M.S.W. Curriculum

Curriculum and degree information
Overview of the MSW Curriculum
Curriculum Outcome Objectives
Foundation Curriculum
Advanced Curriculum
Concentrations
Policies and Procedures
Field Education Program
Courses of instruction

M.S.W. curriculum and degree information

UNC Social Work faculty believe social work practice adheres to the standards set forth by the NASW Code of Ethics. It employs social work and other relevant knowledge, values, and skills to empower individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The intent of social work practice is to design, implement, and evaluate social interventions that help client systems assess and build on strengths; identify and address needs, problems, and conditions; and maximize individual, family, and societal well-being. Social work practice also generates and disseminates knowledge; promotes social justice; implements new programs and services; manages organizations; facilitates community development; evaluates practice at all levels; and provides leadership to the profession and society. (Adopted by the Faculty on September 1, 2000)

The School offers a program of classroom and fieldwork that leads to the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. The focus and content of this program are guided by the School's mission, the Curriculum Policy Statement of the Council on Social Work Education (found at www.cswe.org), the educational objectives defined by the Faculty, and professional commitments to the social work practice community. In keeping with the tradition of the School, the curriculum prepares students for careers in public and nonprofit settings.

The curriculum leading to the MSW is built on a liberal arts perspective. Students come to the School with this perspective, and it is reinforced by content and experiences that are incorporated throughout the courses in the Foundation and the Concentration Curricula. The faculty defines the liberal arts perspective as encompassing knowledge and insight from a variety of disciplines. This perspective is demonstrated through critical thinking; effective communication about people, cultures, societies, and social problems; and concern for social justice. It is developed through successful completion of a wide variety of undergraduate courses selected from the social, biological, cognitive, and behavioral sciences; the humanities; and the arts. Courses may be drawn from such fields as anthropology, biology, economics, education, history, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, social work, and sociology.

The MSW curriculum is offered within the context of basic professional social work values. These include equal access to services; respect for individual worth and human dignity; right of self-determination; availability of humane social institutions responsive to human needs; positive regard for the unique characteristics of diverse populations; and personal responsibility for ethical conduct, the outcomes of practice, and the continuous acquisition of knowledge and skills. Students are expected to demonstrate a commitment to these values.

Specific curriculum concerns support the mission of the School and recognize that the school serves a unique region. Further, the curriculum emphasizes disadvantaged, vulnerable, and oppressed individuals, families, and communities.

As a member of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which accredits social work programs, the School affirms the CSWE Accreditation Standard 6.0, Nondiscrimination and Human Diversity, which states, "The program makes specific and continuous efforts to provide a learning context in which respect for all persons and understanding of diversity (including age, class, color, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation) are practiced." (Accreditation Standard 6.0, CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, approved by the Board of Directors to be effective on July 1, 2002)

Statement on Equal Educational Opportunity

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is open to people of all races, is committed to equality of educational opportunity, and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. Any complaints alleging failure of this institution to follow this policy should be brought to the attention of the Vice-Chancellor and General Counsel. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill actively seeks to promote integration by recruiting and enrolling a larger number of minority students.

Policy on Nondiscrimination

It is the policy of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that educational and employment decisions be based on an individual's abilities and qualifications and not on factors or personal characteristics that have no connection to academic abilities or job performance. Among the traditional irrelevant factors are race, sex, religion, and national origin. It is the policy of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that an individual's sexual orientation be treated in the same manner. This policy prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation does not apply to the University's relationship with outside organizations, including the federal government, the military, ROTC, and private employers

The curriculum for the MSW program is divided into two levels: Foundation and Advanced. The Foundation Curriculum is taken by full-time students in their first year. Part-time students complete the Foundation Curriculum over a two-year period. The Foundation Curriculum provides students with the knowledge, values, processes, and skills essential for the general practice of social work. It consists of general courses in social welfare policy and services, human behavior in the social environment, social research, social work practice, and field education that prepares students to use a problem-solving method and engage in planned social change at multi-system levels. Students do not specialize in methods or fields of practice in Foundation courses.

The advanced curriculum builds upon the professional Foundation and provides more thorough knowledge of complex policies, practice skills, research methods, human behavior in the social environment, and field education. During the first year of full-time study or second year of part-time study, students select one of two concentrations in the advanced curriculum: Direct Practice or Management and Community Practice.

Within each of these concentrations, students may select one of three fields of practice: Services to the Aging, Health & Mental Health Services, or Services to Families & Children. The Management and Community Practice Concentration includes a fourth field of practice: Broad-based Human Services. Concentrations and fields of practice are outlined in the following sections of this Manual.

