BU 2007-2008 School of Social Work - Educating for Change

Boston University School of Social Work
Educating for Change

Introduction
Urban Practice
History of the School
Accreditation
Diversity in Student Population

Mission Statement and Goals: MSW Program

The Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) is committed to education which furthers social and economic justice in the urban environment and strives to incorporate this commitment into its programs and activities. The School is especially concerned with empowerment of all oppressed groups. BUSSW recognizes the ever-changing demands on the profession and strives to meet them through the highest quality of teaching, scholarship, research, practice, and political action.

BUSSW’s aim is to educate professional social workers who will become leaders in a complex, diverse, and multicultural society. They will possess the knowledge and the skills to address the needs and potentials of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The School offers an integrated program of study, including clinical and macro social work methods. It emphasizes the engagement of personal and community strengths as fundamental to the understanding, treatment, and prevention of individual and social problems.

BUSSW has five goals that are derived from this mission. Student learning objectives emanate from these five goals. Twelve learning objectives are incorporated into course and field instruction. Multiple outcome measures ensure program effectiveness.

In accord with the School’s mission, the major goals of BUSSW are to:

Educate outstanding social work practitioners in an intellectually rigorous environment so they can integrate and apply clinical and macro practice methods in urban settings and diverse communities.
Provide professional opportunities for MSW students in a variety of sectors and settings.
Engage in faculty research, scholarship, and service which will advance theory, policy, and practice in the profession of social work and in the field of social welfare more generally.
Provide faculty expertise and leadership toward strengthening urban communities, particularly in relation to the Greater Boston Metropolitan area and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Provide lifelong learning opportunities for social workers and other helping professionals, particularly those in public and private nonprofit agencies.

Introduction

The BUSSW educational program is organized in full- and part-time options consisting of class and fieldwork leading to the advanced practice degree of Master of Social Work.

The School’s curriculum emphasizes a broad approach to social and personal problems and the differential use of social work methods. During the first year of graduate study, the student is introduced to social work knowledge, values, and practice areas through a series of foundation courses.

Subsequently, students take advanced coursework to develop and deepen their competence according to their special interests and talents, and specialize in a method of social work: Clinical Social Work Practice (with individuals, families, and groups), or Macro Social Work Practice (community organization, management, and planning). In the last semester, students are required to take a social work practice ethics course.

The School also offers a rich array of program options, including dual degree programs in education, public health, and theology, and specialization and certificate programs in gerontology, group work, human services management, and clinical social work and behavioral medicine.

Details on the School’s curriculum and special and dual degree programs may be found in the pages that follow.

Urban Practice

For many years, the Boston University School of Social Work has maintained a mission that stresses social work practice in urban settings and in standard metropolitan statistical areas. Student learning objectives focus on intervention with the urban poor and other disadvantaged groups. There are a number of opportunities for creative enhancement of links between community agencies and organizations and the School. In addition, many faculty and administrators are actively involved in urban social work practice, consultation, research, and scholarship. The School provides fertile ground both for those with a long-standing interest in the urban environment and for those new to the field to learn cutting-edge, urban, social work practice.

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History of the School

The Boston University School of Social Work is located on the Charles River Campus in Boston, with off-campus, part-time weekend program sites in northeastern Massachusetts (Tyngsboro) and southeastern Massachusetts (Fall River and Barnstable/Cape Cod). The School had its beginnings in the School of Education and was later called the School of Religious and Social Work.

In 1937 the Division of Social Work inaugurated a two-year graduate program. In 1939 it was accredited provisionally as a school of social work, and in 1940 became a separate entity as the School of Social Work. Since 1942 it has offered only the graduate program, and since 1943 it has had full accreditation as a school of social work.

The Boston University School of Social Work developed its off-campus programs to provide access to professional education for people living and working in an educationally underserved area of Massachusetts. The southeastern Massachusetts Program was established in 1982; the northeastern Massachusetts Program was established in 1985; and in 2002 an off-campus program site was established on Cape Cod. With off-campus program sites located in Fall River, Tyngsboro, and Barnstable, students who live at a distance from Boston have the opportunity to pursue a Master of Social Work degree in a part-time format while taking classes on weekends.

Accreditation

Boston University as a whole is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., one of the six nationally recognized accrediting agencies. The individual Schools and Colleges within the University carry additional accreditation in their fields. The MSW degree program at the Boston University School of Social Work and its satellite programs in Northeastern and Southeastern Massachusetts are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Diversity in Student Population

The Boston University School of Social Work has a strong commitment to diversity in its student population. For this reason, the School’s composition reflects the changing mosaic of the urban environment and attracts students with different racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds; students with disabilities; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students; and students of various ages.

A particular emphasis is placed on the recruitment of ALANA students (African Americans/Blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans). Scholarships earmarked for ALANA students have provided important support for these efforts.

There is also a special scholarship for students with disabilities—The Wendy Carol Byers Memorial Scholarship. To assist with its recruitment program for students with disabilities, all of the School’s sites are wheelchair accessible, and a TTY/TTD machine is available for deaf and hearing impaired students by calling 617-353-3765. The staff also works closely with the Boston University Disability Services Office in providing support for students.