasis on the experiental learning acquired by students through their field placements, which provide actual practice in social services agencies and settings. Field Placements provide the opportunity for students to obtain first hand experience in working with people and situations under the supervision of qualified and experienced social work practitioners. Field placements are different from other social work courses in that in addition to the educational objectives set for students and faculty, there are also professional and ethical responsibilties to an agency, clients, and the community to be taken into consideration. Students are required to spend sixteen hours a week for four semester, for a total of 920 clock hours, in field education placements, acquiring progressively more developed and sensitive skills in helping people as "beginning professionals." Students with Advanced Standing status complete three semesters of field for a total of 720 hours. Advanced Standing students who choose summer field placements will spend 24 hours per week in field placement during the summer. It is usually required that field placements be taken cocurrently with core practice methods courses since the primary objective of field experience is to facilitate the integration of practice learning with theoretical content. Placement decisions involve collaboration between the Assistant Director of Field Education and the student in order to select a field setting that meets the student's interests, provides appropriate learning opportunities, and whose location and operating hours are accessible to the student. Students with full-time employment may seek placements with nontraditional hours. Such placements are available in a very limited number of agencies. The School of Social Work has a large number of field placement agencies located throughout Pennsylvania, the Southern Tier and upstate New York, and New Jersey, providing every type of social work practice. Students are encouraged to work with the Field Education Department to establish new settings and opportunities tailored to their particular interests. The Field Department prepares a Field Manual, updated annually, for students and field instructors. Work StudyWork-study field placement allows graduate social work students to utilize field leanring opportunities at their soical service employment sites as their field placement setting. Traditional work-study usually involves the student's being released from his/her primary job responsibilities for all or a large part of the sixteen hours per week required to complette the field experience. This option is available for those who work in agencies sufficiently resourceful and cooperative to provide the equivalent of two days a week social work experience that is different from the student's employment responsibilites. The agency should provide a field instructor with an M.S.W. and two years post-master's experience, who is not the student's regular work supervisor. The student should have been employed by the agency for one year to be considered for this option. Approval for work-study is based upon the Field Education Department;s evaluation of a comprehensive plan submitted by the student and the agency. Ordinarily students are encouraged to utilize no more than one work study field placement. However, a second work study placement is possible depending on an agency's resources and diversity of programs. Medical Examinations, Immunizationd, Abuse Clearances, and Criminal Record ChecksAgencies may require medical exams, immunizations, abuse clearances, and/or criminal record checks. Students are required to comply with individual requirements and are responsible for any associated costs in completing the requirements. Agency requirements must be met prior to the beginning of a field placement. Students should be aware that state licensing boards, many employersm and many Field education placement agency administrators require backgournd checks for M.S.W students and professional social workers. These checks many include State Police, FBI, child abuse, current health or other requirements particular to the work the student or social worker may be expected to do. the School requires all students registering for field experience to obtain State Police and child abuse reports. Student in School of Social Work should recognize that a positive report in any background check may:
The effect of a positive report is determined by the agency or licensing board; there may be opportunity to appeal or to explain circumstances. Students with circumstances in their backgrounds that may emerge during background checks are encouraged to discuss the potential implications of these circumstances with their advisors. Standard for Ethical BehaviorThe National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics is the established standard of ethical behavior for professional social workers. Students in the School of Social Work are preparing for positions of professional responsibility, and their conduct while students is guided by this code. Students are referred for further information about the Code to the Student Handbook, to the Field Manual, and to the NASW publication, "Code of Ethics," available from NASW on-line. A copy of the code is given to each entering student, and he or she is required to sign a prepared statement acknowledging acceptance of this standard of behavior. Suitablity for Professional Social WorkAn Academic and Professional Standards Review Committee is established when
The committee does not reconsider grades. Academic progress toward the M.S.W. degree is reviewed each semester for all students. Formal review by an Academic and Professional Standards Review Committee will occur for any of the following reasons:
Academic and Professional Standards Review procedure are detailed in the
School of Program PlansThe School of Social Work at Marywood has developed full- and part-time program plans for persons seeking Master of Social work degrees: Standard full-time and part-time and Advanced Standing full-time and part-time. All plans have the same standards and require both classroom study and field education experience, working under supervision in a social work agency or setting. The principal purpose of the MSW program is to prepare graduates for advanced social work practice.
