MSSW Advanced Standing Courses

• SOWK 550 – Generalist Seminar I: Micro Social Work Practice
  • A required generalist seminar designed to provide incoming advanced standing students with the required foundation before starting the concentration program of study. Seminar will address essential social work skills related to inter-professional practice including values, ethics, and the impact of trauma and traumatic stress on the human person. Will learn basic neuro-biological theories as related to the practice of social work. A foundational framework for diagnostic criteria related to psychological dysfunction will be reviewed in preparation for advanced social work practice. The course material will be presented through the lens of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice.
• SOWK 551 – Generalist Seminar II: Macro Social Work Practice
  • A required generalist seminar is designed to provide incoming advanced standing students with the required foundation before starting the concentration program of study. Will learn the essentials of community-based social work practice, ethics, and leadership skills. Foundational aspects of macro practice through the lens of anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed theory are examined. Practice behaviors related to combatting systemic oppression in organizations and communities are addressed.
• Elective (optional)

• SOWK 562 – Interpersonal Practice with Adult Individuals
  • A required concentration course that provides the foundation for clinical social work practice. Advanced knowledge and skills are developed in the areas of interviewing, building the therapeutic alliance, case formulation/conceptualization, and treatment planning and intervention, all from a strengths-based perspective. Particular emphasis is placed on effective case conceptualization and the use of evidence‐based treatments for common mental health problems across populations. Will also address aspects of clinical and advanced policy practice in the contemporary environment of behavioral health including such concepts as telehealth, integrated care, trauma responsive care, and professional use of self all grounded in the concepts of social justice and anti-racist practice.
• SOWK 563 – Assessment and Evaluation of Interpersonal Practice
  • This required concentration course focuses on the development of knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to systematically plan and evaluate interpersonal practice for the purpose of informing clinical decision-making and investigate policies that impact clinical practice. Builds upon the foundation research, human behavior, and practice courses, and examines evidence-based methods for conducting trauma-informed assessments through an anti-racist and social justice lens; identifying and implementing culturally relevant evidence-based interventions; and measuring and monitoring outcomes for individuals, couples, families, and small groups within a variety of settings, including interprofessional practice contexts.

• SOWK 570 – Family Therapy
  • Advances students’ theoretical knowledge and practice skills in working with individuals and families. Will utilize a family-systems perspective and integrate such concepts as family stress and resilience, prevention and recovery in understanding and treating families through the phases of treatment from engagement and assessment to termination and evaluation. Emphasis is placed on the development and enhancement of knowledge, skill, theories and values specific to family practice. Various family therapy models will be introduced. Theories of the family, family development and diverse family structures are examined. Will acquaint students with the concepts for dealing with systems when they face crisis, trauma and grief. The significance of crisis and grief for social work practice will be addressed. Concepts of behavioral health and family policy will also be addressed.
• Elective

• SOWK 584 – Advanced Field Practice Full Time
  • Instruction and supervision in advanced evidence-based social work practice. Includes an agency-based experience. Students may take concurrent required concentration and elective courses, but are not required to do so.
• Elective

SOWK 563 – Assessment and Evaluation of Interpersonal Practice

• This required concentration course focuses on the development of knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to systematically plan and evaluate interpersonal practice for the purpose of informing clinical decision-making and investigate policies that impact clinical practice. Builds upon the foundation research, human behavior, and practice courses, and examines evidence-based methods for conducting trauma-informed assessments through an anti-racist and social justice lens; identifying and implementing culturally relevant evidence-based interventions; and measuring and monitoring outcomes for individuals, couples, families, and small groups within a variety of settings, including interprofessional practice contexts.
• SOWK 584 – Advanced Field Practice Full Time
  • Instruction and supervision in advanced evidence-based social work practice. Includes an agency-based experience. Students may take concurrent required concentration and elective courses, but are not required to do so.

