Social Work Delaware State University

Overview

Social Work of Delaware State University is fully accredited from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and is nationally ranked by US News and World Report.

Having satisfied all of the program’s academic requirements, students leave the program with competencies allowing them to practice with and on behalf of Delawareans, and with clients throughout the region, across the nation and globally. Course offerings provide students an understanding of social, economic, political and interpersonal problems from a global perspective.  Consequently, students comprehend the effects of problems, such as poverty, health disparities, racism and oppression on populations that live in parts of the world outside the United States.

At a Glance:

• Emphasis on experiential learning with two student-selected internship practicums

• Only MSW program in the State of Delaware

• Nationally ranked by US News and World Report

• Opportunities for faculty-student collaboration,

• Graduates are eligible to sit for entry level graduate licensing exams as required by their home states

Graduates of the MSW program possess the competencies needed to engage, assess, intervene and evaluate individuals, families, treatment groups, organizations and communities. They are able to evaluate the efficacy of interventions and programs, integrate theories of personality and adult psychopathology, address health and mental health disparities from a public health perspective, and understand and assimilate theories and practice principles that guide human service administration. Graduates are competent to practice with systems of all sizes in a wide array of settings—from traditional public social welfare and governmental agencies to small and medium size nonprofit organizations to private and for-profit entities. Graduates can expect to address social issues at the micro, mezzo and macro levels of practice. Alumni are prepared to work in rural, suburban and metropolitan areas alike.

Program Goals

The Social Work program of Delaware State University has developed five goals derived from its mission and reflect the social work profession’s purpose and core values and the program’s context. The goals are as follows:

• To graduate advanced level practitioners who can independently employ empowerment-oriented and strengths perspective frameworks to work with marginalized and oppressed populations within the context of a Black perspective for social work practice.

• To provide the social work profession with advanced generalist practitioners who are able to think critically and possess the requisite knowledge and skills to work independently with diverse client systems, particularly those from rural communities, in a global society.

• To graduate advanced level social workers whose orientation for service intervention begins with prevention, and who are able to identify and incorporate protective factors and utilize the professional relationship when assessing and intervening with diverse client systems, particularly those that are experiencing difficult and complex challenges.

• To graduate advanced level social workers who demonstrate the ability to formulate and re-formulate policies and advocate macro level systemic change, while exhibiting knowledge and sensitivity to trends, practices, and concepts that shape and inform social work practice with diverse client systems.

• To graduate advanced level practitioners who can competently utilize scientific inquiry to inform and evaluate the effectiveness of their practice and use program evaluation results to improve service outcomes for clients.