Program Overview

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Social Work Advanced Standing Online Program (MSW)

The MSW program requires the completion of 23 credit hours, including a 600-hour internship. The program takes 10 months to complete for students who attend full-time or two years to complete for students who attend part-time. The Advanced Standing MSW program begins in the Fall semester.

Eligibility

To be considered for the Advanced Standing program, the following requirements must be met:

• Earned a BSW from an institution accredited by the CSWE within the last five years prior to the start of the term in which you are applying to
• If the BSW has been received from an institution accredited by the CSWE more than five years prior to applying to the Advanced Standing program, the applicant must prove an active involvement in practicing the social work profession during the time between graduation and application to the program
• 3.0 or higher overall GPA

Related Programs

• Master's
  • Social Work (MSW)
  • Social Work Advanced Standing Program (MSW)
  • Social Work Online (MSW)

Curriculum

Students must have completed a BSW degree at an accredited school of social work. Students will complete 23 credit hours based on the requirements of their specialization.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
SOWK 680	Advanced Micro-Level Practice	3
SOWK 682	Advanced Mezzo and Micro Practice 1	3
or SOWK 681	Advanced Mezzo & Macro Practice	3
SWII 632	Internship Instruction III & Simulated Experiences	0.5
SWII 632S	Integrative Seminar	1
SWII 633	Internship Instruction IV & Simulated Experiences	0.5
Specializations & Tracks	9
All students must choose a Specialization and Track
Micro Practice Specialization
Schools/Professional Educator's License (PEL) Track
CIEP 401	The Exceptional Child
SOWK 609A	School Social Work Policy and Practice I
SOWK 609B	School Social Work Policy and Practice II
Advanced Clinical Practice Track
SOWK 621	Clinical Practice in Addiction
SOWK 632	Clinical Social Work with Older Adults
SOWK 645	Crisis Intervention
Leadership, Mezzo & Macro Practice (LMMP) Specialization
Leadership, Community, Advocacy, and Policy (LCAP) Track
SOWK 650	Leadership & Supervision in Service Organizations
SOWK 652	Organizations, Program Development, and Evaluation
SOWK 653	Community Organizing and Policy Practice
Electives	6
All students will take two electives
Advanced Clinical Practice students take SOWK 621 and SOWK 645
Schools students take SOWK 603 and SOWK 645
LCAP students take SOWK 616 and SOWK 645
Total Hours	23

Internship

Advanced Standing students are required to complete one internship during their program. For the first year of the program, students focus on coursework only and do not complete an internship. However, at the start of the program, students are required to work with the Regional Coordinators to actively participate in locating internship sites in their home state for their specialized internship. Students apply to sites and interview to secure an internship. Internships are from Fall to Spring only. The specialized internship is 600 hours performed at 24 hours per week and is aligned with the student's area of specialization.

Specializations & Tracks Options

The Master of Social Work program has the following specialization and track options:

• Leadership, Mezzo, and Macro Practice (LMMP) Specialization
  • Leadership, Community, Advocacy, and Policy (LCAP) Track
• Micro Practice Specialization
  • Advanced Clinical Practice Track
  • Schools/Professional Educator License (PEL) Track

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework. An individual student's completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study. Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

Leadership, Mezzo, & Macro Practice (LMMP) Specialization

Plan of Study Grid Year 1 | Term | Hours | | --- | --- | | Fall | | | SOWK 652 | Organizations, Program Development, and Evaluation | 3 | | SOWK 653 | Community Organizing and Policy Practice | 3 | | SOWK 681 | Advanced Mezzo & Macro Practice | 3 | | SWII 632 | Internship Instruction III & Simulated Experiences | 0.5 | | SWII 632S | Integrative Seminar | 1 | | | Hours | 10.5 | | Spring | | | SOWK 650 | Leadership & Supervision in Service Organizations | 3 | | SOWK 680 | Advanced Micro-Level Practice | 3 | | SWII 633 | Internship Instruction IV & Simulated Experiences | 0.5 | | Elective | 3 | | Elective | 3 | | | Hours | 12.5 | | | Total Hours | 23 |

Micro Practice Specialization

Plan of Study Grid Year 1 | Term | Hours | | --- | --- | | Fall | | | SOWK 680 | Advanced Micro-Level Practice | 3 | | SWII 632 | Internship Instruction III & Simulated Experiences | 0.5 | | SWII 632S | Integrative Seminar | 1 | | Elective | 3 | | Track Course | 3 | | Track Course | 3 | | | Hours | 13.5 | | Spring | | | SOWK 681 | Advanced Mezzo & Macro Practice | 3 | | SWII 633 | Internship Instruction IV & Simulated Experiences | 0.5 | | Track Course | 3 | | Elective | 3 | | | Hours | 9.5 | | | Total Hours | 23 |

MSW Program Specialized Micro Learning Outcomes

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant policies, laws, and regulations that may affect practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand that ethics are informed by principles of human rights and apply them toward realizing social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in their practice.