To be eligible for the MSW degree, advanced standing students take a total of 40 hours, as described in the section on Advanced Standing, and complete an application for graduation. Students in full- and part-time programs must complete the course requirements and the field practica in the Foundation Curriculum and the Advanced Curriculum. Full- and part-time students must also complete an application for candidacy. For these students, a total of 62 credit hours is required for graduation: 26 hours of distributional requirements in the Foundation Curriculum and 36 hours of distributional requirements in the advanced curriculum. Policies related to possible exceptions in the number of hours and distributional requirements are located at http://ssw.unc.edu/masters/curriculum/policies.html.

M.S.W. Curriculum Outcome Objectives

The curriculum for the MSW program is divided into two levels: Foundation and Advanced. The Foundation Curriculum is taken by full-time students in their first year. Part-time students complete the Foundation Curriculum over a two-year period. The Foundation Curriculum provides students with the knowledge, values, processes, and skills essential for the general practice of social work. It consists of general courses in social welfare policy and services, human behavior in the social environment, social research, social work practice, and field education. Students do not specialize in methods or fields of practice in Foundation courses.

The Advanced Curriculum builds upon the professional Foundation and provides more thorough knowledge of complex policies, practice skills, research methods, human behavior in the social environment, and field education. During the first year of full-time study or second year of part-time study, students select one of two concentrations in the Advanced Curriculum: Direct Practice, or Management and Community Practice. Within each of these concentrations, students may select one of three fields of practice: Services to the Aging, Health & Mental Health Services, or Services to Families & Children. The Management and Community Practice Concentration includes a fourth field of practice: Broad-based Human Services. Concentrations and fields of practice are outlined in the following sections of this Manual.

To be eligible for the MSW degree, advanced standing students take a total of 40 credit hours. Students in full- and part-time programs must complete the course requirements and the field practica in the Foundation Curriculum and the Advanced Curriculum. For these students, a total of 62 credit hours is required for graduation: 26 hours of distributional requirements in the Foundation Curriculum and 36 hours of distributional requirements in the Advanced Curriculum. Policies related to course exceptions are presented in the section on Curriculum Policies.

The purpose of the Master's Program in Social Work is to prepare students for agency-based practice, management of nonprofit and public agencies, community practice, and leadership positions in the social work profession. The following outcomes were adopted by the faculty on March 22, 2001. On completion of this program, students should demonstrate these outcomes:

1. Apply knowledge of human development in the social environment, including individual development within the context of families and communities, to social interventions in a field of practice.
2. Understand and adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics and other relevant professional standards. Practice in a manner that validates and enhances assets and capacities.
3. Recognize economic and political forces in the evolution of the response to social need in the United States. Understand the precedents of con-temporary policies, programs, practices, and ideologies of social welfare; the historical antecedents of poverty, discrimination, and inequality; and the emergence of the social work profession.
4. Practice in a manner that validates and enhances the assets and capacities of all client systems and communities, particularly diverse populations and disadvantaged, vulnerable, or oppressed groups.
5. Employ strategies for change that promote empowerment of clients and social justice.
6. Understand the effect of organizational and social policies on client systems of all sizes, service delivery systems, and practitioners within public and nonprofit settings. Develop responsible policies that build on capacities and strengthen individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
7. Engage in family-centered practice that reflects an understanding of social, economic, and political forces and regional issues that affect disadvantaged, vulnerable, and oppressed persons and families.
8. Demonstrate the professional use of self in practice, including the capacity for self-examination, insight, and self-awareness and the ability to establish and maintain effective helping relationships that facilitate planned change.
9. Working with clients, assess multiple systems and make practice decisions using theoretical frameworks selected for their utility and effectiveness. Apply decisions in a range of practice settings with a variety of systems of different sizes and capacities.
10. Plan and implement social intervention strategies appropriate for use in direct practice or in management and community practice.
11. Monitor the effectiveness of one's own professional practice and the effectiveness of programs through the appropriate application of research techniques and evaluation methodologies. Demonstrate ability to evaluate social work research and apply it to practice.
12. Demonstrate the skills necessary for constructive work within an organization, including the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, use technology in support of effective social work practice, and perform both maintenance and task functions in a group.
13. Use supervision and consultation to support prudent and ethical practice.
14. Understand the importance of continued professional renewal; resolve to remain abreast of emerging social work literature; and commit to participation in continuing education opportunities.