The Part-Time to Full-Time (Extended) pathway generally follows a three-year course plan, as shown below. If needed, students can opt to take an additional fourth year part-time to complete their electives.
First Year (Generalist Education Phase) – Part-Time
Fall Term
*Courses marked with an asterisk may be waived by examination. Please review our waiver exam information page for details.
In this course, students acquire the language of statistics and learn the basics of descriptive and inferential statistics. The emphasis of the course is on a conceptual understanding of basic concepts to aid in interpretation. Specific topics include descriptive statistics, standard errors, type I and type II errors, t-test, chi-spare, and analysis of variance.
This is a 0-credit, pass/fail course taken in the second half of the term
Students are required to complete six credits in the Human Behavior and Social Environment area. This first course adopts a developmental life-course and social systems framework in an examination of environmental and historical influences, current social movements, societal belief systems, social structures, and political processes affect bio-psycho- social aspects of human development. The course focuses on the application of these theories in tandem with a scholarly examination of social forces that shape human agency, opportunity, health, and behavior.
See T660B and T660C Human Behavior and the Social Environment – II for the second course.
Social Welfare Policy*
This course provides students with an overview and assessment of current domestic social welfare policies and programs, and the factors that influence their development. Special attention is given to income maintenance, personal social services, and in-kind benefits.
Social Work Research*
Students will understand and appreciate a scientific, analytic approach to building knowledge for practice and for evaluating service delivery in all areas of practice.
Different theoretical bases and methodological procedures for social work research are addressed, as are basic statistical procedures and technological advances in quantitative and qualitative designs. Ethical standards of scientific inquiry are emphasized with attention to protecting and promoting the well-being of vulnerable and oppressed populations.
Ultimately, students are expected to be able to access, critically evaluate, and appropriately use empirical research to inform and evaluate their practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Spring Term
In this second term of Human Behavior and the Social Environment, the course is split into two “mini” courses. Students must select two seven-week courses on a range of topics, all of which have a pronounced focus on issues of power, privilege, oppression, identity, and social justice.
Social Welfare Policy*
This course provides students with an overview and assessment of current domestic social welfare policies and programs, and the factors that influence their development. Special attention is given to income maintenance, personal social services, and in-kind benefits.
Social Work Research*
Students will understand and appreciate a scientific, analytic approach to building knowledge for practice and for evaluating service delivery in all areas of practice.
Different theoretical bases and methodological procedures for social work research are addressed, as are basic statistical procedures and technological advances in quantitative and qualitative designs. Ethical standards of scientific inquiry are emphasized with attention to protecting and promoting the well-being of vulnerable and oppressed populations.
Ultimately, students are expected to be able to access, critically evaluate, and appropriately use empirical research to inform and evaluate their practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Second Year (Practicum Education Phase) – Full-Time
Fall Term
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthen motivation for change. MI has been implemented in local, state, national, and international social welfare and health care settings.
The methods are specifiable and verifiable, grounded in testable theory, generalizable and transportable across problem areas and diverse groups. They are complementary or adaptable to other methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy, as well as employed as a stand-alone approach in certain kinds of settings. Moreover, there are evidence-based methods of learning MI.
To obtain proficiency in MI, you need opportunities to practice skills and obtain feedback. This course provides hands-on experience to practice and evaluate MI skills. The goal of this course is to give students an understanding of the basic principles of MI and to become fluent in a few key skills of this method.
Students also will learn to contrast MI with other therapeutic methods, and some common myths associated with it. Finally, students will be examining some of the research concerning the effectiveness of MI and the hypothesized mechanisms that explain its usefulness.
This is a 0-credit, pass/fail course taken in the first half of the semester
In this foundations course, participants will learn generalist and justice-based frameworks and skills for social work intervention. Emphasis is placed on an analysis of power, race, oppression, and privilege; the impact systems of oppression have at the micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels; and how these systems may influence social work practice. Coursework focuses on anti-Black racism and covers the intersectionality of anti-Black racism and issues concerning LBGTQ+ rights, genderism, Indigenous People/First Nations People and land rights, Latin-x representation, xenophobia, Islamophobia, undocumented immigrants, Japanese internment camps, indigent White communities (Appalachia), and anti-Semitism.
All coursework aims to foster self-awareness and develop mindfulness practices; increase capacity to mitigate oppressive systems in social work agencies and organizations; provide skills for community building within and outside the classroom. Social work skills for anti-oppressive practice are developed through the use of experiential exercises and feedback. Practice is integrated into classroom content and discussion.
(Must be taken concurrently with T6010 Generalist Social Work Practicum.)
Practicum education is a central component in each student’s professional education, and it requires 21 hours a week, three days a week. Placements provide a range of experiences to integrate with theoretical learning from class work and to develop knowledge, values, and skills for social practice.
Spring Term
Prerequisite: T7100
This course builds upon the knowledge and skills acquired in T7100 Foundations of Social Work Practice: Decolonizing Social Work.
Students learn to critically examine, select, apply, and evaluate major theoretical models of direct social work practice with individuals, families, and groups in a culturally competent manner. Particular emphasis is placed on the linkage between assessment and intervention, the critical evaluation of self in one’s own practice, and the use of empirical knowledge to guide practice decisions.
(Must be taken concurrently with T6010 Generalist Social Work Practicum.)
Prerequisites: T7100, T6801
This course builds on the knowledge, values, and skills provided in Decolonizing Social Work. Coursework focuses on better understanding and applying a justice-based framework to mezzo- and macro- social work practice within organizational, community and political systems. The intersections of white supremacy, institutionalized power, anti-Black racism, oppression, and privilege will be discussed.
Participants will learn to critically analyze and assess organizations, communities, social policies and political systems; develop interventions, advocate for, and work collaboratively to achieve change and build capacity in organizations and communities and to influence social policies and political processes; extend their understanding of distributive justice, human and civil rights and the dynamics of oppression, and the role of advocacy and social change action in pursuing social and economic justice.
(Must be taken concurrently with T6010 Generalist Social Work Practicum and T7102 Direct Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups.)
Practicum education is a central component in each student’s professional education, and it requires 21 hours a week, three days a week. Placements provide a range of experiences to integrate with theoretical learning from class work and to develop knowledge, values, and skills for social practice.
Note: Part-Time to Full-Time students may request to begin first-year practicum education in January (spring term) instead of fall, completing their first year of practicum education in the spring and summer terms.
Specialized Year
In your Specialized Year, the last year in the Part-Time to Full-Time pathway, your coursework is determined by method specialization you choose. Below are example course plans for each method specialization. Use the links below to see example study plans for each method
- Advanced Clinical Practice Method
- Integrated Practice and Programming Method
- Policy Practice Method
- Leadership, Management, and Entrepreneurship for Social Justice
Electives
A wide range of elective courses makes it possible for you to develop additional expertise in areas such as family or group interventions; treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults; responding to trauma; working with veterans and their families; or managing a nonprofit agency.
The number of electives required depends on your method specialization. Please note that this is just the minimum number of electives you must take to complete your degree and specialization requirements.
| Method Specialization | Total Electives | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Clinical Practice | 3 | 9 |
| Integrated Practice and Programming | 3 | 9 |
| Policy Practice | 2 | 6 |
| Leadership, Management, and Entrepreneurship for Social Justice | 0 | 0 |