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Masters Program
Curriculum: Substantive Areas: Focused Areas of Study
A substantive area: focused area of study provides an opportunity for students to organize nine of their elective credits on a population or social problem area as a complement to their method concentration. Students with a record of coherent academic accomplishment completing all requirements in an area of study will receive a certificate and notation on their final transcript. Substantive area offerings are based on faculty expertise and student interest as well as being reflective of the School's mission.
Students may choose to organize nine elective credits in one of seven substantive areas: focused areas of study:
Black Studies for Social Work Practice
Designed to provide interested students with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge about issues relative to social work practice with people of African descent and increase practice skills for offering services to this population.
International Issues in Social Work
Designed for students who want to include a global perspective in their social work program.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Social Work Practice
Designed to provide interested students with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills about issues relevant to social work practice with children, adolescents, adults and families affected by mental illness and substance abuse.
Puerto Rican/Latino/a Studies in Social Work
This area of study is designed to provide a social work perspective on contemporary issues affecting the Puerto Rican/Latino population with a focus on their resiliency and strengths.
Social Work Practice with Older Adults
Provides MSW students with the additional educational training in both theory and practice that prepares them for practice in the Social Work Practice with Older Adults specialized area.
Social Work with Women and Children in Families
Offers MSW students an opportunity to focus their elective course of study on policies, programs, and practice with women, children, and families.
Examines issues that affect the context for urban social work practice areas across methods and diverse populations.
Requirements
All substantive areas: focused areas of study in the curriculum consist of the following components:
- Each area would require nine elective credits. Of these nine credits, students must take one 3-credit required course that contains the core knowledge deemed to be essential by Substantive Area: Focused Area faculty.
- A year-long field placement in a field or practice relevant for the substantive area: focused area of study (required).
The remaining six credits may be allocated as follows:
- An elective from a carefully selected list of Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study electives offered at the School;
- An elective from a carefully selected list offered in other graduate units of the University;
- An independent study or special topics course of no more than three credits, approved by the Focused Area of Study Chairperson