COURSE OF STUDY

The Master of Social Work program is a two-year, 65-credit program and offers several program pathways to attain a MSW degree.  Students may enroll in a full-time or part-time basis either in our Manhattan or Brooklyn learning sites. The sequence of courses begins with basic courses that provide the foundation for the practice of social work in a broad spectrum of social agency settings in the New York metropolitan area. After completing the foundation courses, students continue an advanced clinical concentration in work with individuals, families and groups. In each year of the program, students complete 600 hours of field education in a social work agency, which facilitates the integration of social work theory and practice.

Foundations in Social Work Practice –
Year One

All students take beginning level courses, which are designed to provide the basic foundation for the practice of social work in a broad spectrum of social agency settings in the metropolitan New York area. The content of these courses is relevant to the mission of the College, goals and objectives of the program, as well as to the purposes, values and ethics of the social work profession. These courses provide an opportunity for students to view the profession as a whole. They expose students to a wide range of social work roles and practice opportunities.
The history and philosophy of social welfare is studied to provide the context for the body of knowledge and skills needed for practice. Basic coursework in the foundation sequence includes courses in human development and behavior. These courses introduce students to the biological, psychological, psychodynamic, cultural, and social dimensions of human behavior. Courses on the delivery of services explore the role of structures of organization in the delivery of services to individuals, families, groups and communities. In clinical courses students are introduced to the basic skills and tools needed to understand the needs of clients and to devise intervention strategies for the amelioration of stress and the improvement of clients’ lives.

Field instruction, which includes supervised direct practice in an agency setting, integrates course content with practice and completes the foundation sequence. Our professional seminars are structured learning opportunities that facilitate the integration of agency experiences with concurrent academic course work, allowing students to compare experiences and engage in peer learning and support beyond the agency and classroom. All courses reflect the values and ethics of the social work profession and respect for diversity, social justice and at-risk populations.

Students are introduced to basic research concepts, designs and methods in year two. They learn research skills, which are utilized in the evaluation of social welfare and clinical social work outcomes. The research sequence is anchored in evidence–based practice.

FOUNDATION YEAR

FALL SEMESTER
SW640 Field Work I (Co-requisites: SW642, 650)
SW642 Integrative Practice Field Seminar (Co-requisites: SW640, 650) – 3 credits
SW650 Foundations of Social Practice I (Co-requisites: SW640, 642)
SW660 Human Behavior and the Social Environment I
SW670 Social Welfare Policy and Service Delivery Systems I
SW680 Social Work Research I

SPRING SEMESTER
SW641 Field Work II (Pre-requisite: SW640, Co-requisites: SW642, 651)
SW642 Integrative Practice Field Seminar (Co-requisites: SW640, 650)
SW651 Foundations of Social Practice II (Pre-requisite: SW650, Co-requisites: SW641, 642)
SW661 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II (Pre-requisite: SW660)
SW671 Social Welfare Policy and Service Delivery Systems II (Pre-requisite: SW670)
SW681 Social Work Research II (Pre-requisite: SW680)

Advanced Concentration in Clinical Practice – Year Two
After successfully completing the foundation courses, students continue their clinical concentration in work with individuals, families and groups. Students study more complex issues of human behavior and acquire skills and tools for more intensive work with their clients. Field work continues with supervised direct practice in an agency setting. Intensive classroom discussion is utilized to deal with clinical issues and problems as these arise in placement settings.
The advanced curriculum has a concentration in clinical social work and features advanced clinical practice courses that span the depth and breadth of advanced clinical social work practice. Courses also include intense discussion of issues in psychopathology including diagnosis and assessment, intervention planning, and treatment evaluation with specific ethnic and religious populations. Field work settings are selected to provide students the necessary experience to hone their clinical skills in a field of practice they would like to focus on.
In the advanced clinical social work concentration, the conceptual framework is that of generalist social work practice with a primary application on the individual. Students also study the latest research from allied fields.
At the end of this concentration graduates are expected to deal with a wide range of clients’ emotional and mental problems with a proficient sense of their own self-awareness. They will be fully conversant with the specific issues related to cultural diversity and religious differences as these affect the client’s ability to self-manage his/her life. Likewise, graduates will be familiar with the use of resources for their own continuing professional development, including on-going supervision and enlisting the skills of a psychiatrist when necessary.

ADVANCED CURRICULUM YEAR

FALL SEMESTER
SW740 Field Work III (Co-requisite: SW750) – 4 credits
SW750 Clinical Social Work Practice with Individuals (Co-requisite: SW740)
SW752 Ethical Issues in Clinical Social Work
SW760 Human Behavior and the Social Environment III: Issues in Psychopathology
One Clinical Social Work Practice Elective

SPRING SEMESTER
SW741 Field Work IV (Pre-requisite: SW740, Co-requisite: SW751) – 4 credits
SW751 Clinical Social Work Practice with Families and Groups (Co-requisite: SW741)
SW761 Diversity & Oppression in Clinical Social Work: A Global Perspective
SW770 Organizational Context for Social Work Practice
One Clinical Social Work Practice Elective

Clinical Social Work Practice Elective Courses
SW780 Clinical Social Work Practice with Substance Abuse and Related Disorders
SW781 Clinical Social Work Practice: Couples and Family Treatment
SW782 Clinical Social Work Practice: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
SW783 Clinical Social Work Practice with Children and Adolescents
SW784 Clinical Social Work Practice with Groups
SW785 Clinical Social Work Practice in Schools
SW786 Clinical Social Work Practice in Health Care
SW787 Clinical Social Work Practice with Survivors of Trauma
SW788 Clinical Social Work Practice with the Military, Veterans and their Families
SW789 Clinical Social Work Practice with Older Adults
SW790 Arts Interventions in Social Work Practice