MSW Handbook

Updated for the 2024-2025 academic year

MSW Handbook Overview & Accreditation

MSW Handbook Overview

The MSW Student Handbook has been created to provide students with information regarding the relevant MSW program's structure, policy and practices. Students should use this in conjunction with the School of Social Welfare website and KU's Academic Catalog to orient themselves to our programs, curriculum, and resources. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract.

Accreditation and Certification

The Master of Social Work program has been continuously accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) since 1947. The BSW program has been continuously accredited by CSWE since 1974. CSWE sets guidelines and policies which all accredited BSW and MSW programs must follow in order to attain their status as accredited institutions.

School Vision, Mission, Guiding Principles, Goals

Vision Statement

All individuals, families, & communities utilize their power to achieve justice, equity, & well-being.

Mission Statement

The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, rooted in the Strengths Perspective, aims to transform lives and social contexts and promote social, economic, and environmental justice in Kansas, the nation and the world. We do so by educating students to practice with integrity and competence; advancing the science and knowledge base of social work through scholarship and research; and participating in community-engaged service.

Guiding Principles and Values

Relationship Building: We engage in relationship building that fosters creativity, collaboration, and mutual learning. Relationship building is essential across practice, scholarship, education and service. We take a strengths approach as we serve our local, state, national, and global communities.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: We embrace the inherent worth of all people. By taking the position of cultural humility and applying the lens of intersectionality, we seek to develop and promote modes of anti-oppressive social work and dismantle structures of exclusion.

Practice with Integrity: We demonstrate our integrity and trustworthiness as scholars, educators, practitioners, and community members by promoting social work values, ethical practice, and the process of critical reflection.

Multisystem Competency: We recognize that social, economic, and environmental injustices are the root causes of inequities and multiple strategies are necessary to address these. Our work integrates micro/macro social work and builds collaboration across systems and disciplines to create multi-level change.

Critical Perspective: We engage in deliberate and continuing examination of social conditions and solutions. We use critical inquiry to analyze and challenge existing structures and systems in order to advance the field and promote social, economic, and environmental justice.

Empirically Informed Social Work: We rigorously advance empirical research that impacts the social work knowledge base. By translating and applying evidence, we continually transform practice and policy across multiple systems.

Goals

1. To prepare B.S.W., M.S.W. and Ph.D. students to practice with integrity and attain multi-level competency while working to promote well-being and build community.
2. To conduct, disseminate, and translate theoretical and empirically informed scholarship and research that impacts the social work knowledge base and transforms practice and policy.
3. To promote social, economic, and environmental justice through service at local, state, national, and international levels.

MSW Program Mission

The MSW program mission is to prepare competent and effective students to facilitate the empowerment of clients and constituencies. The MSW program affirms that the social work profession is an ethics-driven practice that promotes human and community well-being and a commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices. We do this through emphasizing the importance of integrating social work values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence, human rights, and scientific inquiry into generalist and specialized practice. Students acquire and build upon a professional foundation of social work knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes rooted in a generalist social work model guided by a person-in-environment framework, a global perspective, respect for human diversity, and knowledge based on scientific inquiry. The program has two areas of specialization: clinical or macro practice. Regardless of area of focus, our specialized education emphasizes that the purpose of social work is actualized through its multilevel and multisystem quest for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice; the creation of conditions that facilitate the realization of human rights; the elimination of poverty; and the enhancement of life for all people, locally and globally.

Social Work Competencies and Associated Behaviors

Please refer to CSWE 2022 Education and Policy Standards (EPAS) for more detailed information about each competency listed below.

COMPETENCY 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Generalist Practice:

Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant policies, laws, and regulations that may affect practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand that ethics are informed by principles of human rights and apply them toward realizing social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in their practice. Social workers understand frameworks of ethical decision making and apply principles of critical thinking to those frameworks in practice, research, and policy arenas. Social workers recognize and manage personal values and the distinction between personal and professional values. Social workers understand how their evolving worldview, personal experiences, and affective reactions influence their professional judgment and behavior. Social workers take measures to care for themselves professionally and personally, understanding that self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work practice. Social workers use rights-based, anti- racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to understand and critique the profession’s history, mission, roles, and responsibilities and recognize historical and current contexts of oppression in shaping institutions and social work. Social workers understand the role of other professionals when engaged in interprofessional practice. Social workers recognize the importance of lifelong learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to ensure relevant and effective practice. Social workers understand digital technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice.

• Make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics within the profession as appropriate to the context;
• Demonstrate professional behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication;
• Use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes; and
• Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.

Clinical Specialized Practice:

Clinical social workers address complex ethical dilemmas from a multi-level, multi-system lens. This includes application of ethical codes of conduct to address increasingly complex and diverse community contexts and practice settings. They incorporate best practices in the ethical use of technology within clinical practice (e.g., use to conduct services, use of technology to communicate or obtain information about clients, digital presence/footprint). Clinical social workers actively engage in clinical supervision/consultation and integrate feedback to refine their use of self, demonstrating clinical-level communication skills, judgment, and healthy boundaries. They understand how their practice context defines their roles and relationships with clients and interprofessional colleagues. Clinical social workers also understand how to engage in on-going professional development that strengthen their skills to ensure relevant and effective clinical practice and protect their well-being to ensure sustained quality practice throughout their career.

• Critically apply ethical decision-making frameworks that reflect social work values within interprofessional clinical settings/contexts;  
• Demonstrate the ability to function within clearly-defined professional roles and boundaries based on client needs and agency context/services, including effective use of technology; and
• Effectively prepare for and use clinical supervision in order to engage in on-going self-care and professional development.

Macro Specialized Practice:

Advanced macro social workers demonstrate the capacity, integrity, and commitment to act in an ethical manner that promotes inclusive participation in decision making, organizational management, public policy, and community building. They ensure that practice in complex systems respects human dignity and worth by opposing sources and structures of oppression and using self-reflection, self-regulation, supervision, consultation, and lifelong learning to address how their biases influence their professional identity and behaviors. Social workers in macro practice represent the profession’s values in interactions with clients, interprofessional colleagues, policymakers, and community constituencies.

• Critically apply ethical decision-making frameworks that reflect social work values and the needs, strengths, and rights of often marginalized communities;   
• Identify and promote organizational and community vision, mission, goals, objectives, and values in the evolving contexts of macro practice; and  
• Model appropriate professional use of self in the different social work roles required in professional macro environments.

COMPETENCY 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice

Generalist Practice:

Social workers understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights. Social workers are knowledgeable about the global intersecting and ongoing injustices throughout history that result in oppression and racism, including social work’s role and response. Social workers critically evaluate the distribution of power and privilege in society in order to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice by reducing inequities and ensuring dignity and respect for all. Social workers advocate for and engage in strategies to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure that social resources, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably, and that civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected.

• Advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels; and
• Engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Clinical Specialized Practice:

Clinical social workers understand that their practice with individuals, groups, and families is affected by broader historical, societal, and cultural contexts. They actively identify and address human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice concerns that arise within their practice, organization, and community contexts. Clinical social workers address equity issues and practice with an anti-oppressive framework to ensure client-centered, trauma-informed care. They identify and advocate for policy change where existing policies adversely shape clinical services contexts for clients with the goal of promoting social, racial, economic, and environmental justice by reducing inequities and ensuring dignity and respect for all.

• Integrate knowledge of experience and effects of oppression, marginalization, discrimination, or historical trauma in clinical practice to address human rights and justice needs experienced by clients.   

Macro Specialized Practice:

Advanced macro social workers advance human rights and justice locally and globally in ways that are informed by theories of justice, human rights, power dynamics, and other frameworks. They recognize legacies of oppression and discrimination and challenge policies and practices that tolerate or promote racism, sexism, heterosexism, and other discriminatory treatments of people. They promote the right to vote, the right to protest, and other forms of civic participation to fully and freely engage in democratic processes

• Engage members of society in designing and promoting programs, services, and/or policies that address human rights to access resources that ensure social, racial, economic, and environmental equity; and
• Identify issues, develop strategies, evaluate outcomes, and promote human rights and social justice with affected constituencies.

COMPETENCY 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

Generalist Practice:

Social workers understand how racism and oppression shape human experiences and how these two constructs influence practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community levels and in policy and research. Social workers understand the pervasive impact of White supremacy and privilege and use their knowledge, awareness, and skills to engage in anti-racist practice. Social workers understand how diversity and intersectionality shape human experiences and identity development and affect equity and inclusion. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of factors including but not limited to age, caste, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, generational status, immigration status, legal status, marital status, political ideology, race, nationality, religion and spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that this intersectionality means that a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege and power. Social workers understand the societal and historical roots of social and racial injustices and the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. Social workers understand cultural humility and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, racial, technological, and cultural exclusions, may create privilege and power resulting in systemic oppression.

• Demonstrate anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels; and
• Demonstrate cultural humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients and constituencies, acknowledging them as experts of their own lived experiences.

Clinical Specialized Practice:

Clinical social workers deepen their understanding of work with all clients whose experiences have been shaped by how racism and oppression have historically shown up within U.S. Society and shaped the institutions and practices of therapeutic work. They actively critique and adapt therapeutic approaches to meet population-specific needs. They actively critique generalized tools and apply population-specific adaptations for screening, assessment, and diagnostic approaches. Clinical social workers value the importance of contextualizing individual behaviors within culturally- and contextually-appropriate perspectives and developing client-centered treatment plans that incorporate their understanding of societal and historical roots of social and racial injustices and the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination.

• Apply transdiagnostic and strength perspectives to diagnose and identify appropriate clinical interventions;  
• Identify culturally adapted models in order to enhance cultural relevance of clinical strategies for their clients; and
• Effectively use clinical supervision to engage in ongoing evaluation of potential biases and need to modify practices to best address client needs within the context of their broader environment.

Macro Specialized Practice:

Working in solidarity with key constituencies, advanced macro practitioners engage with a variety of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities to dismantle systems of oppression and advance justice. Macro practitioners use an intersectional lens and anti-oppressive approach to develop strategies for engaging and collaborating with those who are marginalized on the basis of multiple factors. Social workers in macro practice are highly skilled at communicating with those holding different perspectives and worldviews, recognizing the complexities and contradictions in addressing multiple oppressions. Macro social workers apply research-informed knowledge and the lived experience of affected groups when working with diverse populations to address organizational, community, and societal issues.

