Apr 16, 2024

Ohio University Graduate Catalog 2017-19

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Ohio University Graduate Catalog 2017-19 [Archived Catalog]

Social Work - MSW

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Effective - spring 2019

Degree Title: Master of Social Work

Program Name and Number: Social Work - MS6600, MS6604, MS6606, MS6607.

Department/Unit: Social and Public Health

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus and Hybrid (MS6600, MS6604); 100% online (MS6606 & MS6607)

Terms of Entry: Advanced Standing Students begin the program in summer; Foundation students begin the program in fall semester. Online students are admitted each semester.

Program Mission: The mission of the graduate Social Work Program is to prepare students to serve as clinical social workers who practice in rural environments with the knowledge and skills at the master’s level to improve well-being for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Emphasis is on promoting interdisciplinary learning and practice to actively address social issues. The graduate program simultaneously trains students in advanced clinical practice while also providing them with skills transferrable across all practice levels.

Program Learning Objectives: Main objective of the program: To graduate clinical social workers who have the knowledge and skills for advanced practice in rural environments to improve the well-being for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. This program is a competency-based program. The nine social work competencies as promulgated by the Council on Social Work Education (2015) are as follows:

Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
Engage diversity and difference in practice.
Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
Engage in policy practice.
Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Program Overview:

Special Program Focus

Ohio University’s MSW Program trains social workers to work with rural families and communities. This focus was selected because it is appropriate for Ohio University and rural communities that have been traditionally underserved by social workers.

Program Concentrations

In the final year, students obtain advanced-level training in Clinical Social Work, while also gaining some exposure to macro level practice. These are the foci identified by area employers as those most needed in the region. Please note that this programmatic structure is beneficial also because only Clinical Social Workers qualify for National Health Service Corps Loan Reimbursement and clinical licensure in most states.

OU MSW Program Options

Advanced Standing, MS6604 & MS6606 (open only to recent graduates of CSWE-accredited undergraduate social work programs);
Foundation Program, MS6600 & MS6607 (open tor students who have an undergraduate degree related to social work) that can be taken full or part-time.

MS6600: This is a two-year degree which may be taken as full-time for two years or part-time for three or four years. This program is available to students who qualify per the requirements listed in the MSW Handbook. Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to sit for the licensure exam in all states and to complete formalized supervision as outlined in state law, which is required to obtain an independent social work license.

MS6604: This is a one-year full-time degree offered to students who have a bachelor’s degree in social work, including internship, within the past five years and who qualify in other respects as outlined in the MSW Handbook. Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to sit for the licensure exam in all states and to complete formalized supervision as outlined in state law, which is required to obtain an independent license.

MS6606: This is a two-year part-time, online degree offered to students who have a bachelor’s degree in social work, including internship, within the past five years and who qualify in other respects as outlined in the MSW Handbook. Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to sit for the licensure exam in all states and to complete formalized supervision as outlined in state law, which is required to obtain an independent license.

MS6607: This is a three-year part-time, online degree offered to students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in a related field. This program is available to students who qualify per the requirements listed in the MSW Handbook. Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to sit for the licensure exam in all states and to complete formalized supervision as outlined in state law, which is required to obtain an independent social work license.

Opportunities for Graduates: MSW’s are sought out and employed in a wide variety of settings, including mental health, child welfare, health care, aging, chemical dependency, and corrections among others. A MSW from an accredited program (accredited by the CSWE) qualifies a student to participate in the procedures for independent licensing in all 50 states. Some organizations prefer the MSW such as Non-governmental Organizations, the Veterans Administration, and others. Social work is a growth profession for various reasons, one, that the older generation is expected to increase dramatically in size, which presents various problems related to basic needs and optimal social functioning of the adult and the family. Another area of growth is social work for veterans and for people in transition due to prison reform. The field of social work is expected to experience a 25% growth trend within the next ten years.

Link to Program: https://www.ohio.edu/chsp/social-public-health/social-work

Link to Program Handbook: https://www.ohio.edu/chsp/social-public-health/social-work/graduate

Graduation Requirements: The program has no thesis requirement and no comprehensive examination. Students do conduct a two-semester research study and participate in required, supervised field internships. Students also complete a capstone course in their final semester.

M6600: Successfully complete 62 credit hours as outlined in the MSW Handbook, page 42, full time for 2 years or part time for 3 or 4 years. All students take the specified 17 courses.

M6604: Successfully complete 36 credit hours as outlined in the MSW Handbook, page 42, full time for 1 year. All students take the specified 10 courses.

MS6606: Successfully complete 36 credit hours as outlined in the MSW Handbook, page 44, part-time for 2 years. All students take the specified 10 courses.

MS6607: Successfully complete 62 credit hours as outlined in the MSW Handbook, page 45, part-time for 3 years. All students take the specified 17 courses.

Culminating Experience: Advanced Field Experience: Students complete an advanced clinical field experience the last two semesters of their program. The student spends 22 hours per week, both semesters, culminating in over 600 hours of clinical experience.

Admission Requirements:

Admission requirements are outlined on pages 13 and 14 of the MSW Handbook (refer to link above). These requirements are outlined below:

Standard Admission Requirements (MS6600 & MS6607)
- Bachelor’s Degree with a Liberal Arts focus
- 3.0 GPA
- Documentation of 20 hours paid or volunteer experience in the human services
- Three letters of reference, at least one of which is from a faculty member and one from a human service supervisor (the third can be from either)
- Pre-requisite Courses in Social Science Statistics, Human Biology and at least three areas of Social Sciences, with at least one additional Social Science course at the 3000 or 4000 level.
Advanced Standing Admission Requirements (MS6604 & 6607)
- Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from a CSWE-accredited program completed within the past five years
- 3.0 overall GPA
- Final undergraduate field evaluation
- Three letters of reference, at least one of which is from a faculty member and one from a former field instructor

Effective - prior to spring 2019

Degree Title: Master of Social Work

Program Name and Number: Social Work - MS6600, MS6604.

Department/Unit: Social and Public Health

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus and Hybrid (MS6600, MS6604)

Terms of Entry: Advanced Standing Students begin the program in summer; Foundation students begin the program in fall semester.

Program Learning Objectives: Main objective of the program: To graduate clinical social workers who have the knowledge and skills for advanced practice in rural environments to improve the well-being for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. This program is a competency-based program with 45 practice behaviors at the foundation level and 43 practice behaviors at the advanced level. The ten social work competencies as promulgated by the Council on Social Work Education (2008) are as follows:

Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.
Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
Engage diversity and difference in practice.
Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
Respond to contexts that shape practice.
Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.