MSW Courses

Required MSW Courses

Required courses focus on advanced generalist practice, including direct intervention, administration, supervision, practice-based research and program evaluation. The Elective course permits students to focus more closely on one area of study, but the advanced generalist orientation provides an overarching framework. All students complete an advanced Practicum.

Required Courses:

9600: Advanced Practicum
The Advanced Practicum provides students with an opportunity to be placed in a social work field setting where they receive professional field instruction and supervision. The focus is on developing advanced knowledge and skills for direct and indirect practice, including research, administration and program evaluation. Students are in the field three days per week for two academic terms or an equivalent block placement., for a total of 500 hours.
9601: Critical Appraisal of Practice: Individuals and Families
The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to advanced practice from a Relational and Narrative theory perspective. The course attempts to integrate selective aspects of theory, and to connect theoretical constructs with present day social work practice with individuals and families. Each theoretical framework will be anchored in real life client stories, where the emphasis is on critiquing important concepts for their application and usefulness in practice situations. Social Work practice wisdom and evidence based approaches will be equally valued, towards identifying ‘what works, for whom, and under what conditions’. Models of practice will be examined from the perspectives of problem construction, case formulation and intervention modalities that can assist clients to enhance and maintain psychosocial functioning. Throughout the course particular emphasis will be placed on the intersection between practice and ethnicity, social position, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability and other forms of diversity. The course will attempt to link theoretical knowledge with interventions that promote empowerment and social change. A critique of social pathologies effecting client functioning will be included, in order to examine how social structures perpetuate inequalities and disadvantage. An additional focus of the courseis on the nature of resilience, both from the perspective of the client as well as the practitioner.
9602: Social Work Practice Research
The Social Work Practice Research course examines how to develop, conceptualize, implement and critique social work research using a case-study based approach. The course will examine experimental, quasi-experimental, single subject, qualitative, and survey designs along with transformation research. Problem formulation and development along with pertinent measurement, sampling and descriptive and inferential statistical techniques will all be examined.
9603: Social Work Policy and Practice
The course initially reviews the evolution of Canada’s social welfare programs within the structures of capitalism, racism and sexism. It follows with an analysis of the current state of the Canadian welfare state within the contexts of pluralism and globalization. The triumph of neo-liberalism and the fracturing of modernist notions of universality within the postmodern aesthetic are probed for the effects on social policy. A key question to be debated is: Do we need to search for new arrangements for the market, the state and civil society in thinking through issues of social policy, social justice and human community? Dimensions of the course include citizen participation, political and social action, ways for social work to connect social policy to practice and to influence the direction and shape of social policy at various levels, feminist issues in social policy, and First Nations and social policy.
9604: Critical Appraisal of Practice: Groups and Communities
This course focuses on the provision of social work practice through small groups and community organizing. The course examines small-group work and community-organization approaches and modalities in addressing issues of concern to communities and their members. Through readings, discussions, and case-study analysis, students explore a variety of advanced-practice related issues. As with S.W. 9601, Critical Appraisal of Practice: Individuals and Families, the course material is covered in the context of critical analysis, evidence-based practice, and the integration of theory, research and practice experience.

9606: Program Development and Evaluation
Program development and evaluation in Social Work involves the collection, analysis and reporting of information about a policy, program, service or intervention. This information in turn assists in decision-making. Framing this course are empowerment evaluation principles and practices. Evaluation logic and methodology and theory-based evaluation approaches to social work program development and evaluation are included.
9611: Graduate Practice-Research Seminar
The primary goal of this course is to build upon the knowledge and skills that have been learned in previous courses, and to integrate and apply these skills to the research process in professional practice. The underlying aim of the seminar is to build on the question: How can I utilize different ways of knowing in practice and theory-building? The seminar allows a student to apply her/his knowledge and skills to an actual practice research question that may be of interest to the student. Seminar sections meet bi-weekly for two academic terms. The culmination of this seminar is the Graduate Practice-Research Paper.

The detailed course outlines for our currently offered MSW courses are available here.

