Pursuing a specialization helps deepen your knowledge and expertise through advanced elective courses and a field placement in your focus area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Specializations are offered across all of our MSW programs for both clinical and macro majors. While you are not required to specialize, you can customize your MSW experience by choosing to focus on one particular area, based on availability within your program plan. Eligible students will receive communication via email prior to the declaration period with instructions on how to declare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aging is a lifelong process involving a complex interplay between biological, psychological, social, economic, and political factors. The<\/strong> Lowy Specialization in Aging Practice, Policy & Social Justice<\/strong> applies principles of social justice to analyze conditions that impact the lives of older adults and examines the role of power, privilege, and structural inequality in producing health disparities across the life course. Social workers play a vital role in working with individuals, families, and organizations, as well as local, state, and national communities to optimize opportunities for the health, economic well-being, and quality of life of older adults.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The<\/strong> Behavioral Health Specialization<\/strong> combines theory and skill development to enable you to promote behavioral and mental health in multiple domains \u2013 including co-occurring substance use disorder and trauma \u2013 with a special focus on the current opioid overdose crisis and other public health concerns within various community-based settings.<\/p>\n You will learn to advance health equity as a member of interdisciplinary teams while you prepare yourself for professional leadership roles that assure behavioral health systems address social determinants of health and the needs of specific individuals, families, and communities. As a program graduate, you will enter the workforce understanding the unique role social work plays in enhancing addiction prevention and intervention with racially, ethnically, and economically diverse populations who are facing multiple challenges in an ever-changing practice environment.<\/p>\n The specialization emphasizes a broad definition of behavioral health, including physical, emotional, psychological, environmental, and other social dimensions, not just the absence of injury or disease. It seeks to reinforce core social work values including social justice, human dignity, and respect for and empowerment of individuals and communities.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Healthy early-life development is essential to lifelong physical and emotional well-being and depends upon the health, safety, strengths, and resources of the families and communities in which children grow up. <\/span><\/p>\n The<\/strong> Children, Youth & Families Specialization<\/strong> prepares you to work with children and youth of all ages and identities and their families in direct practice and in medium and large-system settings using a social\/racial justice framework. <\/span>Major social work practice areas include early intervention; school social work; child protection; family support; promotion of child, youth, and family mental health; and community-based youth initiatives. <\/span><\/p>\n The specialization prepares you for practice by emphasizing trauma prevention and recognizing oppression \u2013 including racism, heterocentrism, ableism, sexism, and classism \u2013 as key threats to the optimal development and well-being of children, youth, and families. In doing so, the specialization equips you to fulfill the responsibility of social workers to disrupt and dismantle these and other forms of oppression.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Trauma exposure is nearly universal. The field of trauma has exploded in the last several decades with advances in neurobiology, increased attention to evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions in trauma, and widespread recognition of violence across multiple contexts. Because trauma is a rapidly evolving field, social workers need integrated and cutting-edge training to work with, and on behalf of, diverse populations who are affected by wide-ranging traumatic experiences, including gender and race-based violence, interpersonal and\/or community violence, natural disasters, combat trauma, and terrorism.<\/p>\n As a student in the Trauma, Violence & Justice Specialization<\/strong>, you will learn the foundations of trauma-informed and multi-level practice and policy and how to apply this knowledge to prevention, intervention, and policymaking to mitigate the impact of violence and trauma on individuals, families, communities, and societies.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n Students may choose other electives in Human Behavior or Policy with approval from the coordinator. <\/i><\/span>Assignments must relate to older adults.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n As of September 1, 2023, all incoming students and some currently enrolled students, depending on their current year and program, can pursue a specialization. Any required courses not available at your campus will be taken through the BUSSW Online Program. Please be aware of the tuition differential rate for online program courses.<\/p>\n If you are a current student interested in pursuing a specialization, please contact your program administrator \u2013 sswocp@bu.edu<\/a> for Off-Campus & Hybrid students, or sswolp@bu.edu<\/a> for Online students.<\/p>\n<\/ul>\n
Behavioral Health<\/h3>
Children, Youth & Families<\/h3>
<\/ul>\n
Trauma, Violence & Justice<\/h3>
<\/ul>\n
R<\/strong>equirements<\/h3>\n\n\n
On-Campus (Boston\/Charles River)<\/h3>
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH<\/b><\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\nCHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES (CYF)<\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\nLOWY SPECIALIZATION IN AGING PRACTICE, POLICY & SOCIAL JUSTICE<\/b><\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\nTRAUMA, VIOLENCE & JUSTICE<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Online & Hybrid Programs<\/h3>
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH<\/b><\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nCHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES (CYF)<\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nLOWY SPECIALIZATION IN AGING PRACTICE, POLICY & SOCIAL JUSTICE<\/b><\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\nTRAUMA, VIOLENCE & JUSTICE<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n
Requirements<\/h4>\n
\n
\n