Social Work Department: Master of Social Work Program | Middle Tennessee State University

MSW Program

THE MID-TENNESSEE COLLABORATIVE
MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK (MTC-MSW) PROGRAM

The Mid-Tennessee Collaborative Master of Social Work (MTC-MSW) Program brings together three institutions of higher education in Tennessee who collaboratively offer the MSW degree. The universities are: Austin Peay State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Tennessee State University. This is one program that has three locations. The program is designed for the working professional with on-campus courses offered in the evening and the remaining classes offered online.

The MTC-MSW Program began in Fall 2009 with the admission of students to the full 60 hour program. Admission for advanced standing students started in Fall 2010. Individuals who have a Bachelor of Social Work degree and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 are eligible for advanced standing.

As there are three locations, individuals must first determine their home campus. The home campus is where students apply for admission, take their on-campus courses, enroll each semester, and pay tuition. Although the students have a home campus, they also have classmates on the other two campuses. When students are enrolled in online courses, they will be interacting with students from all three locations. Registration for MSW courses requires permission of the department.

ACCREDITATION

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the accrediting body for Social Work. It is important that your degree be accredited by the CSWE, as this accreditation of your degree is one requirement for licensure as a social worker. All three universities in this collaborative program have accredited bachelor of social work degrees and are therefore experienced in the accreditation process.

Any new social work education program, such as the MTC-MSW Program goes through a planned developmental process as it seeks its initial CSWE accreditation. The first major step in this process is attaining what is called "candidacy," and we are pleased to report that CSWE's Commission on Accreditation granted candidacy status to the MTC-MSW Program in June 2010. Students admitted during the academic year in which candidacy is granted will be considered as having graduated from an accredited program once initial accreditation is granted. As students in a new program, you will hear about the progress of the program as it moves from candidacy to initial accreditation.

THE MISSION

The mission of the MTC-MSW Program is dedicated to the enhancement of human well-being, diversity, and social justice through developing and improving systems of public social services, especially for children and families, by offering graduate training in Social Work with a hybrid model of delivery.   The mission of the program reflects the dominant values of the social work profession and is dedicated to serving the needs of the region, preparing social workers with an Advanced Generalist practice orientation suited to the social context, and reflecting the values and skills of the profession.

ADVANCED GENERALIST

The concentration curriculum (30 credit hours) of the MTC-MSW Program prepares students for Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice. The advanced generalist concentration curriculum builds on the knowledge, values, skills, and roles mastered at the foundation level. The concentration requires that students have greater theoretical and methodological sophistication. It requires them to be able to work in a wider selection of practitioner roles. It requires the ability to integrate research into advanced practice, add greater depth to the provision of services, and provide the skills to function as administrators, supervisors, policy analysts, and social planners. The concentration curriculum encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, public-private partnerships, and enhances the student's skill to address issues of economic and social justice with oppressed populations.

A frequently asked question is: How does the concentration of Advanced Generalist impact the jobs for which I am eligible? The concentration provides a specialty area for the student. A clinical or direct practice concentration prepares students for clinical or direct service work with clients. An administrative concentration prepares students to provide indirect services. The advanced generalist concentration prepares students to work with both direct and indirect services.

THE INTERNSHIPS

The Foundation internship is 400 hours and can be completed in a Spring semester block or can be spread over both the Spring and Summer semesters. This first practicum experience provides experiential learning of generalist social work practice in selected human service agencies.

The Concentration internship is 500 hours and can be completed in a Spring semester block or can be spread over both the Spring and Summer semesters. This practicum experience provides the student with an individualized, educationally focused experience in advanced generalist social work practice.

Employment based internships for those students already employed in a social work setting are encouraged, as long as a new learning experience can be provided to the student. Guidelines for employment based internships can be found in the Field Education Manual.

FOUNDATION COURSES:

SW 6000 MSW Practice I (3 hours)
A social work methods course designed to enable the student to understand and apply social work methods within the context of the generalist perspective with individuals and families.

SW 6010 Human Behavior and the Social Environment (3 hours)
An introduction to the theories and knowledge of the human bio-psycho-social development including theories and knowledge about the range of social systems in which individuals live (families, groups, organizations, agencies, and communities). (online delivery)

SW 6020 Research I (3 hours)
This is a basic research and statistical methods course, utilizing research in general inquiry and practice evaluation in social work with the generalist perspective.

