Graduate Program
The master of social work (M.S.W.) program develops advanced professional
knowledge and skill for persons interested in pursuing careers in
the field of social work. The M.S.W. program is accredited by the
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). It requires two years of
full-time study or three to four years of part-time study. The full-time
program is available in Durham only but the part-time program can
be taken in Durham or in Manchester. (The Manchester part-time program
is delivered in a week-end model.) All students complete a foundation-year
course of study, then elect a second-year concentration either in
direct/clinical practice or community/administrative practice. Both
concentrations require classroom work and two year-long field internships.
The M.S.W. program concentrates on strengths and empowerment models
that encourage individuals and families to realize their full potential.
The department supplies the students with a social and community
systems context and promotes practice skills that are responsive
to diversity issues. The program is housed in the newly renovated
Pettee Hall with access to interview observation rooms and state-of-the-art
classrooms and computer labs.
Financial aid opportunities in the department include grants for
students interested in the child welfare field or in work with disabled
children and their families. The department also offers graduate
research assistantships to a few second year students. Graduates
of the program are employed in a wide variety of social and human
service agencies as direct practitioners and in managerial roles.