Program Goals
Four program goals reflect the mission of the Joint Master of Social Work program in three complementary areas: the provision of a quality master’s level social work curriculum, service to the people of North Carolina, and scholarship.
- Create an intentional learning community which recognizes, understands, supports, and honors diversity and difference, especially for students from oppressed groups.
- Prepare graduates to engage in culturally-competent, effective, ethical, multiculturally-competent clinical practice.
- Collaborate with consumers and colleagues to promote social and economic justice and improve the lives of the people of North Carolina and beyond.
- Conduct and disseminate community-engaged scholarship which contributes to the knowledge base of the profession and promotes effective social work practice.
Curriculum Plan
The Joint Master of Social Work program with the Department of Sociology and Social Work at NCA&TSU offers two-year and advanced standing program options. Students in the full-time two-year option complete 60 credit hours of course work. The advanced standing option requires 42 credit hours in one calendar year. All students must complete courses in the prescribed sequence to progress successfully to completion of the degree program.
The curriculum design of the program provides students with a theoretical and applied education in social work to enhance and promote multicultural clinical social work practice. The program is organized to insure that all students, as advanced social work practitioners, will be prepared to independently engage in clinical social work practice with individuals, families, and small groups, and to work effectively within organizations and communities around issues of social justice and access to services.
Generalist Year Curriculum
In the generalist curriculum, students complete 30 credits of course work. Students complete courses in social work and social welfare policy, social work practice and human diversity, social work practice with individuals, social work practice with groups, and family theory and intervention. Students also complete courses on foundations of clinical social work practice, social work and social justice, social work research methods, and two generalist field instruction and seminar courses. The purpose of the generalist course work is to prepare students for the specialization curriculum.
Specialization Curriculum
In the specialization curriculum, students complete an additional 30 credits of course work. Students complete two courses in advanced social work clinical practice, an advanced research course, and a course on organizational practice from a clinical perspective. They also complete two semesters of advanced field instruction and field seminar. Students also complete two graduate-level electives, which must be approved by the student’s educational advisor.
Advanced Standing Option
Advanced Standing students have been admitted into Advanced Standing with a B.S.W. degree and complete 42 credits of graduate course work to obtain the M.S.W. They begin their graduate course work in the summer taking 12 credits of course work. This course work builds a content bridge between B.S.W. course work and the specialization year curriculum of the M.S.W. program.
School Social Work Licensure
Students intending to become licensed at the graduate level for school social work by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction need to complete the Licensure Program, which has been developed with the School of Education.
In addition to completing the requirements for the JMSW Program, the student must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program and successfully complete SWK 651 Advanced School Social Work . The advanced year field instruction (SWK 640 Field Instruction III and SWK 647 Field Instruction IV ) must be taken in a school social work setting. Graduate licensure in school social work is granted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Students interested in school social work licensure should contact the school social work coordinator in the Department of Social Work.
For information regarding deadlines and requirements for admission, please see https://grs.uncg.edu/programs/.
Degree Program Requirements
Required: 60 credit hours (42 credit hours for the Advanced Standing Option)
Two-Year Option
Year One: Generalist Courses
Year Two: Specialization Curriculum
Plan of Study Grid | Year One |
|---|
| First Semester |
|---|
| SWK 600 | Field Instruction and Seminar I | 3 |
| SWK 621 | Foundations of Social Work and Social Policy | 3 |
| SWK 622 | Social Work Practice with Individuals | 3 |
| SWK 623 | Social Work with Groups | 3 |
| SWK 624 | Social Work Practice and Human Diversity | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Second Semester |
|---|
| SWK 608 | Field Instruction and Seminar II | 3 |
| SWK 609 | Family Theory and Intervention | 3 |
| SWK 618 | Social Work and Social Justice | 3 |
| SWK 619 | Foundations of Clinical Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWK 626 | Social Work Research Methods | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Year Two |
|---|
| First Semester |
|---|
| SWK 634 | Research Designs and Data Analysis for Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWK 640 | Field Instruction III | 5 |
| SWK 641 | Field Seminar III | 1 |
| SWK 652 | Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice I | 3 |
| 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Second Semester |
|---|
| SWK 644 | Organizational Context of Clinical Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWK 647 | Field Instruction IV | 5 |
| SWK 648 | Field Seminar IV | 1 |
| SWK 653 | Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice II | 3 |
| 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| | Total Credit Hours | 60 |
Advanced Standing Option
The 42 credit hour Advanced Standing Option is designed to allow highly qualified students to earn the Master of Social Work degree in one calendar year by building on knowledge and skills previously attained through Bachelor of Social Work course work.
Required Summer Bridge Courses
Plan of Study Grid | Summer Session I |
|---|
| SWK 624 | Social Work Practice and Human Diversity | 3 |
| SWK 632 | Social Work with Families and Groups | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 6 |
| Summer Session II |
|---|
| SWK 626 | Social Work Research Methods | 3 |
| SWK 631 | Social Work with Individuals: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 6 |
| | Total Credit Hours | 12 |
Upon successful completion of the above courses during the summer, Advanced Standing students admitted during summer will join the ongoing M.S.W. full-time two-year class in Year 2: Specialization Year Curriculum. At that time Advanced Standing students will take the following courses:
Specialization Curriculum
Plan of Study Grid | Year Two |
|---|
| First Semester |
|---|
| SWK 634 | Research Designs and Data Analysis for Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWK 640 | Field Instruction III | 5 |
| SWK 641 | Field Seminar III | 1 |
| SWK 652 | Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice I | 3 |
| 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Second Semester |
|---|
| SWK 648 | Field Seminar IV | 1 |
| SWK 644 | Organizational Context of Clinical Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWK 647 | Field Instruction IV | 5 |
| SWK 653 | Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice II | 3 |
| 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| | Total Credit Hours | 30 |
School Social Work Licensure
Students intending to become licensed at the graduate level for school social work by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction need to complete the Licensure Program, which has been developed with the School of Education.
In addition to completing the requirements for the JMSW Program, the student must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program and successfully complete SWK 651 Advanced School Social Work. The advanced year field instruction (SWK 640 Field Instruction III and SWK 647 Field Instruction IV ) must be taken in a school social work setting. Graduate licensure in school social work is granted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Students interested in school social work licensure should contact the school social work coordinator in the Department of Social Work.
