Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Master of Social Work program has been fully accredited, making it Minnesota’s first such program south of the Twin Cities and the first in the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system.
The Council on Social Work Education in Alexandria, Va., recently told the Department of Social Work about the accreditation.
In celebration of the accomplishment, the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences held a reception last week.
The program combines classroom and online education with field education where students engage in extensive internships in private social service organizations and public social welfare agencies, as well as in schools and hospital settings.
Minnesota State Mankato’s Master of Social Work program emphasizes practice in small and rural communities, human well-being, social justice and alleviating poverty.
The Department of Social Work began gathering data to support a master’s-degree program in 2001. The university approved the plan in 2006, and the first students were enrolled in fall 2007. Since then more than 50 have graduated from the program.
“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,” said Anne Blackhurst, acting vice president for academic and student affairs. “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 to regional communities.”
The accreditation is particularly significant because of a significant need for graduate-level social workers in southern Minnesota, according to the National Association of Social Workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and department officials. Graduating from an accredited program is necessary to obtain professional licensure from the Minnesota Board of Social Work.
The Council on Social Work Education granted program accreditation through October 2014, and the accreditation applies to those who have already graduated. In addition to reviewing curriculum and policy documents and program assessment data, social work educators made four site visits to the university over a four-year period.
The program is accepting applications for the 2011-‘12 academic year. More information about the program is at http://sbs.mnsu.edu/socialwork/graduate/.
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive, doctoral university with 15,393 students, is part of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system.
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