• Demonstrate professional use of self as a social worker, reflecting knowledge of personal professional strengths, limitations, challenges, and cooperatively resolving interpersonal conflicts.
• Demonstrate ethical use of advanced modalities in practice and any related technological applications in the micro field of social work.
• Recognize and manage ethical violations and resolve conflicting ethical obligations.

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice

Social workers understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights. Social workers are knowledgeable about the global intersecting and ongoing injustices throughout history that result in oppression and racism, including social work's role and response.

• Articulate human rights violations the client and client's system are experiencing, including environmental and economic issues that endanger the health of the client system.
• Demonstrate understanding of the impact of intersectionality of marginalized identities, systemic racism, and associated oppressions and plan practice accordingly.
• Demonstrate ways in which social workers can advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels as it relates to the micro field of social work practice.

Competency 3: Engage in Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

Social workers understand how racism and oppression shape human experiences and how these two constructs influence practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community levels and in policy and research.

• Understand and demonstrate an understanding of anti-racism practice at the individual, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels that will allow for diversity, equity, and inclusion practice in the micro-level field of social work.
• Demonstrate an understanding of discrimination patterns in society and how micro-level oppression impacts micro-level social work practice regarding race, class, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, age, and any other social categories in which oppression occurs.
• Demonstrate the ability to formulate how an anti-racist practice will advance the client and client system's human rights.

Competency 4: Engage In Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

Social workers use ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches in conducting research and building knowledge.

• Demonstrate understanding of and be able to contribute to the evaluation of social research regarding advanced micro practice.
• Critically evaluate and select potential practice models relevant to the client's systems.
• Use their experience from their internship or practicum placement to identify real-life challenges and address the practical needs of clients.
• Engage in partnerships with experienced social workers to help bridge the gap between theory and practice and broaden knowledge of social work practice as it relates to the micro field of social work.

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

Social workers identify social policy at the local, state, federal, and global level that affects wellbeing, human rights and justice, service delivery, and access to social services.

• Communicate to stakeholders and policymakers the implications of policies and policy change in the lives of clients.
• Conduct and design a plan for organizational analysis and change, working with relevant constituencies to evaluate interventions that impact clients and communities utilizing best practice models reflecting social work values, ethics, and the organization's mission.
• Collect, maintain, interpret, and analyze data from both internal and external organizational environments, the community of stakeholders, and diverse client groups to identify and prioritize social problems.
• Recognize how oppression and social injustice affect client groups, organizations, and communities and intervene proactively for human rights and justice.
• Understand strategies and techniques for advocating at local, state, and federal levels in policy development.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

• Apply culturally appropriate resources available to assist with problem-solving.
• Recognize and describe self-reflective competency in identifying bias, countertransference, and potential microaggressions when engaging diverse client systems.
• Implement and describe the use of reflective listening tools when needed to engage and empower members of families and groups.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice.

• Collect and organize data to support their professional decision-making as well as demonstrate critical thinking to interpret information from clients and constituencies.
• Illustrate knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and constituencies, understanding the lack of political neutrality in their work.
• Exemplify a process in which mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives are generated based on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within clients and constituencies in their social environment; and
• Convey a deeper understanding of how to select appropriate intervention strategies informed by assessment, research knowledge, and values and preferences of clients and constituencies through the exercise of antiracist practice principles.

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice.

• Practices self-reflective understanding of the professional use of self in interventions with diverse types of client systems in order to understand and challenge oppressive social forces as well as to avoid perpetuating racist biases, microaggressions, and disempowerment of clients.
• Use supervision and consultation appropriate to developing skills for advanced and interdisciplinary practice.
• Demonstrate an ability to intervene collaboratively and collectively with clients in choosing treatment plans and their implementation.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

• Demonstrate understanding of the logic and method of single case evaluation of practice from diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives.
• Competently demonstrate case evaluation, including identifying problems and their resolution, the fulfillment of goals co-identified with client, and managing systemic problems that impinge on client well-being.
• Demonstrate competence in incorporating client feedback processes in planning and carrying out the intervention plan.
• Demonstrate competence in using evidence-based knowledge to evaluate the effectiveness of their practice.

MSW Program Specialized LMMP Learning Outcomes

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant policies, laws, and regulations that may affect practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

• Practice self-reflection and self-evaluation in working through competing personal and professional values.
• Apply and anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework to macro practice decision-making, considering NASW and IFSW ethical codes, research and practice-based knowledge, and applicable legal and policy information.
• Promote policies for organizational, community, and policy change that reflect social work values and challenge inequities.
• Demonstrate an understanding of social work supervision as an accountability mechanism in supporting ethical and professional social work practice.
• Identify discrimination and marginalization and prioritize the voices of affected populations.

