Program Objectives
The mission of the MSW program at Westfield State University is to prepare advanced level social work practitioners who have specialized knowledge for clinical practice that is based on a firm generalist foundation.
The program places emphasis and value on the development of students who will practice in their areas of competence, maintain ethical standards, and demonstrate leadership within their community as collaborative practitioners who are committed to addressing social, racial, and economic injustice.
The clinical training program is built on a strong generalist foundation and is grounded in biological, psychological, and social theoretical paradigms that will promote a spirit of inquiry and critical analysis for developing theories for social work practice. Students will gain competencies in developing and applying practice modalities that are rooted in various forms of evidence.
As graduates complete their advanced training, they will develop a commitment to life-long learning through self-reflection, meeting changing social needs, critically evaluating and integrating emerging practice proficiencies, increasing their levels of cultural competence, and engaging in ongoing skill development to meet the demands of advanced roles and responsibilities.
The program at Westfield is committed to providing leadership throughout the practice community in evaluating and analyzing existing and emerging areas of knowledge to advance social service delivery, social policies, and direct practice with the vulnerable, disenfranchised, and marginalized populations that are served by social workers.
Program Goals
Goal # 1: The program prepares graduates who will have mastered the knowledge, values, and skills of the social work professional generalist practice core.
Goal #2: The program prepares graduates who will have advanced knowledge, values, and skills for clinical social work practice.
The accomplishment of these goals will be demonstrated by the achievement of the following competencies:
Competency 1: Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior
Competency 2: Engage diversity and difference in practice
Competency 3: Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice
Competency 4: Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice
Competency 5: Engage in policy practice
Competency 6: Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
Competency 7: Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
Competency 8: Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
Competency 9: Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
Admission Requirements
All applicants should follow the following process and meet the described requirements, including specific additional requirements for Advanced Standing applicants:
- Applicants should obtain an application packet from the MSW Program or the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education.
- Applicants must have a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university. To apply for Advanced Standing the candidate must have a BSW from a CSWE accredited program.
- Applicants must have an undergraduate degree that included a clear liberal arts base and a firm foundation in the social sciences, American national government and human biology. Applicants should identify their social science, government and human biology courses on the application form. Students who do not meet this requirement may be accepted into the program, but may be required to take courses to meet these requirements prior to starting the program.
- Applicants need a 2.8 overall undergraduate GPA. For Advanced Standing candidates, the applicant should also have a 3.0 social work GPA. In extraordinary circumstances both requirements can be waived by the Admission Committee.
- Applicants need to complete the Graduate Admission form, specifying Traditional MSW program or Advanced Standing MSW Program and whether they would like to attend full-time or part-time.
- Applicants need to have three letters of reference completed, including one academic reference. Advanced Standing applicants need to have one of their letters of reference from their BSW Program Director (or his/her designee). A letter from a Field Placement supervisor is highly recommended.
- Applicants need to submit a current resume.
- Applicants need to complete a professional statement that describes:
- reason(s) for interest in entering the field of social work;
- assessment of personal strengths and limitations related to the profession;
- examination of life experiences and relationship of these experiences to career choice, including evidence of a commitment to aiding people who are oppressed and/or members of vulnerable populations (good examples are prior work, civic or volunteer experiences); and
- assessment of personal values and congruence of these beliefs with the social work profession’s value system. (We suggest that applicants review the NASW Code of Ethics prior to writing the professional statement).
The professional statement will be evaluated in regard to the above requirements. The professional statement will also be considered a writing sample that demonstrates the applicants’ ability to express themselves clearly and professionally.
Though human services experience is not required, applicants are strongly encouraged to describe any prior volunteer or work experience in their professional statement and include it on their resume. Professional experience is viewed positively and taken into consideration when making admissions.
The MSW Program does not require standardized testing (GRE or MAT) for admission to the program.
Application Deadlines
All application materials must be received by February 1st for your application to be reviewed.
The MSW program has an early decision application deadline of December 1 with admissions decisions sent out in mid-February. The traditional application deadline is February 1 with admission decisions sent out the end of March.
Notification of Acceptance
Notice of acceptance will occur on or about April 15 for study beginning the following September (there are no midyear admissions). Within ten days of receiving notification, accepted applicants must confirm in writing their intention to enroll in the program and submit a non-refundable
Program Requirements
The MSW Program curriculum at Westfield State University is divided into two parts, a generalist practice foundation curriculum that is common to all graduate social work programs and an advanced curriculum in clinical practice that is designed to give students advanced clinical knowledge, values, and skills. The foundation curriculum includes classroom work and a 400-hour, hands-on generalist field practicum. The advanced curriculum includes classroom work and a 500-hour, hands-on clinical field practicum. Since applicants with a BSW from an accredited social work program have already completed the requirements for the foundation curriculum, these applicants may be admitted to the Advanced Standing program. Students admitted to the Program with Advanced Standing may enter the program at the advanced level following completion of a summer Bridge course.
Students have the option to complete their MSW Program on-ground at our Westfield, MA campus or completely online, both options are delivered through a hybrid format.
Latinx Community Health
The Latinx Community Health concentration prepares advanced level social work practitioners to work with the Latinx community by examining the effects of macro level, structural inequities that exist in the U.S. and their intersection with the social determinants of health. The effects of structural racism, and societal exclusion will be integrated into a clinical practice model that enables social work students working with the Latinx community to better assess, diagnose and treat the health needs of the Latinx community. Dynamics pertaining to immigrant integration, including refugee, asylum and immigration policy and contemporary frameworks of acculturation and their implications for the health assessment of Latinx clients will be introduced and applied. Dynamics specific to bilingualism, transnationalism, culture, race and racialization will be explored within the supervisory relationship, the social work-client relationship, and the engagement process of Latinx clients in medical and behavioral health services.
Students in the Latinx Community Health concentration will take courses taught in a bilingual, English/Spanish format. Course lectures will be delivered in English, with content provided in Spanish for students who are bilingual and/or want to increase their Spanish fluency skills for clinical practice; students will complete in-class exercises in the language that they are most comfortable in, and that reflects the language spoken with their clients.
- SOCW 0698 Advanced Policy: Promoting Racial and Social Equity*
- Two electives
- SOCW 0699 Trauma and Social Identity*
- SOCW 0699 Theories of Supervision for Latinx Professionals*
*Courses are delivered in English/Spanish bilingual
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