Master of Social Work (MSW): Full Program

Overview

The MSW full program option prepares graduate students for advanced, justice-informed, clinical and professional social work practice and licensure while emphasizing the commitment to the values of social work practice.

In the context of a liberal arts environment and with an ecosystems perspective, students learn how to apply advanced critical thinking skills at micro, mezzo, and macro levels while pursuing human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice in local and global contexts. Its organizational structure is both comprehensive and integrated and gives students a strong base from which to build advanced clinical and justice-informed practice knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes. The first year of the full program is based on CSWE's nine generalist competencies and is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the academic and professional skills necessary for generalist social work practice at the master’s level. The generalist foundation courses, necessary as preparation for specialized justice-informed social work practice, follow a developmental framework and are sequenced with each subsequent course building on the prerequisite courses. The justice-informed curriculum for year two, is based on nine specialized competencies and meets the Minnesota Board of Social Work's requirements for the clinical content in the six designated areas (differential diagnosis, clinical treatment planning, clinical intervention methods, evaluation methodologies, social work values/ ethics, and culturally specific assessment and intervention) required to sit for the ASWB clinical licensure exam.

Bethel University’s MSW Graduate School curriculum design creates a sequencing of concepts, techniques, and assignments to match the typical progression of development for social work students. The MSW program emphasizes professional and ethical practice; practicing with diverse populations; promoting social, economic, and environmental justice; understanding agency-based research; social policy-making; and practice across individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations; and thereby prepares students for generalist social work practice.

Program Outcomes

Demonstrate justice-informed ethical thinking and professionalism in social work practice.
Engage diversity and difference in justice-informed practice.
Engage in social work practices that advance human rights, social, economic and environmental justice.
Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
Engage in justice-informed policy practice.
Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through justice-informed practice.
Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through justice-informed practice.
Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through justice-informed practice.
Evaluate individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through justice-informed practice.

Admission Requirements

The Master of Social Work: Full Program will consider applicants who:

Meet the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School.
Submit an official transcript (U.S. schools) or NACES or AICE evaluation (international schools) showing an earned baccalaureate or higher degree and official transcripts or NACES or AICE evaluations from all graduate schools attended.
Have earned a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited (or internationally recognized as equivalent) institution.
Have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale on the highest degree completed.
Completed a college-level Statistics or Research Methods course from a regionally accredited U.S. higher education institution prior to enrolling.
Submit three current professional Admission References.
Submit a written Statement of Purpose.
Submit a current resume.
Interview with the program director or enrollment counselor if requested.

Students who have not achieved the minimum GPA, grade standards, or other assessment criteria may still apply to be considered for provisional acceptance. See Admission Categories.

Degree Requirements