• Formulate inclusive engagement strategies based on an intersectional analysis of systems of power, privilege, and oppression both within and outside organizational, community, and policy contexts;   
• Demonstrate fluency in a variety of communication styles to effectively engage and work with people of different political ideologies, backgrounds, and points of view; and
• Mediate tensions and conflicts that arise from managing cultural, political, and social differences between and within diverse groups.

COMPETENCY 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

Generalist Practice:

Social workers use ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches in conducting research and building knowledge. Social workers use research to inform their practice decision making and articulate how their practice experience informs research and evaluation decisions. Social workers critically evaluate and critique current, empirically sound research to inform decisions pertaining to practice, policy, and programs. Social workers understand the inherent bias in research and evaluate design, analysis, and interpretation using an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective. Social workers know how to access, critique, and synthesize the current literature to develop appropriate research questions and hypotheses. Social workers demonstrate knowledge and skills regarding qualitative and quantitative research methods and analysis, and they interpret data derived from these methods. Social workers demonstrate knowledge about methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research. Social workers can articulate and share research findings in ways that are usable to a variety of clients and constituencies. Social workers understand the value of evidence derived from interprofessional and diverse research methods, approaches, and sources.

• Apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs; and
• Identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work.

Clinical Specialized Practice:

Clinical social workers demonstrate the use of research-informed practices, balancing this information with the need to adapt these practices to service, population, and community contexts. They identify the importance using quantitative and qualitative evaluative practices to understand how the adaptations influence client outcomes. Clinical social workers engage in feedback-informed treatment and/or evaluative processes involving clients in development of new services to shape clinical practice. They use research and data to identify trends in local/regional areas to identify clinical responses aligned with community needs/within the service delivery model.

• Apply empirically-supported interventions to clinical engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation of practice with clients.

Macro Specialized Practice:

In collaboration with key constituencies, macro practitioners build culturally informed knowledge to promote human rights and justice for oppressed populations. Macro social workers understand that many types of evidence inform the development, analysis, and critique of social policies and interventions and the advancement of effective responses to social, economic, political, and environmental challenges . They recognize the forces of oppression that privilege only some perspectives and craft, collect, and communicate research-based arguments to inform policies and programs and translate findings into actionable planned change efforts.

• Identify, critically evaluate, and use data and scholarship to build new knowledge and inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of social policy and community and organizational programs;   
• Consciously integrate the voices and experiences of those directly affected by injustices throughout the research process, recognizing the differences in conducting research with and research by an organizational or community entity; and  
• Collaborate with, mobilize, and organize constituents and colleagues to engage in research for advocacy, policy and program design, and evaluation, and the dissemination of research findings to improve policies, programs, and services.

COMPETENCY 5: Engage in Policy Practice

Generalist Practice:

Social workers identify social policy at the local, state, federal, and global level that affects well- being, human rights and justice, service delivery, and access to social services. Social workers recognize the historical, social, racial, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. Social workers understand and critique the history and current structures of social policies and services and the role of policy in service delivery through rights- based, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist lenses. Social workers influence policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation within their practice settings with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers actively engage in and advocate for anti-racist and anti-oppressive policy practice to effect change in those settings.

• Use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services; and
• Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Clinical Specialized Practice:

Clinical social workers identify how policy shapes practices within specific field or population contexts. They provide a platform for client voices who are most directly affected by service accessibility and quality within organizations (e.g., participation in coalitions and advocacy for funding and practice standards). Clinical social workers identify, implement, and advocate for changes that result in more equitable, affordable, and inclusive clinical services.

• Use evidence in advocating for policies that improve clinical services and advance client well-being.

Macro Specialized Practice:

Advanced macro social workers examine how historical, political, social, economic, and cultural factors shape the policy environment and use this knowledge to recognize and leverage opportunities for reform that advance human rights; equity; justice, access to high-quality, comprehensive social welfare services. Advanced macro practitioners appreciate the complexity of policy issues; successfully navigate legislative, executive, and judicial policy-making processes; and critically analyze the varied dimensions of power. They engage in policy development, advocacy, analysis, and evaluation. They devise and implement strategies, including engagement in electoral politics, at the local, state, and national levels to achieve policy goals reflecting social work values. They engage and build the capacity of affected constituencies to participate in coalition-building, advocacy, and direct and indirect lobbying, to advance evidence-informed policies that support well-being.

• Center social work values in analyzing policies at local, state, national, and international levels to assess their impact on clients and other constituencies; and
• Analyze develop cogent arguments and communicate persuasively with multiple audiences and across varied platforms.

COMPETENCY 6: Engage with...

Generalist Practice: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, & Communities

Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers value the importance of human relationships. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to facilitate engagement with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, and privilege as well as their personal values and personal experiences may affect their ability to engage effectively with diverse clients and constituencies. Social workers use the principles of interprofessional collaboration to facilitate engagement with clients, constituencies, and other professionals as appropriate.

• Apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies; and
• Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.

Clinical Specialized Practice: Individuals, Families, & Groups

Clinical social workers deepen generalist engagement skills that are necessary to engage people into services: exploring stage-based strategies, modifying engagement strategies based on client needs or based on presentation of current needs. They demonstrate enhanced and more nuanced empathetic responding that mirrors the client stage of change and individualized needs. Clinical social workers demonstrate self-awareness and translate it through active integration of clinical feedback to improve skills, address bias of self and systems, and self-regulation. They also are able to integrate verbal and nonverbal communication to adjust engagement strategies.

• Synthesize and differentially apply theories of human behavior and the social environment to guide client engagement and contracting for clinical practice;  
• Demonstrate the ability to modulate empathy based on client stage of change, specific needs, and voluntary status; and  
• Engage in reflexivity to support culturally responsive practice.

Macro Specialized Practice: Organizations & Communities

Effective macro practice begins with engaging key stakeholders to better understand social problems, identify resources and assets, and develop strategies to address constituent concerns. It is an ongoing, iterative, and dynamic process. Advanced macro social workers must be adept at moving across micro, mezzo, and macro systems to engage grassroots community members, organizations, policymakers, and other community leaders. They create, nurture, and deepen authentic, collaborative, and strategic relationships and consider power dynamics in selecting, implementing, and modifying engagement strategies. They manage conflict with respect, seek common ground, and interact effectively with both allies and opponents.

• Develop and implement multiple engagement strategies that reflect an understanding of structural, environmental, and power dynamics; policymakers’ characteristics and objectives; and the strengths, priorities, and interests of constituent groups; and
• Use interpersonal skills to gain credibility with allies, clients, and constituents at the grassroots level in defining and communicating community and organizational needs and advancing potential solutions.

COMPETENCY 7: Assess...

Generalist Practice: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, & Communities

Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in culturally responsive assessment with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Assessment involves a collaborative process of defining presenting challenges and identifying strengths with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities to develop a mutually agreed-upon plan. Social workers recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and use interprofessional collaboration in this process. Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, privilege, and their personal values and experiences may affect their assessment and decision making.

• Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies; and
• Demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan.

Clinical Specialized Practice: Individuals, Families, & Groups

Clinical social workers conduct in-depth assessments that allow them to discern which interventions work best for specific individuals, families, & groups. They identify specific assessment frameworks, tools, and methods that facilitate this process, including those that support DSM-5-TR diagnostic classification. Clinical social workers evaluate the larger practice context in their assessment and actively collaborate with other professionals to ensure clients receive comprehensive assessments that reflect multi-system and multi-level needs. They deepen their self-reflective abilities to understand how bias, power, privilege, and their personal values and experiences shape their case conceptualization, building a clinical capacity to differentially assess/diagnose and integrate cultural diagnostic formulations.

• Use theories of human behavior and the social environment in concert with diagnostic classification systems to formulate comprehensive, culturally responsive, and specialized assessments; and
• Consult with other qualified professionals, as needed, to confirm diagnosis and/or to monitor medication in the treatment process.

Macro Specialized Practice: Organizations & Communities

Advanced macro social work practitioners use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, and strategies to examine and assess communities, organizations, and policies using strength-based, anti-oppressive, and antiracist lenses. In doing so, they critically analyze the context in which macro practice occurs; the current political landscape, potential levers for change, and relevant power dynamics; the strengths and needs of client populations; and the structural forces that perpetuate oppression. Advanced macro social workers synthesize data-driven approaches with multiple ways of knowing, acknowledging and respecting that indigenous knowledge and lived experiences are essential for effective assessment.

• Collaboratively develop, select, and conduct macro assessments using appropriate metrics, analytical methods, frameworks, and tools.

COMPETENCY 8: Intervene with...

Generalist Practice: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, & Communities

Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. Social workers understand theories of human behavior, person-in-environment, and other interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in selecting culturally responsive interventions with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand methods of identifying, analyzing, and implementing evidence-informed interventions and participate in interprofessional collaboration to achieve client and constituency goals. Social workers facilitate effective transitions and endings.

• Engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals; and
• Incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.

Clinical Specialized Practice: Individuals, Families, & Groups

Clinical social workers demonstrate competence in conducting evidence-informed interventions that generalize across clinical populations. They will identify how to align and adjust interventions with client emerging needs, including use of interprofessional consultation and collaboration. Clinical social workers describe and apply criteria for differentiation of clinical practice approaches that take into account clients’ strengths, needs, and preferences. They will continue to facilitate effective transitions and endings, including an understanding of how to increase or decrease level of care/services intensity.

• Select and implement culturally responsive clinical treatment plans and evidence-informed strategies based on client preferences, as well as appropriate theory and research; and  
• Collaborate with other professionals to coordinate additional treatment services.

Macro Specialized Practice: Organizations & Communities

Using collaborative and interdisciplinary processes, macro practitioners design and implement positive change interventions at multiple levels of practice that are strategic, incorporate research evidence and other sources of knowledge, and reflect the profession’s values of social, economic, racial, and environmental justice. Advanced macro practitioners work to ensure that interventions combat systemic oppression and injustice. They build power and capacity for positive social change by effectively managing human service organizations and delivery systems; educating, mobilizing, and organizing for community planning and development; and shaping social policies.

