Social Work MSW Program Goals and Information

Overview
The School of Social Work is dedicated to the values and ethics of the profession of social work:

• The welfare of humankind
• The disciplined use of a recognized body of knowledge about people and their interactions
• The marshaling of community resources to promote the well-being of all

The School’s educational programs prepare graduate students for generalist practice in social work. Generalist social work is regarded both as a perspective and a practical approach because the social worker is taught to recognize the impact, influence, and potential resources available from the context where practice occurs. The intent is to assist students in developing an ongoing responsibility to address their continuing needs for professional development and to become contributors to the social work profession.

The MSW program at Colorado State University builds upon the foundation generalist perspective and is developed around the advanced generalist model of practice. MSW students will master a generic core through prerequisite admission requirements and demonstrate successful mastery of generalist competencies by completing foundation classroom and field learning experiences before reaching the advanced portion of the curriculum.

The generalist perspective in social work:

• Is informed by socio-behavioral and ecosystems knowledge
• Incorporates ideologies that include democracy, humanism, human rights, and empowerment
• Requires a worker to be theoretically and methodologically open when approaching practice situations
• Is client-centered and problem-focused while recognizing and building on strengths
• Involves assessment and intervention at all system levels
• Is research-based

MSW Program Curriculum
MSW Curriculum
The School of Social Work is dedicated to the values and ethics of the profession of social work: the welfare of humankind, the disciplined use of a recognized body of knowledge about people and their interactions, and the marshaling of community resources to promote the well-being of all.

The School’s educational programs prepare graduate students for generalist practice in social work. Generalist social work is regarded both as a perspective and a practical approach because the social worker is taught to recognize the impact, influence, and potential resources available from the context where practice occurs. The intent is to assist students in developing an ongoing responsibility to address their continuing needs for professional development and to become contributors to the social work profession.

The MSW program at Colorado State University builds upon the foundation generalist perspective and is developed around the advanced generalist model of practice. MSW students will demonstrate generalist (foundation) competencies through completion of prerequisite admission requirements and either successfully completing a BSW from an accredited program or by successfully completing foundation classroom and field learning experiences before reaching the advanced portion of the curriculum. The generalist perspective in social work: (1) is informed by socio-behavioral and ecosystems knowledge; (2) incorporates ideologies that include democracy, humanism, human rights, and empowerment; (3) requires a worker to be theoretically and methodologically open when approaching practice situations; (4) is client-centered and problem-focused while recognizing and building on strengths; (5) involves assessment and intervention at all system levels; (6) is research-based; and (7) requires the demonstration of ten competencies and corresponding practice behaviors as specified below.

Generalist / Advanced Generalist Curriculum
The MSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education in compliance with their Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. As such, it assumes two levels of professional preparation: foundation level generalist social work and advanced generalist social work practice. Both levels of education include the study of the curriculum areas as defined by EPAS: the advanced generalist level is distinguished by increased complexity, depth, and range of knowledge, and advanced practice skills reflected in preparation for advanced practice competencies. The demonstration of 54 practice behaviors at both the foundation and advanced levels requires paying constant attention and adherence to the ethical standards stated in the NASW Code of Ethics; an understanding of human differences and cultural competence, human rights, and social and economic justice especially as it applies to vulnerable populations; and research-affirmed practice. (See the CSWE website for the EPAS.)

MSW Program competencies reflect the knowledge, values, and skills that are expected of advanced social work practitioners. The MSW program provides a wide range of educational opportunities that enable students to become advanced generalist social work practitioners.

The School of Social Work at CSU conceptualizes generalist/advanced generalist practice as a set of competencies (skills, knowledge, values, and behaviors). The MSW curriculum is designed and delivered such that graduates will demonstrate competency in the following ten areas:

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

At the foundation level, students will successfully demonstrate 41 practice behaviors as stipulated by the Council on Social Work Education 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. At the Concentration/Advanced Generalist level, students will successfully demonstrate 54 advanced practice skills.

Foundation generalist social work is the focus of the first year (28-31 credit hours) of the full-time MSW program. The foundation generalist social work practice perspective is built on a liberal arts education and demands that the practitioner view both individual social functioning and the transactions between the individual and environment. The generalist perspective in social work: (1) is informed by socio-behavioral and ecosystems knowledge; (2) incorporates ideologies that include democracy, humanism, human rights, and empowerment; (3) requires a worker to be theoretically and methodologically open when approaching practice situations; (4) is client-centered and problem-focused while recognizing and building on strengths; (5) involves assessment and intervention at all system levels; (6) is research-based; and (7) requires the demonstration of ten competencies and corresponding practice behaviors as specified.

The ability to successfully perform each of the 41 practice behaviors (see Appendix B) reflected in the foundation curriculum is determined by the successful acquisition, integration, and synthesis of essential knowledge needed to develop the behavior; an ability to understanding and apply social work values and ethical guidelines to practice; ability to think critically; the acquisition of social work skills; and the demonstration of social work practice behaviors.

The knowledge, values, and skills necessary for foundation students to demonstrate ten competencies and 41 practice behaviors inform the foundation curriculum and are prerequisite to the advanced curriculum. Student success at accomplishing MSW foundation competencies are determined as follows: (1) passing grade of C or better in foundation coursework; (2) an overall minimum GPA of 3.0; (3) a grade of satisfactory in foundation field placement as determined by the field instructor and the Director of Field Education; and (4) be in good standing with the Graduate School and Colorado State University.