BSW Degree

MSW Degree

Field Education

Global Impact

Support the School

Children and Families

This concentration emphasizes building communities that strengthen and support families in all their complex diversity. Students are prepared for advanced social practice to engage families based on the diverse strengths, resources and needs from infancy through death. The concentration prepares students to assess and intervene with families in direct practice, program and community development, administration of family service programs and political advocacy. Special focus is given to engagement with faith communities and religiously affiliated organizations that serve families. The concentration uses practice theory and methods from family resource, educational and prevention models; from methods of family counseling, consultation and therapy; from community and program development; and from strategies of political advocacy.

Community Practice

The community practice concentration is designed to prepare students for working with public and/or non-profit organizations, neighborhoods, communities, congregations, and religiously affiliated agencies. Students learn to apply evidence-informed community practice frameworks and methods of intervention to create and develop responsive human resource systems, sustainable physical and social environments, and just public and institutional policies. Emphasis is placed on advocacy, constituent empowerment, and strengths perspective in addressing a variety of local, national, and global problems such as, but not limited to social and economic injustice, poverty, human trafficking, HIV-AIDS, hunger, and homelessness. The community practice concentration prepares students to work in public and private community organizations, child and older person welfare agencies, family service agencies, shelters, refugee and immigration centers, congregations and religiously affiliated organizations.

Physical and Mental Health

This concentration prepares student for advanced social work practice in a variety of health care settings. It develops community-based, family-centered practitioners who can translate theoretical and empirically based approaches to the real-world challenges of today's health consumer, particularly those who are marginalized or underserved. Students develop specialized competencies in outcome research and data management, brief services and crisis intervention, program planning, financial management, collaboration and team building, conflict mediation, advocacy and networking. The concentration helps students define their role in health planning, administration, consultation and program evaluation. Course offerings provide opportunities for critical review of ethical dilemmas and complex health care practice issues. Students examine the relationship between religious faith and health and the role of faith communities and religiously affiliated health care providers.