• Select and implement theoretically and empirically informed interventions to achieve community, organizational, and policy goals that enhance well-being for clients and constituencies;   
• Identify the strengths and potential contributions of relevant groups to collectively exert power for social change; and
• Initiate and facilitate interprofessional collaborations within and between organizational, community, and policy partners to achieve positive system change.

COMPETENCY 9: Evaluate Practice with...

Generalist Practice: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, & Communities

Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers evaluate processes and outcomes to increase practice, policy, and service delivery effectiveness. Social workers apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives in evaluating outcomes. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in evaluating outcomes. Social workers use qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating outcomes and practice effectiveness.

• Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes; and
• Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Clinical Specialized Practice: Individuals, Families, & Groups

Clinical social workers use tailored qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods that align with the evidence-informed approach being implemented. They value evaluation findings and how it guides clinical decision-making, in consultation with the client(s), when assessing progress to goals check and adjusting treatment plans as needed. Clinical social workers view the clinical process as an iterative and continuous improvement processes that requires ongoing client check-in/feedback within practice settings with individuals, groups, and families. They understand how these tools can both be used within direct services with clients and be aggregated to evaluate program-level outcomes, providing opportunities to improve programming quality, accessibility, inclusion, and relevance to a broad range of clients and constituencies.

• Document and monitor clients’ progress in agency records as required; and  
• Use established research methods to evaluate clinical and practice effectiveness and/or outcomes.

Macro Specialized Practice: Organizations & Communities

Advanced macro social workers evaluate the processes and outcomes of change efforts to ensure that evaluation findings are used to promote social, political, racial, and economic justice; sustainable and accessible services and programs; and effective practice. Macro social workers ensure that evaluation design, measurement, implementation, and use of findings are culturally responsive, accurate, and timely. They recognize that evaluation i does not occur in a vacuum and that many factors contribute to success or failure. They strive to include the perspectives, input, and participation of clients, community members, and other constituencies throughout the evaluation process.

• Select appropriate evaluative questions to facilitate documenting, improving, or changing organizational and community programs and policies; and
• Use and translate evaluation outcomes to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of organizations and communities and to advocate for policies and planned change efforts that advance social work values.

Advancement & Student Standards

Scope of Student Standards

In alignment with KU’s student code, the School’s student standards apply to DSW students’ behavior:

1. With members of the university community. The term “University Community” shall refer to Students, Faculty, Staff, as well as affiliates of the University of Kansas, who are defined per the University of Kansas Human Resources Affiliates policy
2. On University premises; at University sponsored activities (including student practicums); on premises owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the University (as determined by the organization’s status as a registered student organization)
3. Off-campus when the behavior affects the on-campus safety of a member of the University community or University operations; or when the University is required by law to address the behavior.
4. When the university is required by law to address the behavior

MSW Advancement Policies and Procedures and Student Standards

Introduction

Advancement is a process intended to assure that each student meets competencies, which includes maintaining adequate progress in gaining the knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes required for successful professional practice. In addition, MSW students have to continually remain in good academic standing as they matriculate through the program. This requires them to remain in good academic standing in terms of grades, professional conduct, and ethics throughout their time in the school, and to meet our criteria for technical abilities to engage in practice and learning. Students are automatically advanced if they meet or exceed all our expectations and should consider themselves to be making adequate progress unless they are otherwise informed.

Because of the nature of professional social work practice, the School of Social Welfare has some expectations of students that are different from those typically found in other academic but non-professional programs. The standards are linked to students’ abilities to become effective social work professionals and are provided so that students and faculty can be clear about expectations and procedures to address academic performance or behavioral concerns. The goal of the standards is to help students to successfully graduate and provide effective social work services in a range of settings over the course of one’s career.

Upon admission, all social work students will be provided with and are expected to read the KU Student Code of Conduct, the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and the MSW Student Advancement Policy (this chapter). Students will then be asked to electronically sign an acknowledgment that they: (1) have read these documents, (2) are aware of their contents, and (3) will abide by the standards elaborated in the documents. The form will be kept in students’ records.

MSW Student Standards

Within the School of Social Welfare, we expect students to meet or exceed certain basic minimum standards to demonstrate their ability to advance to degree completion. These standards are categorized as (1) technical standards, (2) scholastic performance, (3) ethical behavior, and (4) professional conduct. Below, each standard is described, then the Tiered Response to how the School will support a student to meet any standard that they are having difficulty meeting.

Technical Standards

First, students must attest that they possess the physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral attributes necessary to fulfill the requirements of social work education. To adequately prepare for, and engage in, social work practice, students must be able to demonstrate the following abilities in order to fully participate in all aspects of coursework and practicum. Please note that mental health challenges do not necessarily preclude a student from program continuance.

1. Communication: A student must be able to communicate effectively, sensitively, and professionally with other students, faculty, staff, clients, practicum instructor, and practicum agency staff in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing. The student must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form.
2. Motor and Sensory: A student must have sufficient motor and sensory function to be able to attend class and complete a practicum placement, with or without accommodation, by executing motor movements reasonably required to function in an academic environment and provide services to clients. Where indicated by a letter of accommodation from the Academic Achievement and Access Center, they shall make reasonable accommodation in order to allow the student to meet these standards.
3. Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: A student must possess reasoning, analysis, and synthesis abilities. Problem solving, a critical skill required of a social worker, requires all of these intellectual abilities. These skills are necessary in order for students to make proper assessments, prioritize interventions, and measure/report client and community outcomes.
4. Behavioral and Social Attributes: A student must possess the behavioral and social skills required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of sound judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities as specified in the MSW handbook, and the development of sensitive and effective professional relationships with clients and community members, in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics. A student must be able to function effectively under stress. A student must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent to social work practice. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skill, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that will be assessed during the admissions and education process. A student must be willing to effectively use help and supports for medical or emotional issues that interfere with performance.
5. Self-awareness: A student must know how his/her values, beliefs, past experiences, and attitudes impact their own thought processes and behaviors. The student must be prepared to engage in self-reflection and change behaviors that obstruct his/her professional work with clients and community members, agency staff, practicum instructors, other students, faculty, and staff. A student must be able to tolerate ambiguity.
6. Appreciation of diversity: In accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics, a student must be able to work with a variety of diverse groups, and progress towards cultural competence regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical ability.

Scholastic Performance Standards

MSW students are expected to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to be awarded the MSW degree (per Graduate Studies policy: Degrees, Graduate Studies). MSW students must also earn a grade of S in practicum courses; a Grade of U assigned in practicum indicates "unsatisfactory progress." Note: No credit is awarded in any course in which a student earns below a C, regardless of cumulative GPA. A student is determined to not be in good academic standing when a student’s KU cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 at the end of the semester, a student has failed a course with a grade of C- or below, or a student receives an unsatisfactory grade in practicum. As a result, a period of academic probation will be instated for the following semester (per Graduate Studies policy: Academic Probation, Graduate Studies).

Ethical Behavior Standards

The School has a professional values commitment that requires the highest standards of conduct in human interactions. Students must agree to abide by the ethical requirements of the NASW Code of Ethics. Student behaviors in classroom, practicum, university and the wider community should demonstrate adherence to the ethical expectations and obligations of professional practice, noted in the NASW Code of Ethics and the KU Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. This includes, though may not be limited to:

• Adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics, the University Senate Rules and Regulations pertaining to Academic Misconduct, and the KU Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
• No involvement with the criminal justice system that is so recent, consistent and/or serious that it may prevent one’s ability to engage in effective professional practice.
• Systematic evaluation of clients, communities and larger environmental systems and their situations in an unbiased, factual way. Suspension of personal biases during interactions with others within academic or professional settings.
• Comprehension of a variety of ways of life and values. Empathic communication and support of the client and community systems as a basis for a productive professional relationship.
• Appreciation of the value of diversity. Effective and nonjudgmental relation to and work with others who are different from oneself. Appropriate service to all persons in need of assistance, regardless of the person’s race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical ability. No imposition of personal, religious, sexual, and/or cultural values on clients or communities.
• Demonstration of respect for the rights of others. Commitment to clients’ and communities’ rights to freedom of choice and self-determination.
• Maintenance of confidentiality as it relates to human services, classroom activities, and practicum placements.
• Demonstration of honesty and integrity by being truthful about background, experiences, and qualifications; doing one’s own work; giving credit for the ideas of others; and providing proper citation of source materials. Behavior should be consistent with the rules on Academic Misconduct found in the University Senate Rules and Regulations and the School of Social Welfare statements on avoiding Academic Misconduct found elsewhere in the MSW Student Handbook and the KU Code of Student Rights & Responsibilities.
• Demonstration of clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries. Does not sexually harass others; make verbal or physical threats; commit acts of violence; become involved in sexual relationships with clients, supervisors, or faculty; abuse others in physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual ways; or participate in dual relationships where conflicts of interest may exist.

Professional Conduct Standards

The School of Social Work recognizes that preparation for professional practice requires more than scholastic achievement. The program expects students to exhibit behaviors in their role as social work trainees that are consistent with the behaviors one would commonly encounter when engaging with professional social work practitioners. These are norms of decorum, presentation of self, respectful professional interaction, and qualities such as consistency, reliability, and self-reflection.

Professional Commitment. Exhibits a strong commitment to the goals of social work and to the ethical standards of the profession, as specified in the NASW Code of Ethics. Demonstrates commitment to the essential values of social work that include the respect for the dignity and worth of every individual and a commitment to social justice.

Professional Conduct. Students are preparing for professional practice while they are students in the School of Social Welfare. Thus, we expect them to exhibit behaviors that:

• Comply with program policies, institutional policies, and professional ethical standards.
• Are consistent with societal laws that are relevant to social work ethics and values and to the ability to practice professional social work effectively.  
• Communicate and engage in ways that contribute to the program learning environment (classroom and practicum), including in interactions with clients, faculty, administration, staff, and other students.  
• Show potential for responsible and accountable behavior by knowing and practicing within the scope of social work, respecting others, being punctual and dependable, prioritizing responsibilities, attending class regularly, observing deadlines, completing assignments on time, keeping appointments or making appropriate arrangements, and accepting supervision and constructive criticism in a positive manner.   
• Demonstrate a prioritization of educational goals and the ability to balance competing life priorities.
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively make and implement a plan of study in cooperation with the faculty and staff.
• Work effectively with others, regardless of level of authority.
• Advocate for themselves in an appropriate and responsible manner and use the informal and formal channels available to them for conflict resolution.  
• Show a willingness to receive and accept feedback and supervision in a positive manner, as well as use such feedback to enhance professional development.

