Graduate Course Catalog 2012-2013
Graduate School
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Social Work (SW)
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This program is offered in Durham and in Manchester through GSMC.
Degree Offered: M.S.W.
Certificate Offered: Leadership in Children's Health and Disability
The Department of Social Work offers a master of social work (M.S.W.) degree. This program develops advanced professional knowledge and skills for persons interested in pursuing careers in the field of social work. The M.S.W. program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). It requires two years of full-time study or three-to-four years of extended-time study. The full-time program is available in Durham only; the extended-time program is available in Durham or Manchester. The Manchester academic classes are delivered in a weekend model with admission every other year. All students complete a foundation-year course of study, and then elect a second-year concentration either in direct/clinical practice or community/administrative practice. Both concentrations require classroom work and two year-long field internships. Field internship hours are typically completed during normal business hours.
In addition, the Department of Social Work offers two dual degrees. The Social Work and Kinesiology dual-degree program consists of a master in social work (M.S.W.), as well as a master of science (M.S.) in kinesiology with a concentration in outdoor education. For additional information regarding the Social Work/Kinesiology dual degree, contact Anita Tucker at Anita.Tucker@unh.edu. The Department of Social Work and the School of Law at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) also offer a dual degree resulting in the JD/M.S.W. In four years, students will be able to complete two graduate degrees, a Master in Social Work (M.S.W.) and a Juris Doctor to prepare them for a career in law and social work. For additional information regarding the Social Work/Law dual degree, contact Sharon Murphy at Sharon.Murphy@unh.edu.
Additionally, the department offers a graduate certificate in Leadership in Children’s Health and Disability.
Admission Requirements
The department encourages applications from persons who hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; have attained an overall grade-point average of "B" or better in undergraduate coursework; have completed courses in a broad range of liberal arts and science disciplines. Applicants should include a resume of two pages or less, which lists educational, work, and volunteer experiences, as well as any special skills or attributes. Applicants must submit professional recommendations from three individuals, one of whom could be a member of an academic faculty. Professional letters of reference should describe the applicant’s volunteer or work duties, skills and values relevant to social work practice with diverse populations, ability to collaborate with others, and overall strengths and challenges relevant to graduate study. Applicants should complete a personal statement of interest in pursuing graduate education in the field. Significant volunteer and/or work experience in the field is strongly recommended. Students who do not meet the liberal arts and science expectations may be asked to complete additional coursework prior to or during the first year of their enrollment in the program. Standardized graduate examinations are not required, but results of such tests may be submitted to supplement other admission materials.
Students applying for advanced standing must hold a B.A. from an accredited S.W./B.S.W. program with a minimum overall grade-point average of 3.2 (4.0 point scale). This coursework must have been completed within five years of the date of M.S.W. matriculation. Advanced-standing applicants must also submit a reference from a B.S.W. faculty member and the undergraduate field supervisor or field coordinator. Students applying to the extended time program at UNH Manchester are advised that the Manchester program admits students every other year.
Students applying to the dual-degree programs must meet the application requirements for both the Departments of Social Work and Kinesiology or the UNH School of Law. See Kinesiology and the UNH School of Law for their admission requirements.
The M.S.W. program concentrates on strengths and empowerment models that encourage individuals and families, and communities and organizations to realize their full potential. The department supplies the students with a social and community systems context and promotes practice skills that are responsive to diversity issues. The program is housed in Pettee Hall with access to interview observation rooms and state-of-the-art classrooms and computer labs.
Financial aid opportunities in the department include grants for students interested in the child welfare field or in work with developmentally disabled children and their families. The department also offers graduate research assistantships to a few second-year students. Graduates of the program are employed in a wide variety of social and human service agencies as direct practitioners and in managerial roles. Please be aware that as a condition of being placed in some agency settings, graduate social work students may be required to complete a Criminal Record Check with both state and law enforcement agencies.
Degree Requirements
M.S.W. Degree Requirements
An M.S.W. candidate must complete 62 credit hours of 800- or 900-level courses including two, two-semester field internships, comprising a total of 1,240 hours in the field. Grades below the B- level in a graded course or a "fail" in a credit/fail course are considered failing grades for the purposes of determining academic standing. Repeating a course does not remove the original failing grade from the record. Graduate students receiving failing grades in 9 or more credits, received either in three courses or in any combination of courses taken twice, will be dismissed from the M.S.W. program.
Although a significant portion of the curriculum is required, students will be able to complete three elective courses. At least one of these must be taken from among Department of Social Work course offerings. Students select a second-year concentration in direct/clinical practice or community/administrative practice. Each concentration requires that three courses and the second-year field internship be completed in the student's area of concentration.
