New Master of Social Work curriculum connects students to value-driven, human rights-based approach

As the KU School of Social Welfare developed its new Master of Social Work (MSW) curriculum, a values-driven approach was always at the forefront. One way the curriculum has been redesigned is in the multitude of ways students can engage with the program – campuses, settings and course times have all be adjusted to better meet diverse student needs. Created with community involvement and intentionality in design and implementation, the newly designed MSW program brings together theory and practice for a well-rounded approach to social work. 

Launched in Fall 2021, Fall 2022 marks the first semester that all current Master of Social Work (MSW) students are enrolled in the new curriculum. Generalist students--those without a Bachelor of Social Work--were integrated last year with first-year coursework designed to actively incorporate social work values and ethics, promotion of human rights, and contemporary perspectives on anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI).  

MSW Program Director Dr. Nancy Kepple explains, “creating a values-driven approach was always important because we wanted our school’s mission and vision to be visible in each class. We also wanted to be responsive to social work, a field that is always changing. There was so much intentionality in the design.” 

One key feature of the new curriculum is the importance of community involvement in the curriculum update. After soliciting feedback from alumni and field partners, the MSW program found a consistent response asking for social workers who were agile and could “hit the ground running” in a variety of roles. This feedback was deemed to be central to the redesign. Electives were reimagined for real-world settings and a focus was placed on ensuring students knew they are building a core foundation and specialized tools for lifelong learning and growth. The program also used this feedback to incorporate a fully online MSW option to help meet students where they are. 

Reaching out for feedback and direction from the community helped the MSW program meet the field where it is now by implementing a theory and skill approach to the curriculum design. The School of Social Welfare had always utilized a combination of full-time research faculty and field adjunct faculty within the program, but there is now a newfound importance on creating a dialogue between those practicing in the community with our nationally recognized research faculty. 

According to Dr. Kepple, “the field is often innovating to address present needs where research may not exist while promoting evidence-informed practices. We need a dialogue so our students can understand current theory and evidence but also know how to implement it in the field. They need intellectual ideas and real-world skills.” 

Integrated into the need for skill-building, the new MSW has worked to modernize. Courses have been reimagined with current theory and method in mind. Courses within the macro specialization, for example, includes new activities specific for conducting activist social work via social media channels. In addition, courses within the clinical specialization have incorporated work training on approaches addressing trauma-related needs. If the program is to be responsive to emerging needs in the field, the MSW committee found it imperative to help students unbox themselves from the ideas of what social work can look like. 

Within a values-driven approach, the curriculum overhaul included an ADEI perspective that correlated with new accreditation standards. The program had a strong desire to make ADEI front and center and implemented in daily practice. And though there are specific courses at all levels on ADEI topics, the newly designed MSW integrates ADEI across all coursework. “We shifted to more explicitly show ADEI is a part of social work practice; it’s not an add-on to the practice. Humans are diverse and complex, and we work in human service,” says Dr. Kepple. 

Applications for the MSW program opened October 1st.