SOCIAL WORK

AREAS OF EMPHASIS | ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS | DEGREE REQUIREMENTS | FACULTY | COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh have established a Collaborative MSW Program that prepares social workers for advanced practice as facilitators, partners and leaders in planned change activities with service users and community service providers. The program’s goal is to educate professionals ready to assume administrative and direct practice leadership roles within this region’s increasingly diverse and transforming rural and metropolitan environments.

The program aims to prepare practitioners who can work to strengthen families through services, and policies supportive of family and community well being; who can engage in interdisciplinary learning and coordinated interprofessional practice; who can provide leadership in the community and in civic life; and who can encourage and guide the inclusion and representation of Native Americans and members of other cultures in the region.

Program graduates provide leadership in the social work field by:

• displaying expertise in the use of skills associated with “best practice” models, particularly those that are family-focused and that serve diverse clientele;
• taking action to improve services within direct practice or administration/management, particularly in the public and tribal practice sectors and in rural social work practice;
• regularly utilizing research to critically analyze, improve and develop services within their areas of expertise;
• developing and refining services through collaborative efforts with diverse clientele;
• developing ongoing and innovative strategies for support of professional peers.

The program offers a full-time curriculum which can be completed in two calendar years. A part-time program will be instituted in the near future, but it is not yet operational. To meet the needs of working students, most courses in the program are offered on evenings and weekends. Students can also integrate and apply their classroom learning in a sixteen-hour-a-week field experience. All social work courses are offered in Appleton, a central location for most students from Northeastern Wisconsin. Some additional elective and interdisciplinary courses will be available on either the UW-Oshkosh or UW-Green Bay campuses. Please check the semester schedule of classes for specific information on course offerings.

Areas of Emphasis
In addition to requiring a common foundation of courses, the Collaborative MSW Program offers students a choice of two concentrations as part of the Advanced Curriculum: Advanced Direct Practice and Administration/Management. The Advanced Direct Practice concentration is designed for students interested in providing leadership in the field in their work with and on behalf of individuals, groups and families. Work with vulnerable families who face multiple life challenges is emphasized. The Administration/Management concentration admits students who are interested in providing leadership by taking on supervisory and management responsibilities, particularly in public and tribal social service settings.

Students are required to take four courses in their concentration and two elective courses relevant for their concentration area.

Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the Collaborative MSW Program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Had a cumulative undergraduate gpa of 2.75, with 3.0 in the last two years of study;
2. Have an academic background in the liberal arts and have completed a minimum of 18 credits in the social sciences from among courses in at least three of the following disciplines: psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science (BSW students meet this criterion);
3. Have taken the Graduate Records Exam within the last 5 years;
4. Through a written statement, 3 letters of reference (including one academic reference), and a relevant professional work/volunteer background, provide evidence of interest in and ability to work with social work clientele and in social work settings; documentation of breadth and depth of professional and/or volunteer experience (usually includes post-baccalaureate experience) that has prepared the applicant for advanced level practice;
5. Have completed course work in: human biology, statistics, research methods, and life span development or submit plans for completing this work prior to taking the Advanced Curriculum in the program;
6. For advanced standing, have graduated from an accredited baccalaureate social work program within the last 8 years.

The program has a two-stage admissions process. Applicants complete a Pre-Admissions process by submitting a General Information Form, a personal statement, a Work/Volunteer Experience Form, a Campus Preference and Signature Sheet, and three letters of reference to the Collaborative Program. Applicants who are recommended for acceptance by the Collaborative Program then go on to complete additional application procedures at either the UW-Green Bay or UW-Oshkosh campus.

Degree Requirements
For program applicants who do not have a BSW degree completed within the last eight years, 58 credits are required for graduation. This includes a 28-credit two-semester foundation curriculum (fall and spring), and a 30-credit three-semester advanced curriculum (fall, spring, and summer). Applicants who have completed a BSW degree within the last eight years receive advanced standing for all foundation requirements.

Foundation Curriculum Requirements, 28 credits
Foundation Courses:
A 28-credit set of foundation courses are required for all non-BSW students and for BSW students who received their degree more than eight years before entering the program. Eight credits of the foundation curriculum involve a field practicum in which students practice as social workers in a supervised field setting, carrying out a variety of generalist practice responsibilities.

Soc Work 701 Ethical Issues in Contemporary Social Work, 3 cr
Soc Work 702 Generalist Practice I, 3 cr.
Soc Work 703 Skills Lab with Individuals, Families and Small Groups, 1 cr.
Soc Work 704 Generalist Practice II, 3 cr.
Soc Work 705 Skills Lab with Large Groups and Communities, 1 cr.
Soc Work 706 Social Welfare Institutions, 3 cr.
Soc Work 707 Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 3 cr.
Soc Work 708 Social Welfare Policy: Contemporary Approaches, 3 cr.
Soc Work 709 Field I: Foundations Social Work Field Practicum, 4 cr.
Soc Work 710 Field II: Foundations Social Work Field Practicum, 4 cr.