Tiered Response: Supporting Students to Meet the MSW Student Standards and the Process of Student Review

When students encounter challenges in meeting performance standards in any of the four areas (as described above) necessary for student advancement, the MSW program responds in ways that seek to promote student success while simultaneously maintaining standards that promote the well-being of the clients and communities we serve, staff and faculty, the values and principles of the profession, and the reputation of the School.

Building upon a time-honored tradition within the School of Social Welfare and our stated commitment to the central importance of human relationships, we always hope to begin by resolving concerns through the least intrusive and most empowering ways that we can. The relationships with instructors (practicum and classroom) are often the most important to students due to their frequency of contact and relevance for future career goals. Thus, students can expect that those most proximate will identify concerns early and address them through less formal means, such as a meeting during office hours or an email.

Our three-tiered response approach, as described below, begins with the assumption that, working together in good faith, instructors and students can resolve issues proactively and preserve those relationships in accordance with our School of Social Welfare Mission and Principles. The three-tiered response approach is presented in the table below, and in more detail in the section that follows. In addition, the Director of Practicum Education or MSW Program Director may be involved at any point in the process, including a Tier 1 or 2 response. It is important to note that there are times when student performance issues are so pervasive, severe, or egregious that they immediately necessitate a Tier 3 response. For example, a student who is simultaneously demonstrating scholastic, ethical, and professional difficulties may move directly to a Tier 3 review, which includes the convening of a meeting with a Student Review Committee (SRC).

Table One. Overview of Three-Tiered Response to Student Standards Performance Difficulties in MSW Program

Tiered Response for Scholastic Performance

Tier 1 A. Review: The signs of academic difficulty often begin quite early in the semester, and most lapses in scholastic performance are dealt with at the level of the classroom instructor. Typically, the instructor will attempt to make arrangements and provide supports for students to succeed.

• Practicum Specific: Typically, student practice behavior modifications are dealt with through weekly Student-Practicum Instructor Supervision Meetings and other naturally occurring mentoring points during the practicum day.  In some cases, a Practicum Instructor or student requests a KUSSW site visit, facilitate by a Practicum Liaison.

Tier 1 B. Review: When informal and direct communication with students is not successful, instructors will submit an Student Standards Concern Report that identifies specific standard that is subject of the concern, in which they will indicate if they suggest that students require a Tier 2 intervention.  

Tier 2 Review: A Tier 2 level review is focused on creating a Student Success Plan with the focus of addressing potential barriers towards successful advancement or graduation. For a KU cumulative GPA between 3.2 and 3.0, the Assistant Dean  notifies the student in writing, indicating grades needed to maintain a GPA above 3.0 by the end of the next sequential semester. The student and appropriate professional staff person (based on program/team decision making including practicum) develop a Student Success Plan to meet grade requirements, which is then placed in the student’s academic record for reference.    Additionally, if there are signs of academic difficulty in a course that have not been adequately addressed at a Tier 1 level, such as not turning in assignments that could lead to course failure, a Student Success Plan could be used as a mechanism to provide targeted support and student next steps. The Student Success Plan is sent to the MSW Program Director and when the review was initiated by and relevant to a specific course, the instructor as well. In some circumstances, the MSW Director may be invited to the Tier 2 meeting to assist in the development and approval of the Student Success Plan.

• Practicum Specific: At the Tier 2 level, a Practicum Instructor or a student reports to the Practicum Office staff that 1) a Tier 1 consultation did not correct the practice behavior challenge, and or 2) the practice behavior challenge verges significantly from the norm but may still be remediated.  
• The student, Practicum Instructor, and appropriate practicum staff develop a Student Success Plan that includes practice behavior goals tied to social work competencies, ethics, and technical/professional standards. The Student Success Plan includes targeted support, a timeline for meeting goals, and student next steps. The plan is assessable to the student, Practicum Instructor, and practicum staff in Sonia Online. A Student Success Plan is reviewed by the Director of Practicum Education, who informs the MSW Program Director that a plan is in place.  
• In cases where the practicum site or Practicum Instructor declines to engage in a Student Success Plan, and the practicum ends, student re-placement determinations are made by the Director of Practicum Education. A student will most likely enter a second practicum with a Student Success Plan developed by the student and appropriate practicum staff, centered on the context of the new practicum site. The Director of Practicum may add additional hours to the student’s practicum hour requirement. The aim of adding hours is to provide the student and practicum site a reasonable period of time for the student’s orientation, learning contract development, and practice behavior evaluation/improvement.   

Tier 3 Review: At the Tier 3 level, when a student earns below a 3.0 KU cumulative GPA  (not including transfer GPA) or fails a course with a grade below a C, they are placed on academic probation. In both of these cases, the MSW Program Director promptly notifies the student and the student’s academic advisor  in writing and convenes a SRC. The SRC meeting is scheduled to determine the student’s continued status in the program. A description of the SRC and its processes are below.

A student has until the end of the next sequential semester to raise the GPA to the minimum academic standard of a 3.0. At that time if the student GPA does not raise the GPA to the 3.0 KU cumulative requirement, the MSW Program Director will recommend the student’s dismissal to the Dean and copy the Assistant Dean and the Associate Dean for Academic Programs

• Practicum Specific: At a Tier 3 level, a student demonstrates ethical, technical,  professional, and or competency challenges that the Practicum Instructor, Practicum Liaison, and or Associate/Director of Practicum evaluate at an Unsatisfactory Grade level, indicating insufficient progress and or behavior described as “Grounds for Dismissal” by School or University policy.
• The Practicum Director assigns the practicum grade in Enroll and Pay for the Practicum course. When a U grade is assigned, the Practicum Director alerts the MSW Program Director, who convenes a Student Review Committee (SRC). A U grade at the end of the first semester means no academic credit is awarded for practicum for the year. A S grade at the end of the first semester and a U grade at the end of the second semester means no academic credit is awarded for the year. In both cases, the student may have one of two SRC outcomes 1) an opportunity to repeat a full year of practicum or 2) a recommendation to the Dean of the School for immediate dismissal from the program. Students retain the right to appeal an unsatisfactory grade, per the School Grade Appeal Policy.

Dismissal Due to Scholastic Performance Standard  

If a student is dismissed because of not meeting the scholastic performance standards, then student may re-apply to the program after one semester of non-enrollment in SSW courses. The student must submit a written plan stating steps they will take to avoid a comparable situation if granted approval to re-enter. The student will be on probation for one semester. 

Tiered Response for Ethical Behaviors

Violations of the Ethical Behavior Standards may occur in any setting -- including practicum, on campus, or elsewhere in the community, including social media. Ethical violations may be reported by instructors (such as in the case of academic misconduct) or by clients, peers, administrators, staff or practicum agency employees.

Tier 1 A. Review: A Tier 1 A. Review for ethical behaviors is when unethical behavior occurs in the classroom or practicum and is addressed by the classroom instructor through corrective and supportive interactions.  These are common occurrences that are part and parcel of the social work educational and socialization processes.

• Practicum Specific: Typically, student practice behavior modifications are dealt with through weekly Student-Practicum Instructor Supervision Meetings and other naturally occurring mentoring points during the practicum day. In some cases, a Practicum Instructor or student requests a KUSSW site visit, facilitated by a Practicum Liaison.

Tier 1 B. Review: A Tier 1 B. Review for ethical behaviors is when informal direct communication with students is not successful in addressing unethical behavior, instructors submit an Student Standards Concern Report that identifies a specific standard that is subject of the concern and in which they indicate if they suggest that students require a Tier 2 intervention at the point of submission.

Tier 2 Review: In response to an Student Standards Concern Report for unethical behavior, a program director or practicum staff develops a Student Success Plan designed promote the ethical conduct.

• Practicum Specific: At the Tier 2 level, a Practicum Instructor or a student reports to the Practicum Office staff that 1) a Tier 1 consultation did not correct the practice behavior challenge, and or 2) the practice behavior challenge verges significantly from the norm but may still be remediated.  
• The student, Practicum Instructor, and appropriate practicum staff develop a Student Success Plan that includes practice behavior goals tied to social work competencies, ethics, and technical/professional standards. The Student Success Plan includes targeted support, a timeline for meeting goals, and student next steps. The plan is assessable to the student, Practicum Instructor, and practicum staff in Sonia Online. A Student Success Plan is reviewed by the Director of Practicum Education, who informs the MSW Program Director that a plan is in place.  
• In cases where the practicum site or Practicum Instructor declines to engage in a Student Success Plan, and the practicum ends, student re-placement determinations are made by the Director of Practicum Education.  A student will most likely enter a second practicum with a Student Success Plan developed by the student and appropriate practicum staff, centered on the context of the new practicum site. The Director of Practicum may add additional hours to the student’s practicum hour requirement. The aim of adding hours is to provide the student and practicum site a reasonable period of time for the student’s orientation, learning contract development, and practice behavior evaluation/improvement.

Tier 3 Review: When Tier 1 and 2 responses fail or when an unethical behavior is so egregious, a SRC meeting must be convened by the Program Director or Director of Practicum Education.

• Practicum Specific: At a Tier 3 level, a student demonstrates ethical, technical,  professional, and or competency challenges that the Practicum Instructor, Practicum Liaison, and or Associate/Director of Practicum evaluate at an Unsatisfactory Grade level, indicating insufficient progress and or behavior described as “Grounds for Dismissal” by School or University policy.
• The Practicum Director assigns the practicum grade in Enroll and Pay for the Practicum course. When a U grade is assigned, the Practicum Director alerts the MSW Program Director, who convenes a Student Review Committee (SRC). A U grade at the end of the first semester means no academic credit is awarded for practicum for the year. A S grade at the end of the first semester and a U grade at the end of the second semester means no academic credit is awarded for the year. In both cases, the student may have one of two SRC outcomes 1) an opportunity to repeat a full year of practicum or 2) a recommendation to the Dean of the School for immediate dismissal from the program. Students retain the right to appeal an unsatisfactory grade, per the School Grade Appeal Policy.

Tiered Response for Professional Conduct

Tier 1 A. Review: A Tier 1 A. Review for professional conduct is when professional misconduct occurs in the classroom or practicum and is addressed by the classroom or practicum instructor during supervision or through other corrective interactions. These are typically common occurrences that are part and parcel of the social work educational and socialization processes.  

