Program Overview

Master of Social Work

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis offers a top-ranked Master of Social Work (MSW) program. Through coursework and fieldwork, students gain the knowledge and skills needed to tackle some of society's greatest challenges and to succeed in a variety of professional settings.

Overview

Our program has trained our graduates for work across an incredible breadth of professional positions in more than 50 countries around the globe. Our customizable curriculum allows students to design their own course of study tailored to the type of work that they will do and the communities with which they will work.

Program Structure

Students have remarkable flexibility to shape their MSW experience at the Brown School. Our curriculum is structured to ensure that students will be prepared to make a positive impact in their field of choice. To this end, students are able to:

• Choose from several concentrations or declare their own individualized concentration.
• Add an optional specialization to increase their skills.
• Broaden their knowledge with a dual degree.

Experiences Beyond the Classroom

Students can also tailor their experiences beyond the classroom:

• Choose from more than 300 MSW practicum sites locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Conduct research with our renowned faculty.
• Develop their skills internationally through a practicum or research assistantship.
• Join some of the Brown School's student groups that raise awareness and advocate for social change.

Degree Requirements

Our two-year, 60-credit degree provides students with the fundamentals needed to have an impact on the field of social work while also providing them with opportunities to advance their analytical, leadership, and team-building skills.

Required Courses

The list below includes the required courses that students use to build their course of study. Because of the flexibility and customization of each MSW degree at the Brown School, the order in which students take their courses may vary.

• FOUNDATION COURSES (21 credits)
  • SWFN 5001 Research Methods with Statistical Applications (3 credits)
  • SWFN 5002 Human Behavior (3 credits)
  • SWFN 5003 Social, Economic & Political Environment (3 credits)
  • SWFN 5004 Social Justice and Human Diversity (3 credits)
  • SWFN 5005 Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups (3 credits)
  • SWFN 5006 Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities (3 credits)
  • SWFN 5007 Social Welfare Policies and Services (3 credits)
• FOUNDATION PRACTICUM (4 credits)
  • SWFN 5050 Foundations of Field Education (0 credits)
  • SWFN 5051 MSW Foundation Practicum I (3 credits)
  • SWFN 5052 MSW Integrative Foundation Field Seminar (1 credit)
• CONCENTRATION COURSES (15 credits)
  • Theory, Problems, and Issues (3 credits)
  • Social Policy (3 credits)
  • Practice Methods (9 credits)
• CONCENTRATION PRACTICUM (5 credits)
  • SWCP 6000 MSW Concentration Practicum I
  • SWCP 6001 MSW Concentration Practicum II
• OTHER REQUIREMENTS
  • Evaluation (3 credits)
    • SWEV 6000 Social Policy Analysis & Evaluation
    • or SWEV 6001 Evaluation of Programs and Services
  • Leadership and Management (3 credits)
    • SWLM 6000 Management & Leadership of Organizations (If in Management or Social Entrepreneurship specialization, take SWTH 6012)
• Electives (9 credits)
  • Elective I (3 credits)
  • Elective II (3 credits)
  • Elective III (3 credits)

Curriculum Emphasis

Our curriculum emphasizes an evidence-based approach to problem-solving. As such, our faculty have found that an understanding of statistics analysis is critical to every student's success. Foundation courses will allow students to develop this competency.

Curriculum and Credit Changes

Curriculum and required credits are subject to change.