Advanced Curriculum Requirements, 30 credits
All students are required to take 10 credits of required advanced course work. In addition, direct practice students are required to take 14 credits of required course work and 6 credits of additional electives; administration/management students are required to take 17 credits of required course work and 3 credits of additional electives. Eight credits of the advanced curriculum are associated with a field practicum in which students practice as social workers in a supervised field setting, either with advanced direct practice or with administrative responsibilities.

Advanced Requirements: Required For All Students
SOC WORK 720 Practice Competence in a Diverse Community, 3 cr.
SOC WORK 728 Advanced Social Welfare Policy Analysis, 3 cr.
SOC WORK 731 Advanced Research Applications in Social Work Practice, 3 cr.
SOC WORK 732 Field Research Project, 1 cr.

Advanced Requirements: Direct Practice Concentration
SOC WORK 721 Multi-Level Family Intervention, 3 cr,
Advanced HBSE Selection, 3 credits
SOC WORK 729 Field III: Advanced Social Work Field Practicum and Integrative Seminar, 4 cr.
SOC WORK 730 Field IV: Advanced Social Work Field Practicum and Integrative Seminar, 4 cr.
Electives, 6 credits

Advanced Requirements: Administration/Management Concentration
SOC WORK 722 Social Work Management and Supervision in the Social Services, 3 cr.
Advanced HBSE Requirement: Organizational Theory, 3 credits
Budgeting and Finance, 3 credits
SOC WORK 729 Field III: Advanced Social Work Field Practicum and Integrative Seminar, 4 cr.
SOC WORK 730 Field IV: Advanced Social Work Field Practicum and Integrative Seminar, 4 cr.
Elective, 3 credits

Advanced Requirement: Professional Project
Students in the program meet professional project requirements by completing a research project during their final semester in the program (SOC WORK 732). Students develop their project proposal in the Advanced Research Applications course (SOC WORK 731). This field-related research project is completed when students finish their two-semester Advanced Social Work Field Practica (SOC WORK 729 and 730).

Faculty
Altepeter, Donna, UW-OSHKOSH, Lecturer. BA Theology (1981), MSW(1983) St. Louis University, CICSW and ACSW.
Fields of interest: social work in health care and severe mental illness.
Ebert, Thomas G., UW-OSHKOSH, Associate Professor. BA (1973), MSSW (1974) University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ph.D. Urban Social Institutions (1998) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Fields of interest: mental health, program evaluation research, scholarship of teaching, social welfare history.
Epple, Dorothea Marie, UW-OSHKOSH, Assistant Professor. MSW (1982) Loyola University Chicago; Ph.D. (2002) Institute of Clinical Social Work Chicago.
Fields of interest: mental health, children and families, aging, hospice, addictions, social work and spirituality, and the therapeutic effects of journal writing.
Gammon, Elizabeth Ann, UW-OSHKOSH, Associate Professor. B.A. Speech Education (1967), M.A. Speech Science (1969) University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana; M.S. Social Work (1987), Ph.D. Social Work (1989) University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fields of interest: end of life social work care, disability issues, social work curriculum development, program evaluation, rural social work service delivery.
Kissel, Stephanie, UW-OSHKOSH, Lecturer. BS (1989) University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; MSW (1993) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, ACSW.
Fields of interest: mental illness, corrections, sexual assault, both victim and perpetrators, and families.
Kok, Anne C., Associate Professor and Program Chair. BA Sociology (1969) Calvin College; MA Social Work (1979) University of Chicago; Ph.D. Urban Studies (1998) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Fields of interest: domestic violence, non-profit organizations, program evaluation, women’s issues.
Martin, Judith A., Professor, B.S. Sociology (1968) University of Wisconsin-Madison; MSSW Social Welfare (1972) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Ph.D. Social Work (1978) University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fields of interest: child welfare service and policies, foster care and adoption, child abuse, family violence, attachment issues in child welfare.
Roeder, Kevin, Assistant Professor. BSW (1988) University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; MSW(1991)University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Ph.D. Adult Education (in progress).
Fields of interest: applied social work ethics and boundaries; HIV/AIDS; diversity.
Staerkel, Fredi, UW-OSHKOSH, Assistant Professor. BA Social Welfare (1981) Pacific Lutheran University; MSW(1991), Ph.D. Social Welfare (2002) University of Washington Seattle.
Fields of interest: prevention science, child welfare, community-based program evaluation.
Sullivan, Quintin E., UW-OSHKOSH, Associate Professor and Program Chair. BA Social Welfare (1975) University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; MSSW(1984), Ph.D. Social Welfare (1989) University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fields of interest: administration, program evaluation, poverty, programs targeted at low income adolescents which aim to prevent welfare dependence.
Wells, Carolyn, UW-OSHKOSH, Professor. BA Anthropology (1965)University of California Berkley; MSSW(1968), Ph.D.Child Development and Family Relationships (1973) University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fields of interest: family practice, aging issues, women’s issues.