• Practicum Specific: Typically, student practice behavior modifications are dealt with through weekly Student-Practicum Instructor Supervision Meetings and other naturally occurring mentoring points during the practicum day. In some cases, a Practicum Instructor or student requests a KUSSW site visit, facilitated by a Practicum Liaison.

Tier 1 B. Review: A Tier 1 B. Review for professional conduct is when informal direct communication with students is not successful in addressing professional misconduct, instructors submit a Student Standards Concern Report that identifies a specific standard that is subject of the concern and in which they indicate if they suggest that students require a Tier 2 intervention at the point of submission.  

Tier 2 Review: When professional misconduct continues to occur, and a classroom or practicum instructor feels compelled to report the behavior to administration. In consultation with administration, academic advisors or practicum liaisons develop a Student Success Plan designed to correct the professional misconduct.

• Practicum Specific: At the Tier 2 level, a Practicum Instructor or a student reports to the Practicum Office staff that 1) a Tier 1 consultation did not correct the practice behavior challenge, and or 2) the practice behavior challenge verges significantly from the norm but may still be remediated.  
• The student, Practicum Instructor, and appropriate practicum staff develop a Student Success Plan that includes practice behavior goals tied to social work competencies, ethics, and technical/professional standards. The Student Success Plan includes targeted support, a timeline for meeting goals, and student next steps. The plan is assessable to the student, Practicum Instructor, and practicum staff in Sonia Online. A Student Success Plan is reviewed by the Director of Practicum Education, who informs the MSW Program Director that a plan is in place.  
• In cases where the practicum site or Practicum Instructor declines to engage in a Student Success Plan, and the practicum ends, student re-placement determinations are made by the Director of Practicum Education. A student will most likely enter a second practicum with a Student Success Plan developed by the student and appropriate practicum staff, centered on the context of the new practicum site. The Director of Practicum may add additional hours to the student’s practicum hour requirement. The aim of adding hours is to provide the student and practicum site a reasonable period of time for the student’s orientation, learning contract development, and practice behavior evaluation/improvement.

Tier 3 Review: When Tier 1 and 2 responses fail or when professional misconduct is so egregious that a SRC meeting is convened by the Program Director or Director of Practicum Education   

• Practicum Specific: At a Tier 3 level, a student demonstrates ethical, technical,  professional, and or competency challenges that the Practicum Instructor, Practicum Liaison, and or Associate/Director of Practicum evaluate at an Unsatisfactory Grade level, indicating insufficient progress and or behavior described as “Grounds for Dismissal” by School or University policy.
• The Practicum Director assigns the practicum grade in Enroll and Pay for the Practicum course. When a U grade is assigned, the Practicum Director alerts the MSW Program Director, who convenes a Student Review Committee (SRC). A U grade at the end of the first semester means no academic credit is awarded for practicum for the year. A S grade at the end of the first semester and a U grade at the end of the second semester means no academic credit is awarded for the year. In both cases, the student may have one of two SRC outcomes 1) an opportunity to repeat a full year of practicum or 2) a recommendation to the Dean of the School for immediate dismissal from the program. Students retain the right to appeal an unsatisfactory grade, per the School Grade Appeal Policy.

Tiered Response for Technical Standards

Students lacking these foundational capabilities will not be allowed to continue in the program. In cases where students are admitted but demonstrate through performance in the classroom or in practicum that they are unable to perform the tasks (outlined in the Technical Standards section) necessary to engage in the social work educational process, a Tier 3 SRC is promptly held.

Student Review Committee Meeting

General Information

When a Tier 1 or 2 effort at problem resolution is unsuccessful or a problem is so egregious or concerning that a lower level response is not indicated, a SRC meeting can be requested by a classroom instructor, faculty advisor, or the Program or Practicum Director. The initiating party should indicate the student standard/s identified. The MSW Program Director then determines whether an SRC is indicated, based on the standards. The SRC meeting is used for difficulty in performance with any of the standards.  

Composition of SRC and Meeting Expectations   

The composition of the committee may vary depending on the focus of the concern. The MSW Director facilitates scheduling a SRC meeting inviting the student, the Director of Practicum Education, and the academic advisor. The SRC meeting scheduling will seek to accommodate participants’ schedules within a reasonable timeline. In addition and at the MSW Director’s discretion, classroom instructors may be invited, although generally their written report regarding the classroom concerns is used as their input for the meeting, a copy of which is provided to all attendees. Students may not invite additional participants to an SRC Meeting. If a student does not attend a scheduled SRC meeting, the SRC meeting will proceed in the student's absence and the student will be provided with a written report of the meeting and its outcome. At a minimum, the SRC requires the attendance of the MSW Program Director, and the Director of Practicum Education or their designated proxy representatives. Any faculty or staff person who identifies they have a conflict of interest with a particular student for whom an SRC is convened should notify the MSW Program Director that they are recusing themselves from service or if the MSW Program Director has a conflict of interest, they should notify the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. If the MSW Program Director has a conflict of interest, the Associate Dean for Academic Programs will chair the SRC.  

Process of SRC Meeting

During the SRC meeting, relevant information (e.g., Student Standards Concern Reports, emails) provided, in advance when feasible, by all participants will be reviewed. SRC recommendations generally should be based on clear documentation of the problem areas as well as evidence that these concerns have been discussed with the student and attempted to be ameliorated, where appropriate. In a case where resolution of the problem performance or behavior does not seem to be possible, the SRC may recommend to the Dean that the student be dismissed from the MSW program. Students must be notified of the decision in writing within five business days of the review.

SRC Meeting Findings and Outcomes

The SRC may make the following types of decisions and recommendations after review of the student’s particular facts and circumstances:

1. Continue the student in the program with no conditions. In these situations, the student concern has been addressed and a formal warning from the SRC is issued. However, no further action by the student or program is required.
2. Recommend the issuance of a formal censure or admonition from the Dean of the School of Social Welfare. The committee may decide that the student can continue, but the behavior in question should be admonished, censured, or permanently noted on the student’s formal transcript by the Dean. Academic misconduct is reported to the Provost’s Office.  
3. Establish formal conditions for the student’s continuance in the program. In these situations, specific conditions must be met in order for the student to remain in the program. Actions may include, but are not limited to, establishing academic or behavioral goals, a plan, a timeline, and appropriate monitoring; requiring the completion of a particular assignment or additional coursework; providing mentoring and support; placing the student on probation and monitoring the student during the probationary period; referring the student to counseling and/or advising services; suspending a student’s participation in practicum until the academic issue, ethical behavior or professional conduct issue is resolved; allowing the student to follow a reduced course load or delay entry to the practicum; repeating part or all of a practicum; or recommending to the student that they withdraw from the program and reapply at a later date.
4. Recommend dismissal of the student from the program. The committee may recommend that the student be formally dismissed from the MSW program. This recommendation may accompany a suggested period of time after which the student is allowed to reapply to the program. The student is notified of the recommendation and the recommendation is made to the Dean of the School of Social Welfare.

In all cases in which an SRC is convened, the Program Director completes documentation of the meeting by completing an SRC Meeting Form (see link below) and sends the document to all who attended.  

The SRC form includes a section in which the student may respond to the meeting and to the director’s documentation of it, and that is included in the permanent record of the incident or issue. Once notified, the student has five business days to respond.  

Upon receiving the student response, the documentation is forwarded to the Dean and Assistant Dean, Program Director, Practicum Director, and Academic Advisor who require a permanent record of the committee proceedings.

Unless it is an action (such as a dismissal or formal censure) that must be carried out by the Dean of the School of Social Welfare, it is the responsibility of the Program Director to communicate the outcome with the student. If the action is carried out by the Dean, then the Dean’s office is responsible to communicate the outcome with the student.

Dean’s Role in SRC Review

Once the Dean has received the SRC Meeting Form, the Dean has five (5) business days to determine whether they concur with the SRC decision to issue a censure, suspend, or dismiss the student from the program. Decision is made by the Dean and shared with Program Director and Assistant Dean. Assistant Dean creates necessary communication to the student. Dismissal letter has been sent to the student by Dean's Executive Assistant certified mail with cc to: ADAP, Program Director and Academic Advisor. Decision is noted in the student's electronic file and letter is scanned and added to the student’s records.

After receiving the SRC Meeting Form with the student’s response, if any, the Dean will review the matter and determine whether to accept the recommendations. The Dean may accept, reject or modify the recommendations of the SRC or send the matter back to the SRC for further consideration. The decision of the Dean is effective immediately unless otherwise specified in the notification. The Dean’s decisions on these matters may not be appealed within the School of Social Welfare. If a decision is made by the Dean, then the Dean’s office will communicate the outcome with the student, and in a separate communication will communicate the outcome with the SRC. Lastly, the outcome will be included in the student’s record by Assistant Dean.

SRC Summary Form

Online SRC Summary Form

Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism

Academic misconduct and plagiarism. The University Senate Rules and Regulations define academic misconduct in Article II, Section 6, stating:

Academic misconduct by a student shall include, but not be limited to, disruption of classes; threatening an instructor or fellow student in an academic setting; giving or receiving of unauthorized aid on examinations or in the preparation of notebooks, themes, reports or other assignments; knowingly misrepresenting the source of any academic work; unauthorized changing of grades; unauthorized use of University approvals or forging of signatures; falsification of research results; plagiarizing of another’s work; violation of regulations or ethical codes for the treatment of human and animal subjects; or otherwise acting dishonestly in research.

One form of academic misconduct is plagiarism or taking credit for work produced by someone else. This is a serious ethical violation. You should review the section on Academic Misconduct in the KU Student Code of Conduct to familiarize yourself with what constitutes plagiarism. You must also review this section to help you to understand the efforts you can make to avoid engaging in plagiarism. Remember that faithfully using the citation and reference guidelines outlined in the APA style guide will serve as an excellent way to avoid plagiarism. Additionally, KU subscribes to a digital plagiarism detection program called “Safe Assign” which may be used to check papers submitted in this course. You may be asked to submit your papers in a digital format so that your paper can be checked against web pages and databases of existing papers.

