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.
In addition, the Departments of Social Work and Kinesiology offer a dual degree program which consists of a master of social work (M.S.W.), as well as a master of science (M.S.) in kinesiology with a concentration in outdoor education. During this three year program, which is offered in Durham, classes are taken both in social work and kinesiology/outdoor education, and students complete a specialized second internship which concentrates on the utilization and application of adventure therapy in an agency setting.
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.