Program Mission:
Colby-Sawyer's Master of Social Work program employs social work competencies and evidence-based practices in guiding students to become critical thinkers and skilled social work innovators, leaders, advocates, and practitioners while embodying the central values of social justice, diversity, inclusivity, and worth of all people.
Program Goals
The Master of Social Work program at Colby-Sawyer College will:
- Prepare social work professionals through an advanced generalist curriculum to engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities at micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels.
- Guide students in applying critical thinking, evidence, and the person-in-environment framework to inform practice across all systems levels.
- Embody and work within the core ethical principles of social work by challenging social, economic, and environmental injustice and in working toward the dismantling of systems of oppression.
- Prepare students as leaders in moving the discipline of social work forward through service to others, valuing the dignity and worth of all people, and practicing cultural humility.
Program Overview:
The MSW program will prepare social work students for work and leadership in a broad variety of settings. This includes, but is not limited to clinics, hospitals, non-profit agencies, substance or mental health facilities, outpatient providers, schools, community agencies, and justice systems. Students graduating from the MSW and working in supervised field study locations will be prepared to work toward state licensure.
Students with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from a program accredited by the CSWE may be admitted to the MSW program as Advanced Standing students.
Students have seven years to complete the master’s degree.
Accreditation:
Carrying accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a critical component of a successful degree in Social Work. CSWE is further recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Students graduating from programs that are CSWE accredited should be able to work in a social work capacity anywhere in the nation, although additional licensure certification may be required in different states.
The MSW program at Colby-Sawyer is currently in Pre-Candidacy for Accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation.
Pre-Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation indicates that it has submitted an application to be reviewed for Candidacy and had its Benchmark I approved in draft form to move forward with Candidacy review within one year. A program that has attained Pre-Candidacy has not yet been reviewed by the Commission on Accreditation or been verified to be in compliance with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.
Students who enter programs in Pre-Candidacy that attain Candidacy in the academic year in which they begin their program of study will be retroactively recognized as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program attains Initial Accreditation. The Candidacy Process is typically a three-year process and there is no guarantee that a program in Pre-Candidacy will eventually attain Candidacy or Initial Accreditation.
Candidacy by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation applies to all locations and delivery methods of an accredited program. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
For more information about social work accreditation, you may contact Accreditation.
CSWE 2022 Social Work Competencies
In keeping with CSWE standards, Colby-Sawyer College has integrated the nine CSWE competencies within its curriculum. The following competences serve as program learning outcomes for the Master of Social Work degree:
Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
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
MSW students should refer to policies specific to the program, found in the MSW Student Handbook. Should a program policy conflict with a college policy, the program policy will be followed.
Probation/Suspension/Dismissal Academic Policies and Procedures
Students in the MSW program are academically dismissed from the four reasons listed below. A student who is dismissed is ineligible for an MSW degree will not be permitted to re-enroll in the MSW Program. MSW Probation and Suspension policies are summarized below:
- For a degree-seeking student in the MSW program to remain in good academic standing, the student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and meet the program’s academic progress criteria toward degree completion.
- A student whose overall GPA falls below a 3.0 in a semester is automatically placed on academic probation during the following semester. At the conclusion of the following semester, the student’s overall GPA must return to 3.0 or the student will be suspended for a minimum of one semester.
- A student who receives an F is offered one opportunity to repeat that course. A subsequent F in the repeated or any other course results in automatic dismissal from the MSW program.
- Students who are admitted conditionally must earn a grade of B or better in each of the first two, non-practicum courses to remain in the MSW program. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the MSW program.