Master of Social Work (Global Social Work Practice)

The Global Social Work Pathway is for those social work students interested in dedicating themselves to global issues. The pathway addresses topics, such as migration, displacement, poverty, climate change, indigeneity, etc. from a perspective that recognizes an imbalance of power and cultural differences within a global context.

Students will engage with culturally diverse communities, domestically and abroad, they will become part of a global community of social workers who use their knowledge, skills, and values to work with communities in promoting social change, empowerment and supporting the liberation of people. Students will develop a critical understanding of how their own assumptions, values, biases, positionalities (gender expression, age, race/ethnicity, etc.) affect their practice of global social work. Students will examine issues of power, privilege, oppression, social justice, and the processes and impact of the global capitalist project - acts of war, colonization, extraction, international aid and development, and democratization.

Implications for global social work policy and practice will be explored by evaluating programs and policies, co-developing training with agencies in international settings, advocating and organizing in collaboration with diverse communities, and by participating in field-based projects, global independent studies, and courses and lectures by local and international experts, community leaders and practitioners.

Admissions decisions are based primarily on an evaluation of previous undergraduate and graduate work, recommendations, experience in the human services (paid, volunteer, research, and internship), and the applicant's written supplementary statement. Applicants for admission to the MSW program are expected to meet the following criteria: An undergraduate record that reflects a liberal arts perspective. Students are required to have a minimum of 20 academic semester credits in psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, history, political science, government, and/or languages prior to enrolling in the School of Social Work. Students need to have coursework from three or more disciplines in order to meet the liberal arts minimum credits. Students who do not meet the requirement may be admitted on the condition that this requirement is met prior to enrollment in the MSW program. Admitted applicants who do not meet the liberal arts criteria will be notified in their letter of admission of the specific conditions that must be met. TOEFL: 600 (PBT), 250 (CBT), 100 (iBT), IELTS: 7.0.