The Department of Social Work at Minnesota State University, Mankato is proud to announce that they received notice from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in Arlington, VA that their Master of Social Work (MSW) Program has been fully accredited. This is the first accredited social work program in the MnSCU system and also the first MSW program in Minnesota south of the Twin Cities. A reception will be held in January to celebrate this accomplishment.
“Within a University that prides itself on preparing students to solve real-world problems, our MSW program stands out as a particularly high quality, high impact program. Its focus on preparing social workers for rural settings is directly in line with our mission of providing education in service to the state and regional communities,” said Dr. Anne Blackhurst, Acting Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs.
At its October 2010 meeting, the CSWE Commission on Accreditation (COA) reviewed the Department’s MSW Program Self-Study and other documentation and site visit reports, and then voted to grant initial accreditation effective through October 2014, and applies also to students who have previously graduated from the program. Graduating from an accredited program is necessary to obtain professional licensure from the Minn. Board of Social Work. The accreditation process requires the submission of curriculum and policy documents, program assessment data, and four site visits by social work educators external to the University over a four-year period.
The Department began gathering data to support the development of such a program in about 2001. The University approved the plan for the program in 2006. In the fall of 2007, the MSW Program first enrolled graduate students and since has graduated about over 50 new graduate-level social workers (a graduate rate of 97%), eligible for professional practice licensure at the advanced generalist level. This is particularly significant due to the need for graduated level social workers in the southern Minnesota area. The next program application deadline is January 31, 2011.
The MSW program combines classroom and online education with field education where students engage in extensive internships (practicum) in private social service organizations and public social welfare agencies, as well as in schools and hospital settings. Social workers work in both direct/clinical practice with individuals, families, and groups, as well as carrying out work at the macro-level with organizations, communities, government agencies and social welfare policy. The MSW program at Mankato emphasizes practice in small and rural communities, by enhancing human well-being, promoting social justice, and alleviating poverty and oppression for all members of our diverse society within its global context.
More information about the MSW program can be found online at http://sbs.mnsu.edu/socialwork/graduate/ More information about CSWE can be found online at http://www.cswe.org/
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