If a student commits plagiarism, with or without intention, the instructor for a course can, after consultation with the academic program director, assign a failing grade for the academic activity in question. If the plagiarism is severe or repeated, the instructor can, after consultation with the academic program director, assign a failing grade for the course in which the behavior occurred. The program director also may convene a Student Review Committee meeting, which could result in a recommendation to the Dean of the School of Social Welfare for formal admonition, censure, suspension, or expulsion of the student.

MSW Program Plans of Study Overview

The School of Social Welfare offers several plans of study for completing the requirements leading to the Master of Social Work degree. The MSW degree may be earned through the completion of Advanced Standing (38 credit hours) or Traditional MSW (64 credit hours) plans of study through multiple program options, including Lawrence campus, Edwards campus, Jayhawk Global Online, PSU site, and KSU-Salina site. Part-time plans of study are also available. The degree is based upon a generalist year which precedes a specialized year focused on the study of Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups or Macro Practice with Organizations and Communities. Students matriculate through a variety of plans including Advanced Standing Plans, Traditional Plans, and the MSW/Juris Doctorate plan of study.

The Advanced Standing Full-Time Plan of Study is only for those students who have earned a BSW from a CSWE-accredited institution and who have demonstrated potential for specialized graduate study through their performance in undergraduate studies and in social work practice. Full-time students take 38 credit hours in one year, consisting of a summer enrollment in 2 classes, including an Advanced Standing Seminar that serves as a bridge from the BSW program into the KU MSW Program. In total, these students take 24 credit hours of classroom work maintaining a grade-point average of 3.0 (B), and 14 credit hours of practicum with an S grade for satisfactory performance.

The Advanced Standing Part-Time Plan of Study is also available only for those students who have earned a BSW from a CSWE-accredited institution and who have demonstrated potential for specialized graduate study through their performance in undergraduate studies and in social work practice. Part-time students take 38 credit hours over the course of two years, consisting of a summer enrollment in 2 classes, including an Advanced Standing Seminar that serves as a bridge from the BSW program into the KU MSW Program, followed by four semesters of coursework. Practicum is taken in the second year. Over this summer and subsequent four semesters, students take 24 credit hours of classroom work maintaining a grade-point average of 3.0 (B), and 14 credit hours of practicum with an S grade for satisfactory performance.

No transfer credits are offered for courses taken before admission for either the full- or part-time Advanced Standing Plans of Study.

Traditional Plans of Study are offered for those applicants who have not earned a BSW from a CSWE-accredited institution. The plan is considered “traditional” in the sense that it is the plan of study used in the original 64-hour MSW degree that existed as the sole pathway to the MSW prior to the development of Advanced Standing programs in the 1970s.

The Traditional Full-Time Plan of Study is a 64-hour program taken over two years of study. Students take 9 credit hours of classroom-based coursework and 7 hours of practicum each semester and complete the degree in two academic years. Students must maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 (B), in addition to passing practicum with an S grade for “satisfactory performance."

The Traditional Part-Time Plans of Study are 64-hour plans offered over 3 years (6 semesters) or 4 years (8 semesters).Again, students must maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 (B) in addition to passing practicum with an S grade for “satisfactory performance”.

Additionally:

In the MSW Program, regardless of plan of study, required courses are offered only once each year. Specialized level elective courses are offered during the summer session and students may take summer classes after they have successfully completed all of the generalist requirements. Courses in the clinical specialization offered during the summer may be used to fulfill the clinical practice elective requirements, thereby lightening the course load during the regular academic year.

All coursework for the MSW must be completed within four academic years unless prior approval is granted. This would occur only under special circumstances and this decision would be made by the MSW Director in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and the Director of Practicum Education.

MSW Specializations

Upon completing the generalist requirements, students select either Clinical Practice or Macro Practice in preparation for specialized social work practice. The requirements for the generalist level and the specialized level courses are described below in each plan of study, and course descriptions for all classes are available in the KU Academic Catalog: School of Social Welfare - Courses.

Clinical Practice Specialization

The clinical practice specialization prepares students in the professional application of social work theory and methods to the prevention and treatment of psychosocial problems, disability, or impairment, including emotional and mental disorders. In the clinical specialization, students take courses in clinical practice strategies,  diagnostic assessment, a diversity selective, at least one clinical practice elective, and a professional develop seminar focused on integration and application of specialized skills. All specialized level students spend 16 clock hours per week in practicum during each semester for a total of 512 hours.

Clinical practice includes the application of assessment and diagnostic strategies, the formation of a treatment plan that may include psychotherapy, counseling, client advocacy, systemic and organizational interventions, consultation and evaluation, and other clinically appropriate interventions with individuals, families, and groups. The focus is on selecting and evaluating interventions based on needs in each situation, whether personal, interpersonal, or environmental. Social work theory and methods taught are applicable to the variety of practice settings in which clinical services are provided. Students who are expecting to sit for the Licensed Clinical Social Worker examination two years after the MSW are advised to take this concentration.

The Clinical Practice Specialization is offered through all program options.  

Macro Practice Specialization

The macro practice specialization prepares students for specialized social work practice in administration and advocacy. Students take courses in program design, specialized policies and programs, managing outcomes, leadership within human organizations, and advanced advocacy practice. All specialized level students spend 16 clock hours per week in practicum during each semester for a total of 512 hours.

The social work administration content in this specialization focuses on the development and management of social service programs and organizations in both the public and private sectors. Because those social workers who provide leadership in agencies and organizations are often asked to inform policy makers regarding the unmet needs of clients and communities, macro practice demands expertise in advocacy and policy practice. Therefore, the macro specialization prepares students with advanced community and advocacy practice abilities.

MSW graduates from our macro specialization are prepared to be program managers, supervisors, agency administrators, program evaluators, and social planners with private health and welfare planning agencies; federal, state and local planning bodies; and advocacy and social justice organizations. This specialization is typically offered in any given format based upon meeting minimum enrollment caps; otherwise, the sections will be folded into a Jayhawk Global online format.

Advanced Standing Plans of Study & Curriculum

The MSW Program: Advanced Standing Plans of Study

The School of Social Welfare offers an Advanced Standing Plan of Study for students who have completed a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited social work program. Admission criteria is identical to the traditional plan of study. The admissions committee looks for strong BSW practicum evaluations. Applicants with more extensive social work experience are more competitive. Advanced standing who have earned their BSWs within the last few years are required to submit a copy of their practicum evaluations, and one of their three references must be from a social work classroom instructor. Visit the Master of Social Work webpage for details.

The Advanced Standing program, which begins in summer, requires 38 credit hours. Required coursework and degree plans may be found in the KU Academic Catalog: Master of Social Work.

No credit will be given for courses taken before admission. The specialized level of this program may be taken full-time or part-time over two years. Advanced standing students may not apply transfer credits towards program requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to become thoroughly acquainted with the degree requirements. Ultimately, the student is responsible for understanding and completing requirements for the degree. This process can be aided through use of the Degree Progress Report.

We also offer students the opportunity to pursue an Advanced Standing Part-Time Plan of Study; Consult with your academic advisor regarding part-time plans of study.

Traditional Plans of Study & Curriculum

The Traditional Plans of Study

The first year of the program, the generalist level, provides a solid background in multi-level social work knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes. Students take courses in social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and community practice; human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice; anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion; social policy analysis and policy practice;  and social work research. Practicum placements during the foundation year consist of 16 clock hours per week during each semester for a total of 416 hours.

The Traditional Full-Time Plan of Study is completed full-time in two years with the first year as the generalist year and then completion of the specialized year focused on either Clinical or Macro Practice. Required coursework and degree plans may be found in the KU Academic Catalog: Master of Social Work.

Traditional Part-time Plans of Study

Students can extend the Traditional Plan of Study to be completed in three or four years and must complete the same requirements that full-time students complete over the course of two academic years. The plans are for three- and four-year matriculation, and placement in practice courses and practicum (at both the generalist and specialized levels) occurs following the completion of all coursework. Students should consult with their academic advisor regarding part-time plans of study.

Course Formats

On Campus, Online and Blended Courses

Our classes are offered in three formats: traditional classroom-based format, blended in-person/online format, and Jayhawk Global online format. Traditional classroom-based formats meet in-person on a weekly basis. In the blended course format, students meet both in-person on campus and asynchronously online. The Jayhawk Global online format is defined by students meeting via Zoom or other video conference platform and asynchronously.

All courses, regardless of format, meet the same objectives and include similar learning activities; however, each section is shaped to best meet the format-specific strengths. For example, on-campus class sessions emphasize learning activities that work best when instructors and students are together in person, while online weeks focus on learning activities that can be completed independently.

During asynchronous weeks for blended and Jayhawk Global online formats, students should expect to have regular learning activities to complete and submit in addition to required reading. Generally speaking, instructors assign completion on interactive online modules during asynchronous weeks in order to fully cover all of the required course objectives and learning goals, prevent students being deprived of the opportunity to learn through independent work, and maintain a consistent pace of learning throughout the semester. Online assignments are posted via Canvas early enough to give MSW students, who often have work and family responsibilities in addition to graduate school, time to complete and submit the learning activities (typically 5-7 days). Students are responsible for checking the Canvas homepage for each of their classes with asynchronous online content regularly throughout the week so they do not miss assignments or class announcements.

Students who are new to the MSW program sometimes wonder how much time they need to spend on reading, learning activities, and assignments. KU uses the US federal definition of a credit unit which requires one hour of classroom instruction (minus up to 10 minutes for class breaks and time for passing between classes) plus a minimum of two hours of additional student work per week for approximately 15 weeks for one semester. Our 3-credit-unit MSW class sessions on campus last 2 hours and 40 minutes (160 minutes), so graduate students should plan to spend twice that amount of time each week on reading, learning activities, and assignments for class. This means that most MSW students will spend about 5 hours and 20 minutes per class working independently on reading, learning activities, and assignments for on-campus weeks.

Likewise, weekly work for online weeks of class will take approximately 8 hours (160 minutes X 3 = 480 minutes / 60 minutes = 8 hours]. Planning for this much time each week helps students work on major assignments throughout the semester, rather than beginning those assignments too close to the due dates. Naturally, the time needed for coursework will vary somewhat by week, by instructor, and by student.

MSW students in the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas are expected to attend all on-campus/Zoom synchronous class sessions and complete all asynchronous online reading, learning activities, and assignments on time. Any absence from on-campus class sessions deprives students of the opportunity to interact with instructors and student colleagues. Similarly, when students do not complete and submit online assignments, or submit incomplete or late online assignments, they cannot fully acquire the knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes required for successful social work practice.