Advanced standing students complete a minimum of 35 credits for graduation. This includes a 10-week summer practicum and seminar, which students must take prior to their advanced practice and field placement. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the coordinator of graduate admissions in the department office.
Dual-degree social work and kinesiology students take classes simultaneously over the course of two-and-a-half years in both social work and kinesiology: outdoor education and complete a minimum of 77 credits for graduation. This includes two internships, one during their first year of study, and a second specialized block placement internship over the summer following the second year of study, which concentrates on the utilization and application of adventure therapy in an agency setting. This block placement internship may occur in New England or in other appropriate settings across the U.S. Students are required to also complete either a master thesis or an advanced studies project during their last year of study, which is supervised by faculty in kinesiology: outdoor education.
Certificate in Leadership in Children's Health and Disability
This graduate certificate is part of a partnership with the New Hampshire LEND Program and the Seacoast Child Development Clinic. Accepted LEND trainees and others are eligible to apply for the Graduate Certificate for Leadership in Children’s Health and Disability from the University of New Hampshire (separate application process through the UNH Graduate School). The websites listed are for the New Hampshire LEND Program and the Seacoast Child Development Clinic. For more information, please contact Elizabeth Humphreys at the New Hampshire LEND Program at (603) 862-0561.
Applying
Please visit the Graduate School website for detailed instructions about applying to the graduate certificate program. In addition to the standard application requirements, this department requires that applicants submit a letter of intent.
Certificate Requirements
The Leadership in Children's Health and Disability Certificate consists of 9 credit hours of required courses, 3 credit hours of an elective and 3 credit hours of independent study related to the graduate certificate program of study.
Students must take one of two introductory courses in developmental disabilities: EDUC 850, Introduction to Exceptionality, or SW 812, Social Work and Developmental Disabilities (3 cr).
Students must complete both fall and spring semesters of HHS 898, Topics in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (6 cr total). This course is also a requirement for trainees in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) but is open to all students.
Students must complete an approved elective (3 cr) from any department at the University of New Hampshire with a focus on children, special health care needs, and disabilities.
Students must complete an independent study that focuses on a leadership activity to support children with special health care needs, disabilities, and families (3 cr).
Coursework must be completed within 3 years.
Applying: Please contact Patrick Shannon (Patrick.Shannon@unh.edu or (603) 862-5016 for details about applying for the certificate.
Courses
Courses
| Abbreviation | Course Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 801 | Women and Aging | 3 |
| SW | 805 | Child and Adolescent Risks and Resiliency: Program, Policy and Practice | 3 |
| SW | 810 | Computer Utilization in Social Work | 3 |
| SW | 812 | Understanding Developmental Disabilities | 3 |
| SW | 814 | Introduction to Addiction: Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
| SW | 815 | Practice with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People | 3 |
| SW | 820 | Social Welfare Policy I | 3 |
| SW | 830 | Social Work Practice I | 3 |
| SW | 831 | Social Work Practice II: Practice in Small Groups and Community Organizations | 3 |
| SW | 840 | Implications of Race, Culture, and Oppression for Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SW | 850 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment I | 3 |
| SW | 851 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment II | 3 |
| SW | 860 | Research Methods in Social Work | 3 |
| SW | 880 | Field Internship I | 3 |
| SW | 881 | Field Internship II | 3 |
| SW | 885 | Study Abroad: Comparative Social Welfare Systems | 3 |
| SW | 897 | Special Topics in Social Work and Social Welfare | 3 |
| SW | 900 | Advanced Standing Practice and Field Seminar | 3 |
| SW | 926 | Social Welfare Policy II | 3 |
| SW | 932 | Direct Practice III: Clinical Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
| SW | 933 | Direct Practice IV: Advanced Clinical Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
| SW | 936 | Community and Administrative Practice III: Community Organization and Political Strategies | 3 |
| SW | 937 | Community and Administrative Practice IV: Management of Human Service Organizations | 3 |
| SW | 952 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment III | 3 |
| SW | 957 | Fund Development and Grantwriting | 3 |
| SW | 962 | Research II Statistics | 3 |
| SW | 965 | Research III: Program and Practice Evaluation | 3 |
| SW | 973 | Interventions with Groups | 3 |
| SW | 974 | Social Work Supervision | 3 |
| SW | 975 | Theory and Practice of Family Therapy | 3 |
| SW | 979 | Social Work and the Law | 3 |
| SW | 982 | Field Internship III | 4 |
| SW | 983 | Field Internship IV | 4 |
| SW | 992 | Special Projects and Independent Study | 1 TO 3 |