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice

Social workers understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights.

• Integrate knowledge of international human rights conventions and covenants, as well as human rights theories and frameworks, into practice that addresses social, economic, and environmental justice.
• Critically examine the political process to participate in organizational, community, and policy change addressing human rights and social justice.
• Identify human rights and justice issues of clients and constituents.
• Develop strategies to address human rights and justice issues and to evaluate outcomes with key stakeholders.

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

Social workers understand how racism and oppression shape human experiences and how these two constructs influence practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community levels and in policy and research.

• Demonstrate proficiency in choosing and using a variety of communication styles to engage with people of various political ideologies, religious and cultural backgrounds, and points of view.
• Create engagement strategies that are inclusive and consider systems of power and intersectional identities, including areas of racism, sexism, nativism, etc.
• Recognize the discrepancies that may arise between respecting cultural differences of clients and constituencies and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Develop leadership and other teams that reflect the diversity of the communities in which they work.

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

Social workers use ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches in conducting research and building knowledge.

• Critically analyzes research results on best practices in management and supervision from a variety of disciplines.
• Develop research questions with input from stakeholders and analysis of how the research process may impact, both positively and negatively, clients, programs, organizations, communities, and/or policies.
• Critically analyze research findings and practice models to inform practice at all levels of macro practice, including teams, organizations, community, and policy.
• Identify possible barriers and resistance to the conduct and dissemination of research, as well as any ethical, political, and other dilemmas that may arise.

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

Social workers identify social policy at the local, state, federal, and global level that affects wellbeing, human rights and justice, service delivery, and access to social services.

• Communicate to stakeholders and policymakers the implications of policies and policy change in the lives of clients.
• Conduct and design a plan of organizational analysis and change, working with relevant constituencies, to evaluate interventions that impact clients and communities utilizing best practice models reflecting social work values, ethics, and the mission of the organization.
• Collect, maintain, interpret, and analyze data from both internal and external organizational environments, the community of stakeholders and diverse client groups to identify and prioritize social problems.
• Recognize how oppression and social injustice affects client groups, organizations and communities and being proactive in intervening for human rights and justice.
• Understand strategies and techniques for advocating at local, state, and federal levels in policy development.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

• Demonstrate ability to identify a comprehensive range of stakeholders in the relevant practice setting: organization, community, and/or policy.
• Demonstrate self-awareness and professional behavior in engaging with individuals, teams, community groups and organizations.
• Demonstrate verbal, written, and digital skills to engage multiple, diverse constituencies.
• Understand and demonstrate effective group and team facilitation and mediation process skills that facilitate engagement and collaboration.
• Define and recognize their own and others' leadership skills to effectively promote stakeholder engagement and change.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice.

• Analyze power distributions to identify influential decision-makers, whether formal or informal, among individuals, teams, organizations, communities, and other institutional entities.
• Identify and create mezzo and macro interventions based on an assessment and analysis of assets, needs, benefits, service gaps, rights, and power and resource distributions.
• Demonstrate ability to collaborate with stakeholders throughout the assessment process.
• Analyze collected data and communicate summaries of the data in written and oral form as appropriate.
• Present options for intervention based on data-informed assessments.
• Articulate the benefits and drawbacks of various metrics, analytical methods and tools, and data sources (primary & secondary, quantitative & qualitative).

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice.

• Articulates ethically sound, social work value-centered supervision strategies for employees, including performance reviews and corrective action plans.
• Engage with stakeholders in the identification of issues and policies that impact individual well-being and the communities and organizations that support them.
• Mobilize constituents to participate and lead in issue analysis and formulation of corresponding advocacy agendas with effective strategies and tactics to advance meaningful change for social justice, equity, and inclusion.
• Participate in coalitions, networks, professional associations, and community based organizing efforts to leverage political capital to challenge unjust structures of power and effect positive change.
• Formulate and persuasively communicate cogent arguments through effective written and oral formats that reach diverse audiences and utilize varied platforms.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

• Demonstrate ethical knowledge and awareness of evaluation guidelines that can be employed in assessment of practice and ensure confidentiality of engaged participants.
• Comprehend evaluation norms, benchmarks and guidelines as approved by NASW and CSWE that allow accurate and impartial assessments at all levels of social work practice.
• Illustrate comprehensive knowledge of human rights-based understanding of evaluation design, methods, approaches, and analysis that can be applied in simple to complex settings within social work mezzo and macro policy and organizational environments.
• Distinguish, explain, and apply various types of theories of change and logic models to understand systems thinking to identify and facilitate growth-oriented evaluative mindsets among all stakeholders.