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University of Montana - Missoula

The College of Health Professions and Biomedical Science

MSW Program Overview

Today’s graduate-level social worker must be able to work with a diverse clientele, engage in practice at multiple levels, and use a range of interventions to effectively address both personal and family issues and problems related to larger social systems, public policies, and societal forces. Within Montana and in similar states and regions, social workers seldom have the resources they need to address the wide range of concerns they frequently encounter. Consequently, they are often involved in the creation and delivery of new programs and services, requiring them to possess a versatile set of skills and be extremely knowledgeable about the social context in which they are delivered.

The challenging terrain of social work practice calls for a particular kind of practitioner- one who is prepared to address issues of poverty, oppression, and social injustice confronting many residents of the region; one who engages individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in the process of strengthening personal capacities, social programs, and public policies; and one who recognizes the inseparability of private troubles and public issues. Well-prepared MSW practitioners must be able to integrate direct-practice skills, community building, public advocacy, and research. The University of Montana’s MSW program and its concentration in advanced integrated practice is a logical and appropriate response to these special needs and challenges. The program draws from state-of-the-art social work theory and practice to design a program best suited for advancing the goals and values of the profession, meeting twenty-first century challenges, and addressing the complex social-welfare concerns of residents of Montana and the Rocky Mountain West. The program’s curriculum in advanced integrated practice is designed to integrate the profession’s commitment to value-based social work practice and the promotion of social and economic justice by:

  1. grounding students in social work values, critical thinking, and self-reflexivity;
  2. providing students with frameworks for examining historical, political, and cultural processes, constructions of difference, and forms and mechanisms of oppression that shape social relations, problems, interventions and possibilities for social-justice-oriented action;
  3. providing students with the knowledge and skills to integrate direct practice and community work;
  4. requiring students to continually bring knowledge and skills of research, policy analysis, and advocacy to bear in their practice regardless of setting, problem area, or specific job description; and
  5. preparing students to assume positions of leadership in the profession and community and to promote empowering, participatory, social-justice-oriented practices, policies, and programs.

The University of Montana MSW program is a two-year program. The foundation year provides content and learning experiences related to social work values and ethics, diversity, populations-at-risk, social and economic justice, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and services, generalist social work practice, research, and field education. Throughout the two-year curriculum the program utilizes both a course-based and diffusion approach to education. That is, core content is addressed in individual core courses and also integrated throughout the curriculum. Students are also provided a framework for integrating social work and social justice in all aspects of practice.

The concentration year emphasizes the application of advanced integrated practice and deepens students’ knowledge and skills in the areas of direct practice, social policy analysis, program evaluation, and organizational leadership. In the concentration year, students further their knowledge and skills of integrated practice by developing an individualized learning plan (ILP) in consultation with their faculty advisor. The plan addresses: formation of individual student learning goals consistent with overall program goals and objectives; selection of an optional area of emphasis and relevant elective courses; portfolio development and formation of a portfolio committee; and formulation of concentration practicum objectives and activities. Thus, the concentration year is structured both to respond to the individual professional goals of adult learners and to ensure that students have acquired the breadth and depth of knowledge and skills required for effective integrated practice.

During the concentration year students can choose an area of emphasis and tailor required and elective courses (nine credits minimum) and the practicum around the emphasis area.

The following areas of emphasis are available to students during the second year.

Interpersonal Practice

The interpersonal practice emphasis encourages students to further develop counseling and interpersonal skills acquired during the first year to allow for possible employment in residential or outpatient settings, or in dispute resolution and mediation centers. Although the skills are typically categorized as "clinical", they are also typically used in the areas of administration, supervision and community organizing. The program's second year required courses, Advanced Integrated Practice and Concentration Practicum and Seminar, are designed to hone knowledge and skills in this area. The program also offers a number of elective courses to augment required course content and include: Addiction Studies, Rural Mental Health, Grief and Loss, Psychopathology and Psychological Assessment, Advanced Clinical Interventions, and Marriage and Family Therapy.

Community and Organizational Practice

The community and organizational practice emphasis is designed for students who are interested in pursuing careers that emphasize program planning and development, organizational administration and management, and community organizing and leadership. The program's second year required courses, Advanced Integrated Practice (community/organizational emphasis), Methods of Social Policy Analysis, Practice of Organizational Leadership, and Concentration Practicum and Seminar complement this emphasis area. Elective course possibilities include Rural Mental Health, Assessing the Food System and courses offered in the fields of sociology, political science, and environmental studies.

Social and Political Change

The social and political change emphasis focuses on creating systemic change at the state, national, and international by formulating social policies and implementing programs that consider the political, social, and economic forces that influence human well-being. The program's second year required courses, Advanced Integrated Practice (policy emphasis), Methods of Social Policy Analysis, Practice of Organizational Leadership, and Concentration Practicum and Seminar can be tailored to hone knowledge and skills in this area. Departmental electives that support the emphasis include Integrated Practice in an International Context and Assessing the Food System. Elective courses in the fields of sociology, political science, and environmental studies complement the emphasis.

There are also a number courses to choose from that cut across each emphasis area and include: Ethics, Social Work and the Law, Professional Development in Child Welfare, Social Work in Child and Family Settings, Domestic Violence, Spirituality and Faith in Social Work Practice, and Whole Person Healing: An Expressive Arts Approach.