Instructors in the MSW program recognize that there may be times when events beyond the control of students interfere with their ability to attend and fully participate in on-campus class sessions or complete online assignments. Instructors handle absences and missing or late online work in various ways, but always include their attendance and participation policy in the syllabus for their courses. Students are expected to know and follow the attendance policy for each of their courses.

Advising

Academic Advisors

Academic advisors assist with enrollment and course selection. Enrollment happens twice each year – in the fall semester for spring, and in the spring for summer and fall. Students receive emails from the Office of the University Registrar announcing enrollment periods. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic success coach to discuss academic issues, major requirements, course selection and basic policies. Individual appointments are available through Jayhawk GPS.

Faculty Advisors

In the fall semester, students are assigned a member of the faculty who serves as their professional/career advisor. Students are encouraged to meet with their assigned faculty member to discuss research developments in social work, choice of specialization and area of practice, as well as possible career options.

Students who develop a good relationship with their advisors, or with other faculty members, can find this to be an important part of their academic career. It is recommended that students get to know their advisors and develop a rapport early on.

What Advisors Cannot Do

Advisors, defined as both academic advisors and faculty advisors, cannot do any of the following:

• Change your grade in a course (this requires a grievance);
• Allow you to enroll in a course that is full (this requires permission from the Assistant Dean);
• Therapy (While faculty and staff members are certainly available to help students solve academic problems, Counseling and Psychological Services provides longer-term counseling for students);
• Tell the Dean not to let a certain person teach a course again (this is why we ask you to fill out C&I evaluation forms); or
• Tell a teacher to let you (a) take an incomplete, (b) turn an assignment in late, or (c) not penalize you for lateness or absences.

The faculty has determined optimal class sizes for all courses, which may vary according to the course. The faculty has also determined that when multiple sections of a course are offered, enrollment in those sections is to be distributed as evenly as possible. Students should anticipate that they might not get into their first choice of courses or sections. Students are encouraged to consider options before going through the enrollment process.

Note: You have been accepted to a particular program option (i.e. Lawrence, Edwards, Jayhawk Global Online, PSU, or KSU-Salina), and it is expected that you enroll in courses through that program option. If you are interested in a course at the other program option, contact the Assistant Dean to make arrangements. Accommodations are made on a space-available basis.

Outside Course Credit/Waivers

Credit for Course Work Taken Outside the School of Social Welfare

Students who wish to substitute a course taken outside the School of Social Welfare for an elective must petition the MSW Program Director before the beginning of the semester (for fall, August 1; for spring, December 15). Decisions about course substitution are made by the MSW Program Director in consultation with the MSW Program Committee. Petitions must include the course syllabus, verification that the course is a graduate course, and a transcript upon completing the course showing a grade of B or higher. Requests submitted after the beginning of the semester will not be considered. Students who choose practicum placements that require particular coursework are responsible for meeting the academic requirements of the school as well as the practicum agency. No more than 3 hours of course work taken outside the school will be accepted to meet the elective program requirement.

Request for Credit Waivers/Credit Transfer

Students who request transfer from other programs accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) must first go through the admission process and provide transcripts, a syllabus for each course for which credit is being requested, descriptions of practicum content, written evaluations of practicum performance, and the number of practicum clock hours. Course syllabi must include readings, assignments, and weekly topics covered in that class. Students requesting credit waivers must include these materials by February 15th. Waiver credit will not be offered for courses taken prior to admission for students accepted in the Advanced Standing Program. Courses submitted for waiver credit won't be considered if a student earned a grade of less than a B.

Credits for continuing education institutes and workshops or programs conducted by non-accredited or non-degree-granting organizations are not accepted. Please note that coursework taken in an MSW program (outside of KU) as a non-degree seeking student will not receive waiver credit. Finally, students may not receive waiver credit for specialized level coursework taken prior to completion of generalist level coursework in another MSW program.  

Non-Degree Seeking Options

Students can request to enroll as non-degree seeking students through KU and take SW 708, 720, 755, or 740. However, it is contingent upon admission as a non-degree seeking student and classroom availability after all current degree seeking students are enrolled. Up to nine hours of credit as a non-degree seeking student can be applied toward the MSW degree should a non-degree seeking student later apply to admission into the MSW program. Any such credit will be given only for coursework in which the student earned a B or greater.

Prior Work Experience

In accordance with national accreditation standards, prior employment and life experience may not be credited toward classroom course work or practicum requirements.

Enrollment

Students are ultimately responsible for enrollment and for taking courses necessary to meet degree requirements. It is important to check your schedule for accuracy, including the practicum section. Corrections should be made as quickly as possible.

Check your Degree Progress Report anytime and compare to our published completion plans.

Schedules

You can view your current class schedule via Enroll and Pay similar to above.

Adding/Dropping/Changing Sections

Students wanting to add or drop a course are advised to first consult with their academic advisor to review the impact of the action.

Before adding or dropping, students should consider:

• Required courses are only offered once each year.
• Changes of section are only considered for scheduling reasons and only if space is available as determined by administrative staff. Students should not ask an individual instructor for permission.
• Students are expected to remain with the same instructor for both semesters of SW 710 and SW 711.
• Full-time students who drop a course during the generalist year must request a change in their academic plan of study using the online request: MSW Leave of Absence/Change of Plan Form.
• Refunds for dropped credit hours follow a set calendar. Please see the University Calendar on the Office of the University Registrar website for more information.

Withdrawal From Degree Status

Students considering withdrawing are strongly advised to meet with their academic advisor. If the student and academic advisor conclude that withdrawal is the best option, students can complete the Request for a Leave of Absence or change in M.S.W. Program Plan of Study form.

Administrative Withdrawal

At times, when it comes to the school's attention that a student is enrolled in classes without the appropriate permission, we may take action to withdraw them administratively from classes. This can occur in several different situations, and the goal is generally to prevent students from being charged tuition and fees for classes in which they should not be enrolled. Such situations would include: 1) enrollment in classes for which prerequisites have not been met, 2) enrollment after a student has been dismissed or has withdrawn from the program, 3) enrollment while a student is on an official leave of absence from the program, and 4) enrollment in a course which does not meet the student's requirements for degree completion. Before pursuing an administrative withdrawal, reasonable efforts will be made to contact the student to request that they initiate the course withdrawal themselves.

Leave of Absence Status

Under certain circumstances an interruption of an academic program is considered, allowing the student a period of up to one year before returning to coursework. A leave of absence is not automatically approved, nor does the School consider a student to be on a leave of absence status simply because that student has chosen to not enroll.

A form for changing plan of study or requesting a leave of absence can be found online on the advising section of the school’s website. Students must consult with their academic advisor. The academic advisor will work with the student to create a modified completion plan and document a statement of the circumstances necessitating the withdrawal. If further consultation is required, the academic advisor will consult with the MSW Program Director for approval of modified plans of study. The student must have completed a minimum of one semester of academic work and be in good standing to be eligible for leave of absence status.

Students on a leave of absence must contact the School one full semester prior to returning to coordinate practicum (practicum@ku.edu) and enrollment. This is considered the student’s responsibility. Students should contact Georgiana O’Connor to begin the process of readmission and the Practicum Office regarding due dates for practicum planning materials.

Selecting a Specialization

In the final January of the students’ generalist level, and upon acceptance of admission for specialized standing applicants, students will be asked to choose a specialization for the specialized level year in the MSW Program. Both specializations build on the generalist perspective being developed in generalist level courses, and the specializations provide students with the opportunity to develop specialized level knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes that build on this foundation. The major differences in the two specializations are the skills developed in order to impact the lives of people and help build a more just society. Students who are uncertain about their specialization choice may wish to consult with their academic advisor and/or faculty advisor.

By providing information about each of the specialization, including curriculum requirements, description of courses, sample placement descriptions, and examples of what students who graduated from each specialization are currently doing, students will make an informed decision. But before learning more about the specializations…

Selecting Your MSW Specialization: What Do You Want?

It is important for you to think about who you are, what is important to you, and what brings you enjoyment in life. Here are a few questions that may guide you. Although not the same, you will be asked the same type of questions when you complete your practicum planning materials. So why not start now?!

• Why did you enter Social Work?
• What do you value most? (e.g. restorative justice, combating homelessness)
• What is important to you? (e.g. working directly with clients, doing research, influencing policy)
• Where do you most want to effect change? (e.g. with individuals, groups, families, in policy, research, community organization)
• Which track meets the most options of above?

Additional questions you may find helpful to think about are:

• Do you have a particular career goal upon graduation? A long-range goal?
• Do you have any preferences with respect to your career goals, such as the type of setting, type of client population, type of treatment issue, geographic location?
• Do you have special skills, e.g., a foreign language, sign language, etc. that you hope to use in your future social work practice?

Grading & Attendance

Grading

Graduate level courses in the School of Social Welfare are graded A for exceptional performance, B for work meeting graduate standards, C for below graduate standards and F for failure, unsatisfactory work with no credit granted toward the degree. A grade of C- or below is not a passing grade in graduate level courses.

Plus/minus grades may be given and calculated in the overall grade point average.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The grade point average is determined by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of credit hours.

A = 4 points

B+ = 3.3

C+ = 2.3

A- = 3.7

B = 3

C = 2

B- = 2.7

F = 0

Probation

Students are considered to not be in good standing and placed on formal academic probation if the 3.0 grade-point average required for the degree is not maintained, if a failing grade (C- or below) is received in academic coursework, or if an unsatisfactory grade is received in practicum. (Refer to the KU Graduate Studies policy for more information: Academic Probation - Graduate Studies).

MSW students with a GPA of below a 3.0 may not be allowed to advance in their coursework. Upon any of the listed factors occurring, a Student Review Committee (SRC) will be convened to review the issue, inform the student that they are being placed on probation, and develop a plan to resolve the concern. Students will have one semester to resolve the identified concern(s); if any of the identified concerns are not resolved by the end of the semester, a Student Review Committee will be convened to evaluate the student’s status in the program.

Please note that practicum is graded on an S/U (satisfactory, unsatisfactory) basis. A grade of P (for progress) is given at the end of the first semester, showing satisfactory progress. No credit is given toward the degree unless both semesters of practicum are completed at a satisfactory level. Grades for practicum are given by the faculty liaison.