ELECTIVE COURSES

Two half-course electives may be taken from within the School of Social Work or from a discipline outside the School. Social Work electives include:

SW 9605      Social Work Administration
SW 9612      Advanced Studies in Social Work I
SW 9613      Advanced Studies in Social Work II
SW 9614      Independent Study
SW 9615      Social Work with Aging and Health
SW 9616      Narrative Therapy, Theory and Practice
SW 9617     Trauma and Social Work – Advanced Clinical Practice
SW 9618      Conflict Resolution: Alternatives in Disputes

Advanced Practicum (SW 9600) and Graduate Practice-Research Seminar (SW 9611Y)

A MSW student completes an Advanced Practicum in a human service agency, and receives field instruction and supervision from a MSW-qualified practitioner and a faculty consultant from the School of Social Work.

At minimum, the field experience is comprised of 500 hours -- the equivalent of three days per week for two academic terms or a five-day per week block placement for 14 weeks. Full-time students complete the Practicum three days a week from January until the end of June. Part-time students may complete the Practicum in the same way, or as a block placement.

Part-time students will need to negotiate with their employers for time to complete the Practicum.

A practice-research project is integral to each Practicum.

While involved in the Practicum, each student completes the Graduate Practice-Research Seminar (S.W. 9611y) which meets bi-weekly and is aimed at the exploration of students’ research activities, practice concerns, and ethical issues related to Practicum. The seminar experience culminates in the preparation of a “Graduate Practice-Research Paper” that is research-based and aimed at consolidating students’ integration of research activities, relevant theoretical constructs and practice experiences.

Possession of a criminal record does not disqualify an applicant from admission to the MSW program. During the course of the MSW program however, a police check of record of offences may be required by a potential placement agency, at the student’s expense. The majority of agencies now require a police record check and vulnerable persons screening prior to the commencement of a social work practicum. Students who are unable to meet these requirements may experiences delays in completing the program.

Course Sequencing

Full-Time Studies

The courses required for the MSW degree are completed in three academic terms.

Fall

Winter

Summer

SW 9601

SW 9602

SW 9604

Elective

SW 9603

SW 9606

SW 9600

SW 9611

Elective

SW 9600

SW 961

Part-Time Studies

The courses required for the MSW degree are completed in the following order:

Year	Fall Term	Winter Term	Summer Term
Year I	SW 9601	SW 9602	SW 9603
Year II	SW 9604	SW 9606	Elective
Year III	Elective	SW 9600 + SW 9611	SW 9600 + SW 9611

Faculty in the School of Social Work

The School of Social Work at King's University College has excellent teaching faculty whose areas of expertise are congruent with the learning experience of students completing an Advanced Generalist MSW program.

Faculty members have taught at the graduate level and supervised graduate students, both at The University of Wester Nontario and at other universities. In the past few years, external research funding for faculty research prjects has averaged about $1 500 000 a year.

To learn more about the Social Work faculty approved by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to teach in the MSW program, please click each name:

Progression

A graduate student proceeding to a degree must maintain continuous registration in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in each successive term from initial registration until the end of the term in which all requirements for the degree are completed.

MSW students are expected to make academic progress in all three terms each year.

In accord with the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Calendar (Sec. 3), the program may require students to withdraw if they fail to meet the following standards:

Students must maintain a cumulative average of at least 70% calculated each term over all courses taken for credit, with no grade less than 60%. In the case of failing grades given for Scholastic Offences, only the Vice- Provost (Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies) can withdraw a student; see Section 10, below.
Students must make satisfactory progress towards the degree according to milestones set by the program.
Students must obtain a “Pass” in the Advanced Practicum (S.W. 9600) andd the Graduate Practice-Research Seminar (S.W. 9611).

Failure to meet these progression requirements will result in the student being withdrawn from the program. Students should familiarize themselves with Sections 6.05 (Repeating Courses), 6.06 (Incomplete Courses), and 11(Appeals of Academic Decisions) in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Calendar.