• SOWK 584 – Advanced Field Practice Full Time
  • Instruction and supervision in advanced evidence-based social work practice. Includes an agency-based experience. Students may take concurrent required concentration and elective courses, but are not required to do so.
• Elective

• SOWK 550 – Generalist Seminar I: Micro Social Work Practice
  • A required generalist seminar designed to provide incoming advanced standing students with the required foundation before starting the concentration program of study. Seminar will address essential social work skills related to inter-professional practice including values, ethics, and the impact of trauma and traumatic stress on the human person. Will learn basic neuro-biological theories as related to the practice of social work. A foundational framework for diagnostic criteria related to psychological dysfunction will be reviewed in preparation for advanced social work practice. The course material will be presented through the lens of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice.
• SOWK 551 – Generalist Seminar II: Macro Social Work Practice
  • A required generalist seminar is designed to provide incoming advanced standing students with the required foundation before starting the concentration program of study. Will learn the essentials of community-based social work practice, ethics, and leadership skills. Foundational aspects of macro practice through the lens of anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed theory are examined. Practice behaviors related to combatting systemic oppression in organizations and communities are addressed.
• Elective (optional)

• SOWK 545 – Resource Development and Management
  • In this required course for the Organizational Leadership concentration, students will learn the fundamentals of organizational management in the social service sector. Will provide an overview of the skills required by leaders of organizations and will discuss the purpose or mission of the organization and its place in society, including laws, regulations, and policies. The important logistics of nonprofit management are addressed including financial management, human resources, fund development, accreditation, resource management, trauma responsive systems, and grant acquisition and management. These concepts are all addressed through the lens of the NASW Code of Ethics with a special emphasis on the components of social justice such as contributive and distributive justice.
• SOWK 547 – Advanced Organizational Theory and Practice
  • In this required course for the Organizational Leadership concentration, students will be introduced to social service/nonprofit organizations through a trauma-informed, social, anti-racist, economic, and environmental justice lens. Students will gain the knowledge/skill needed for entrance into management positions in human service/nonprofit/governmental/quasi-governmental organizations. Topics addressed will include multi-organization initiatives such as partnerships, community coalitions and alliances, theories in economic development such as how economic factors affect the social sector with particular attention to entrepreneurship/venture philanthropy, and collective impact. Will consider aspects of governmental relations, operational best practices including practical skills such as running meetings, employee development, advanced strategic planning and futuring, understanding and incorporating accreditation standards, organizational culture and ethical practice in organizations. Topics such as nonprofit governance and accountability, human resource development, supervision, compensation strategies, management theories and employment law will also be addressed.

• SOWK 549 – Program Development and Continuous Improvement
  • In this required course for the Organizational Leadership concentration, students will address the important aspects of measuring and demonstrating the impact that social programming has on clients, organizations, and communities. Content includes the basic principles of program development, needs assessments, program implementation, impact measurements, applied data analysis, and dissemination of outcomes related to topics such as social justice, anti-racism, and trauma responsiveness.
• Elective

• SOWK 584 – Advanced Field Practice Full Time
  • Instruction and supervision in advanced evidence-based social work practice. Includes an agency-based experience. Students may take concurrent required concentration and elective courses, but are not required to do so.
• Elective

• SOWK 548 – Advanced Change Management and Policy Practice
  • Instructs students in the traditions of social work change and the empowerment of clients from within an organizational system and as an individual change agent. Topics addressed will include advanced advocacy skills, coalition building in order to impact legislation, policy research, congressional testifying, policy development and analysis at organizational/local/state/federal levels, use of information technology and social media in bringing about change, and organizational government relations. Empowerment of recipients of service and implementation science will be addressed.
• SOWK 584 – Advanced Field Practice Full Time
  • Instruction and supervision in advanced evidence-based social work practice. Includes an agency-based experience. Students may take concurrent required concentration and elective courses, but are not required to do so.

• SOWK 584 – Advanced Field Practice Full Time
  • Instruction and supervision in advanced evidence-based social work practice. Includes an agency-based experience. Students may take concurrent required concentration and elective courses, but are not required to do so.
• Elective