SW 6030 Social Welfare Policy and Services (3 hours)
The historical development, philosophical orientation, and analysis of US social welfare policy and services, including the global context. (online delivery)

SW 6100 MSW Practice II (3 hours)
A social work methods course designed to enable the student to understand and apply social work methods within the context of the generalist perspective with groups, agencies, and communities. Prerequisites: MSW Practice I and HBSE

SW 6110 Social Justice & Equity for Multicultural Populations (3 hours)
An overview of the professional commitment of social work to oppressed peoples. Prerequisite: HBSE (online delivery)

SW 6120 Research II (3 hours)
An advanced discussion of program evaluation strategies and single system design issues. The student will conduct a research project. Prerequisite Research I

SW 6130 Practicum IA (3 hours)
A 200 hour field practicum experience within the generalist perspective. May be taken concurrently with Practicum IB. Prerequisites MSW Practice I, HBSE, Research I, & Policy

SW 6140 Practicum IB (3 hours)
A 200 hour field practicum experience with the generalist perspective. May be taken concurrently with SW 6130 Practicum IA. Prerequisites: MSW Practice I, HBSE, Research I, & Policy.

CONCENTRATION COURSES: (Students must have taken their Foundation courses or been admitted with
                                                          Advanced Standing)

SW 6200 Advanced Practice with Individuals (3 hours)
Advanced practice with individuals including client system assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Prerequisites: Practicum IA (SW 6130) & IB (SW 6140) OR Advanced Standing admission.

SW 6210 Advanced Practice with Families (3 hours)
Advanced practice with families including client system assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Prerequisites: Practicum IA (SW 6130) & IB (SW 6140) OR Advanced Standing admission.

SW 6220 Advanced Group Practice (3 hours)
Advanced practice with groups including client system assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Prerequisites: Practicum IA (SW 6130) & IB (SW 6140) OR Advanced Standing admission

SW 6230 Advanced Macro Practice (3 hours)
Advanced practice with organizations and communities including system assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Prerequisites: Practicum IA (SW 6130) & IB (SW 6140) OR Advanced Standing admission

SW 6240 Social Policy Analysis (3 hours)
A study of the design, implementation, and analysis of social policies and their impact on social work practice. Prerequisites: Practicum IA (SW 6130) & IB (SW 6140) OR Advanced Standing admission (online delivery)

SW 6300 Empirical Social Work Practice (4 hours)
A seminar in the integration of theoretical perspectives and the application of research findings and empirical outcome evaluation techniques to advanced generalist social work practice . Prerequisites: Advanced Practice with Individuals, Advanced Practice with Families OR Advanced Group Practice, Advanced Macro Practice, & Social Policy Analysis

SW 6310 Practicum IIA (4 hours)
A 250 hour field practicum experience.    May be taken concurrently with Practicum IIB. Prerequisites: Advanced Practice with Individuals, Advanced Practice with Families OR Advanced Group Practice, Advanced Macro Practice, & Social Policy Analysis

SW 6320 Practicum IIB (4 hours)
A 250 hour field practicum experience. May be taken concurrently with SW 6310 Practicum IIA. Prerequisites: Advanced Practice with Individuals, Advanced Practice with Families OR Advanced Groups Practice, Advanced Macro Practice, & Social Policy Analysis.

ELECTIVE COURSES

SW 5000 Special Topics (3 hours)
Special topics in social work and social welfare. May be repeated for a maximum of 15 hours. (online delivery)

SW 6400 Independent Study (3 hours)
Independent study allows a student to develop more fully an area of his or her particular interest. Topics for intensive study are chosen in joint consultation between the student and the instructor.

SW 6410 Aging Issues and Controversies (3 hours)
This course examines the biological, psychological, and social issues affecting older adults. The field of gerontology is explored with special attention to current controversies in health care independence, and social status with application of ethical theories to these problems. Special attention is given to the impacts on the family of caregiving alternative living arrangements, cognitive and physical decline, and other aging issues. (online delivery)

SW 6420 Adult Mental Health (3 hours)
This course prepares students for advanced generalist practice by integrating foundation level knowledge of policy, research, HBSE and practice with substantive knowledge from the field of mental health. Students will learn the basics of DSM-IV-TR diagnosis, biopsychosocial assessment, and treatment planning. They will be exposed to the skills necessary to conduct strengths and competency-based assessments and interventions. (online delivery)

Students who enter the MSW Program with Advanced Standing complete the concentration courses, e.g., full-time advanced standing students follow the sequence of courses listed for the second year of the full time program and part-time advanced standing students complete the course work outline for the two concentration years of the part time program.  Following is the sequence of courses:

FULL TIME PROGRAM

    MSW FOUNDATION, 30 SEMESTER HOURS
    First Year:

PART-TIME PROGRAM

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