Grand View University recently issued the following announcement.
Grand View University is excited to announce the launch of its new Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program. Beginning this summer and fall, the program offers flexible online and hybrid coursework as well as a 3+2 option where students can begin taking graduate level courses while still working on their undergraduate degree. Students can choose from three specialty areas - Administration and Leadership, Clinical Social Work and School Social Work.
Dr. Cathy Beck-Cross, Program Director, Master of Social Work and Associate Professor of Social Work, is passionate about this move. “Our MSW faculty team is thrilled to offer three distinct specialties that will prepare students to be advanced practitioners in their communities. The demand for master's level social workers is strong and the Grand View MSW program will help fill that gap. The need for social work professionals, who serve as change agents at the individual, policy, and systemic level, has never been higher."
The new degree program addresses the need for skilled social work professionals across the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, overall employment of social workers is expected to grow at 12% (much faster than average) from 2020-2030. Employment of mental health and substance abuse social workers is projected to grow 17% from 2019 to 2029. A study of the workforce in Iowa by the National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and the National Association of Social Workers noted there are not enough qualified social workers to meet the needs of growing communities. Especially noted by the study is the need in Iowa for culturally and linguistically diverse professional social workers, those who serve older Iowans, and social workers in rural areas of the state.
The Master of Social Work program prepares students for professional practice with diverse systems, emphasizing the provision of competent, ethical services based on the core competencies of social work. Students will be prepared to carry out inclusive practice with diverse and vulnerable groups in society through a variety of professional settings. Students will develop the skills needed to take an active role in addressing social problems and challenging social, economic, and environmental injustice.
Embedded in the program is the opportunity to complete a certificate in diversity, equity, and inclusion, which may be completed alongside the MSW or as a stand-alone graduate-level certificate.
More advantages and application requirements can be found here.
Original source can be found here.
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