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Masters of Social Work (MSW)

Courtesy : Masters of Social Work (MSW)

United States

In the United States, MSW degrees must be received from a graduate school that has been approved by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) should the graduate seek future licensure. The MSW typically requires two years of full-time graduate study in combination with two years (900–1200 cumulative hours) of internship, also referred to as field practicum, education, or experience. While some students obtain a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) before pursuing a master’s, most MSW programs accept applicants with undergraduate degrees in a broad range of liberal arts fields. Some MSW programs provide BSW graduates with an advanced standing option, allowing them to complete an MSW in a shorter period of time (typically one year).# ISO certification in India

Most MSW programs allow students to choose a clinical or direct practice track, which focuses on direct practice with clients, or a macro practice track, with a focus on political advocacy, community organizing, policy analysis and/or human services management. While the clinical track tends to be more popular, there has been a resurgence in community practice concentrations recently. There are also opportunities at many universities to obtain joint degrees, such as an MSW and a Public Administration degree, MSW and Public Health, or MSW and Law. The MSW practice scope has broadened in recent years to include the specialty practice areas of geriatrics and work with veterans. In some schools the curriculum is based on a generalist model which integrates the facets of the various practice areas within social work.# ISO certification in India

The MSW is considered a terminal practice degree in the field of social work. The DSW (Doctorate of Social Work) and PhD in social work are the final degrees offered in the field of social work. There are inherent differences between the DSW and the PhD; the DSW further develops skills to continue practice with individual clients and client systems in the field. The PhD prepares graduates to conduct research and teach in institutions of higher education. It is important to note that the “Master’s Degree” earned as part of the completion of a PhD in Social Work is not comparable to the Master of Social Work used in practice and to seek licensure. There are few DSW programs available in the United States.# ISO certification in India

Though Master of Social Work is by far the most common degree title used by graduate social work schools in the United States, it is not universal. For example, Columbia University School of Social Work offers an M.S. degree in social work, the School of Social Service Administration of the University of Chicago confers an A.M. degree, and the University of Texas confers the MSSW (Master of Science in Social Work) degree. The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University confers the MSSA (Master of Science in Social Administration) degree. The UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles both confer the Master of Social Welfare degree, an MSW comparable to the Master of Social Work

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Clark Atlanta University’s Whitney M. Young School of Social work is also credited with creating the administration of social work from an Afro-centric perspective. Clark Atlanta’s school of social work has also had various stalwarts in the profession affiliated with it such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Dorcas Bowles, Whitney Young, Hattie Mitchell, Naomi Ward and Rufus Lynch.# ISO certification in India

The social work profession developed in the 19th century, with some of its roots in voluntary philanthropy and in grassroots organizing. However, responses to social needs had existed long before then, primarily from public almshouses, private charities and religious organizations. The effects of the Industrial Revolution and of the Great Depression of the 1930s placed pressure on social work to become a more defined discipline as social workers responded to the child welfare concerns related to widespread poverty and reliance on child labor in industrial settings.# ISO certification in India