Social Work Program
The general intent of the MSW program is preparation for advanced social work practice. Graduates of the school pursue careers in a variety of social service settings, including those concerned with aging, families, child welfare, corrections, mental and physical health. In anticipation of such professional activities, the school provides field instruction placements throughout the state, where students engage in services to individuals, groups, and families or function in planning management, policy analysis, or community organization roles. The Master of Social Work program at Indiana University is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
Mission Statement
The mission of the Indiana University School of Social Work is to educate students to be effective and knowledgeable professional social workers prepared for practice in the twenty-first century. Such practitioners are committed to the alleviation of poverty, oppression, and discrimination. The school is dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life for all people, particularly the citizens of Indiana, and to the advancement of just social, political, and economic conditions through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Within the context of a diverse, multicultural, urbanized, global, and technoligically oriented society, the school prepares social workers who will shape solutions to a wide range of interpersonal and social problems by developing and using knowledge critically while upholding the traditions, values, and ethics of the social work profession.
Teaching
The teaching mission is to educate students to become professional social workers equipped for a lifetime of learning, scholarship, and service. Graduates embrace person-in-environment and strengths; perspectives that are linked to the welfare of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. They learn to keep abreast of advances in knowledge and technology, be self-reflective, and apply best practice and accountable models of interventions. The school prepares social work practitioners and scholars ready to assume leadership roles at the Master of Social Work level.
Scholarship
The scholarship mission incluldes the discovery, integration, application, dissemination, and evaluation of client-centered and solution-focused knowledge for and with social work professionals and other consumers. Innovative forms of scholarship are encouraged in developing knowledge for use in practice, education, and service concerning social needs and social problems.
Service
The service mission is dedicated to the promotion of the general welfare of all segments of society. Service includes work in the school, university, profession, and community and reflects the school's expertise in teaching, scholarship, and social work practice. Service in the interest of persons at greatest risk is consistent with the social work profession's attention to social justice.
Program Objectives
Social work is a dynamic profession concerned with the changing needs of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and society. For those who are interested in this professional commitment, social work offers a broad range of practice settings: community mental health agencies, nursing homes, hospitals, schools, employee assistance programs, family service agencies, and community service agencies. In addition, professional social workers serve as administrators of various social service agencies. They also work in all levels of government, educations, and a number of social workers have assumed political or legislative careers. The education and training they receive in a Master of Social Work (MSW) program provides them with the skills they need to choose a career within the broad area of social work.