Incompletes

Incomplete grades are given only for circumstances beyond a student’s control and are at the discretion of the instructor of record. If the course is part of a sequence (e.g., 710-711, 810-811) or a prerequisite for subsequent coursework, the student cannot begin the subsequent course until the incomplete has been successfully resolved with a passing grade. In all other cases, incomplete grades must be completed by the data specified by the instructor of record and may not exceed one calendar year. Any incomplete not converted to a grade by the date specified will automatically convert to a grade of F or U, unless otherwise specified by the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to request an incomplete from the course instructor and work with the instructor to submit the required form.

Grade Reports

Grade reports will be available to students via Enroll & Pay. Many faculty who use Canvas may also post grades there. Printed grade reports will only be mailed if specifically requested by the student.

University Grade Appeal Policy

A change of grade may be made only if:

• The original grade resulted from error (Ref. University Senate Rules and Regulations 2.3.1)
• The original grade was “I” or “P” (Ref. University Senate Rules and Regulations 2.3.1)
• Due to sanctions imposed in the case of academic misconduct (Ref. University Senate Rules and Regulations 2.3.1)
• In certain exceptional cases (sexual harassment, misconduct, incapacitation), a faculty committee may assign the course grade (Ref. University Senate Rules and Regulation 2.3.2.)

School of Social Welfare Grade Appeal Procedures

School of Social Welfare Grade Appeal Procedures can be found in the University Policy Library.

Class Attendance

The School of Social Welfare received exception to KU’s Excused Absence policy (USRR Article II, Section 2). That is, this university policy no longer applies to social work classes (courses with the prefix “SW”). Importantly, the policy still applies to attendance in other, non-social work, courses students may be enrolled in outside of the School. Please be aware of the attendance policy which applies to all classes as described in each course syllabi.

As an MSW student in the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas, you are expected to attend all on-campus/Zoom synchronous class sessions and complete all asynchronous online assignments on time. We have traditional, blended, and Jayhawk Global online courses in our MSW program. Those courses with online content have been designed so that the on-campus/Zoom synchronous class sessions emphasize learning activities that work best when instructors and students are able to interact in real time, while asynchronous online weeks focus on learning activities that can be completed independently.

Any absence from on-campus/Zoom synchronous class sessions deprives you of the opportunity to interact with your instructors and student colleagues, and incomplete or late online assignments interfere with your ability to fully acquire the knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes required for successful social work practice.

However, instructors in the MSW program understand there are many life circumstances that must be balanced by busy graduate students. Even when you have planned very carefully, illness and emergencies may occur causing you to miss a class or an assignment. Regardless of the circumstances, it is your responsibility to communicate with your instructor about your absence or missed assignment as soon as possible.

We encourage you to make as many arrangements and contingency arrangements as possible to avoid missing classes and assignment due dates before each semester begins. If you believe that your individual circumstances may require accommodations in order for you to be successful in an MSW course, it is important for you to work with the KU Student Access Center (SAC) in advance of the semester, or as soon as possible once such circumstances arise.

After the semester begins, it is important to check both the syllabus and the Canvas site for each of your classes routinely. To avoid missing assignments or due dates, you will also need to work on your readings and other assignments regularly and get an early start on any work that needs to be submitted to your instructors. For traditional and blended formats, be in class for on-campus sessions, except when you are ill with symptoms that suggest a contagious condition. For courses with asynchronous online content, submit work for online weeks by the due date when at all possible.

On-campus class absences, and missing or late online assignments, may affect your grades in the MSW program. Instructors have the ability to establish their own consequences for absences and partial absences, as well as missing, incomplete or late assignments. They can also assign make-up work equal to one week per semester in extenuating circumstances at their discretion. In each class, the instructor’s attendance policy will be clearly described in the syllabus. It is your responsibility to know and follow the attendance and participation policy in each of your classes.  

*Adopted by faculty vote 5/5/18. See also SAC attendance-related information and the School’s Procedure for Academic Planning with Pregnant and Newly Parenting Students. For practicum education attendance policies, please see the Practicum Education Handbook.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

As students, you have certain rights and responsibilities, most of which are outlined either in the University Registrar’s website at or in the KU Policy Library. It is strongly recommended that students familiarize themselves with the contents of these documents.

Nondiscrimination

The University of Kansas supports nondiscrimination and you can read the full nondiscrimination policy through the KU Policy Library.

This value commitment is also part of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. This Code “protects the rights of every student and describes responsibilities or expectations for student conduct. As such, it forms a significant part of the rules of the campus community. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the policies that govern student conduct. This information may be found on the Student Affairs Policies webpage.

If a student believes that their rights have been violated, they are encouraged to seek consultation from the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX (formally Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA). As with any member of the University community the student has the right to contact Human Resource Management to discuss their concerns and options.

The same rights afforded to students are afforded to all members of the University community and violation of these rights by a student may be grounds for dismissal.

Students' Rights to Confidentiality 

The curriculum prepares professional social workers to be effective in helping clients and in collaborating with others on clients’ behalf. In the context of the School’s curriculum, as contrasted with personal therapy, personal growth and self-awareness are not ends in themselves; they are means toward the ends of effective practice skills. Contrary to a contract for personal therapy, the educational contract may not require students to reveal personal information either to fellow students or instructors. Therefore, any course which requires self-disclosure as a teaching/learning methodology must be optional for students to elect, make explicit at the outset any requirements for expectations of self-disclosure, and provide a rationale acceptable to Curriculum Committee that the nature of self-disclosure required can reasonably be expected to improve practice and that application of such experiences to practice will be made explicit for students. Self-disclosure, for the purpose of this document, is defined as disclosure of personal or family relationships or history.

The following specific guidelines must be followed with respect to students’ rights to confidentiality.

1. A student’s reactions to or feelings about clients and fellow workers are a legitimate concern of social work education. Students may be asked to examine these matters either in written assignments, practicum supervision, advisement, or liaison conferences.
2. Students may not be required involuntarily as a part of class or practicum to reveal information about their personal or family relationships or histories with the exception indicated in item 3 below. An assignment asking for personal or family information may, however, be utilized if an alternative assignment is available and given equal credit. For example, describe family relationships in literature instead of one’s own family or describe a person’s problem rather than one’s own problem.
3. A practice course may be offered which requires students to describe personal or family matters either in class or other assignments. Such a course may be offered under the following conditions:
   1. Methodology and content of the kind described in (3) must be approved by Curriculum Committee as necessary for achieving course objectives.
   2. Written course materials defining expectations of students regarding sharing of personal information must be made available at the outset of the course. The nature of the self-disclosure to be required and the context in which the self-disclosure will occur (e.g., assertiveness training, sharing of sexual experiences) must be made explicit in the course materials. The course materials must also contain a rationale for the types of self-disclosure expected indicating the specific ways in which such disclosure is expected to enhance practice skills.
4. Any information about him/herself which the student does choose to divulge must be treated by faculty and by fellow students with the same respect for confidentiality as that accorded to clients. That is, no mention of such confidences may be made unless directly connected with the education or practice of that student.
5. A breach of policy regarding student’s rights to confidentiality by either faculty or students shall be considered a violation of professional ethics and academic misconduct.

Confidentiality of Clients' Information 

1. In any instance in which a client is mentioned in a classroom or class assignment, whether in a brief vignette, oral or written case presentation, or any other manner, the following assurances of confidentiality must be observed:
   1. The names of persons who are clients, clients’ family members, agency personnel, and any other persons in their environments must be disguised so that they will not be recognizable.
   2. If the configuration of personal or family characteristics is such that it could render person(s) identifiable (age, family size or composition, race, occupation, handicap, etc.), some aspects of the configuration must be altered. Aspects least detrimental to understanding of the situation should be altered, but when there is doubt, the principle of confidentiality must take precedence over completeness in every detail.
   3. The specific place of work or schooling of clients should not be mentioned unless it is essential to the case and the entity is so large and the person’s other characteristics are sufficiently nonspecific that he/she cannot be identified.
2. Any discussion about clients in the classroom takes place in the context of professional learning and teaching. As such, it is protected by the social work profession’s ethics regarding confidentiality. Such content should never be discussed outside the classroom except with professional colleagues and then only for learning purposes.
3. Any written materials or tapes regarding clients must be prepared, used, and stored so as to ensure clients’ privacy. For tapes to be used in the classroom, clients’ permission must be gained in writing before taping may take place. Procedures used must be in conformity with University rules and regulations as well as with those of the student’s practicum agency. The responsibility to see to it that no one has access to such materials, except for legitimate professional purposes, rests with each student and faculty member.
4. A breach of the policy regarding confidentiality shall be considered a violation of professional ethics and academic misconduct.

Process for Student Complaints Regarding Instructors and Faculty for the School of Social Welfare 

For all other Schools and Departments, please refer to their respective pages for their process details.

Step 1:

Address the issue with your instructor either through direct communication (in writing, email, or face-to-face discussion) or your mid-semester feedback form.

Exception: If you feel you are experiencing discrimination on the basis of race (including racial harassment), religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual harassment, and sexual violence), disability, national origin, ancestry, age, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity and gender expression, you should contact:

Office of Civil Rights and Title IX (formally Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA)

Carruth-O’Leary Room 153
1246 W Campus Road
Lawrence, KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-6414
Fax: 785-864-8069
TTY: 711

Email: IOA@ku.edu
Office of Civil Rights and Title IX website

Step 2:

If the issue is not resolved, the next step is to contact the KU School of Social Welfare Academic Programs Coordinator.

(NOTE: You are on the KU School of Social Welfare Instructor Complaint webpage. For all other Schools and Departments, please refer to their respective pages for their process details.)

Dana Shafer Academic Programs Coordinator
School of Social Welfare
Twente Hall Room 204
1545 Lilac Lane
Lawrence, KS 66045-3129

Phone: 785-864-2292
Email: dshafer@ku.edu

Step 3:

If the issue is not resolved, contact the University Ombudsman at:

Ombuds Office
Carruth O'Leary Room 36
1246 W Campus Road
Lawrence, KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-7261

Email: ombuds@ku.edu
Ombuds Office website

Step 4:

If the issue is not resolved, a grievance can be filed in accordance with the School of Social Welfare grievance procedure that follows.

Grievance Procedures

Find the Grievance Policy in the School of Social Welfare Policy Library.