Master of Social Work

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

Program

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:

The Master of Social Work program at Colby-Sawyer College has achieved candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). 

Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the BOA indicates that it has made progress toward meeting standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. A program that has attained candidacy status has demonstrated a commitment to meeting the standards set by the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) but has not yet demonstrated full compliance. 

Students that are admitted to candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Candidacy is typically a 3-year process and attaining candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain initial accreditation. 

Candidacy applies to all program options, which includes locations and delivery methods. 

Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program. 

Review our program’s candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work 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.