College of Health Sciences and Human Services

About

Mission

Social Workers Change Futures

The mission of the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program is to prepare advanced social work practitioners to meet the needs of multicultural, multilingual, and diverse populations; to be ethical leaders in community-based practice; and to advocate for social and economic justice. The MSW program also maintains a special focus on the community issues of the California Central Coast region.

Goals

To carry out the MSW program mission, five program goals are further developed to lay out the expected competency areas in clinical and cultural expertise, ethical leadership, critical thinking, conflict resolution, interdisciplinary collaboration, inclusive community process, and use of technology to provide culturally competent services, program planning, and policy development.

  • Prepare clinically and culturally competent social work practitioners to provide human services for the diverse populations;
  • Prepare social work practitioners to engage in scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and use of information technology to inform evidence-based practice;
  • Prepare advanced practitioners with social work values and ethics, conflict resolution, and ethical leadership;
  • Enhance collaboration and inclusive community process with community, stakeholders, and the service delivery systems; and
  • Advocate for social and economic justice by addressing policies that create socio-economic disparity, oppression, and discrimination.