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** School of Social Work Bulletin **

Greetings From the Dean

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Welcome to the Boston University School of Social Work,
where we are educating for change in a complex world.

Our School specializes in training master’s and doctoral students for social work in urban environments. Our faculty are in the forefront of practice, research, and training with diverse populations in such areas as:

  • aging and disability
  • substance abuse
  • children and adolescents
  • mental health and public health
  • trauma
  • refugees and immigrants

Our MSW students have an opportunity to develop excellent practice skills at all system levels in a range of social justice settings in Boston and in other parts of New England. After taking basic foundation courses, ­students choose electives of interest to acquire special knowledge and skills about working with vulnerable ­populations. These include children and adults who have experienced serious trauma, those in the child welfare system, adolescents transitioning to adulthood, family caregivers, older adults and their families, immigrants and refugees, and many others.

Students learn skills for practice with those experiencing substance abuse and serious health and mental health problems. Specialized practice skills include family systems, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic methods, as well as macro practice skills relevant to communities and organizations, including human service management. Recent employment surveys tell us that our graduates are primarily employed in the fields of health, child welfare, and family services, and a number of our clinical MSW graduates maintain private ­practices.

The learning environment at BUSSW is accepting, inclusive, and supportive in the development of individual student talents. Our educational program is flexible and enables students to take courses on a full-time or part-time basis on the main BU campus located on the Charles River in Boston (on-campus weekdays), as well as on a part-time weekend basis at our off-campus sites located to the north in Chelmsford and to the south in Fall River and on Cape Cod.

For nine decades, Boston University has prepared helping professionals for a range of roles in a diverse and
constantly changing society. Since its inception, the Boston University School of Social Work has viewed differences among people as enriching the quality of life for us all. We acknowledge the value of varying perspectives provided by race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion and spirituality, physical ability, and other characteristics. Effective professional practice requires social workers to have skills in delivering a broad and flexible array of culturally relevant services. We encourage interdisciplinary learning opportunities through
a rich offering of program options including dual degree programs in education, public health, and theology, and specialization and certificate programs in trauma, gerontology, group work, family therapy, human services management, and clinical social work and behavioral medicine.

Our Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Sociology and Social Work is designed primarily for master’s-level social work professionals who wish to prepare themselves for careers in research, academia, public policy, and related leadership positions. The program includes three semesters of coursework to gain skills in quantitative and qualitative research, social science theory, and specialized knowledge in areas selected by the student. Following coursework, students take qualifying exams and other preparatory steps leading to their dissertation. ­Graduates of the doctoral program have obtained positions in universities, research centers, and nonprofit and governmental agencies both in the United States and abroad.

We invite you to continue to read this viewbook as well as visit our website at www.bu.edu/ssw to learn more about our School and the opportunities we offer in a social work career. We look forward to hearing from you!

Gail Steketee, PhD
Dean and Professor

 

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Published by Trustees of Boston University
One Silber Way
Boston, MA 02215

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15 September 2009
Boston University
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