Dual Degree Programs: M.S.W./M.P.A.,M.S.W./M.H.S.A.,M.S.W./M.S. GerontologyThese programs are designed for those who wish to combine the development of administrative and managerial expertise in defined service areas-public or non-profit agency administration, or gerontological services administration-with the knowledge, skills, and values of the social work profession. The joint focus prepares students for a range of professional options and opportunities. Participation in a dual degree program permits the student to earn the M.S.W. degree with the M.P.A., M.H.S.A, or M.S. Gerontology in a manner that expedites the time required , by crediting work earned for one degree to the requirements of the other. M.S.W./Art TherapyThe combination of Art Therapy and Social Work is an innovation in interprofessional M.S.W./Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling and M.S.W./Master of Divinity.Dual degree programs have been established with Moravian Theological Seminary. Home and School Visitor CertificationPennsylvania Certification for Home and School Visitor can be earned in combination with the M.S.W. or through a separate 34-credit course of study. The certification curriculum is presented as an interprofessional preparation for social work practice in elementary and secondary schools in Pennsylvania. Students who intend to practice in other jurisdictions may use the program whether or not they plan to apply for Pennsylvania certification. The program develops the competencies required for certification through course work in both the School of Social Work and in the Education Department of the College of Education and Human Development. Curriculum expectations for the Education courses, which fulfill the M.S.W. student's elective requirements, can be adjusted on the basis of prior learning. Preparation for certification includes 360 hours of supervised social work practice in school settings. M.S.W. candidates will accomplish the practice requirement through their practicum courses; certification candidates may develop other educationally appropriate schedules for practicum. International Study OpportunitiesEvery summer, Marywood University School of Social Work M.S.W. students travel to London, England and to Belfast, Nothern Ireland, to work with agencies providing services to local residents. To qualify, a student must have completed the equivalent of half of the M.S.W. program, be returning the following September, and have a GPA of 3.50 or higher. The placement agencies have education and experience requirements. The positions are all volunteer, and travel and any other costs are at your own expense. the following September, the student registers to complete an independent study under the supervision of a member of the SSW faculty, based upon some aspect of the international experience. The independent study fulfils an elective requirement. To balance the extra costs of travel, Marywood University charges students for only two of the three credits in their international independent study. It is possible to earn field education credit in an international placement. the requisite course work must typically be arranged to be taken concurrently at a university in the country where the student is placed. Placement can be developed for well-qualified students in a variety of international settings, but fluency in the language of the client system of the field placement is essential. Transfer of Credits and Credit for Life or Work ExperienceOnly credits earned in CSWE accredited schools of social work are accepted for transfer. Prior to enrolling in the Marywood University School of Social Work M.S.W. Program, a student may request the transfer of up to twenty-eight (28) credits. When an applicant requests transfer of credits from another accredited M.S.W. program, the following considerations will apply. Each application will be evaluated on its own merits. Credits may be transferred provided the work is at the level of 3.00 or better on a 4.00 point scale, at least three credits graduate level, deemed relevant to the student's area of concentration, and completed not more than five years prior to the date of application. All decisions regarding the acceptability of courses transferred into the Marywood School of Social Work M.S.W. Program from another institution will be the responsibility of the Director in consultation with appropriate faculty in the area of the curriculum in which the course falls. It is the responsibility of the applicant to have an official copy of the transcript, listing the courses for which transfer credit is sought, sent to the Admissions Office along with a detailed description, or syllabus, of the courses in question. Once enrolled in the M.S.W. Program at the Marywood University School of Social Work, a student may request transfer of up to six credits of electives that were earned in accredited schools of social work susequent to the student's enrollment at Marywood. The same grade requirements as above must be met. Academic credit for life or work experience is not granted by the School
of Social Work. |
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October 9, 2006
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