School of Social Work and Sociology
Susan B. Smith, Dean; Heather Vonderfecht (MSW Program Director), Cindee Bailey, James Boyd, Paul Cimmino, Sherrice Croft, Cheris Current, Karen Emerson, Robert Gardner, Kevin Grussling, Randi Hankins, Helo Oidjarv, Kayleith Pellandini, Pamela Bing Perry, Wayne Pollard, Heather Rodriguez, Ann Szalda-Petree, Laurelle Warner, Dan Yazak
The Wilma Hepker School of Social Work offers a Master of Social Work degree with a clinical focus that is accredited by the council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The program’s clinical focus emphasizes direct practice with individuals, groups, couples and families. A competency-based model of education is used that evaluates student learning outcomes based upon CSWE’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Social work competence is defined as the student’s ability to integrate and apply knowledge, values and skills in professional settings for the well-being of clients. Self-awareness, critical thinking and reflection are utilized to aid the learning process.
Students are admitted to the MSW program in either the Regular Standing 2-year cohort or in the 4-quarter Advanced Standing program. The 2-year Regular Standing program is designed to prepare students for generalist practice in the first year and advanced clinical practice in the second year of study. The Advanced Standing program is restricted to students with a BSW degree that prepared them for generalist practice at a CSWE accredited social work program and met the admissions criteria for Advanced Standing which deemed them ready to proceed into the clinically focused second year of the MSW program.
Transfer Students. A student who wishes to transfer from another school and/or MSW program into the MSW program at WWU must provide a letter of good standing from their current school. Classroom courses and/or supervised field practicum completed in other CSWE accredited graduate schools of social work may be accepted for credit toward the MSW degree when such courses and supervised field practicum are considered equivalent to work offered in the WWU Social Work program. Students accepted must complete at least 40 graduate credits while in residence at Walla Walla University for the MSW degree.