aerial of campus with focus on campanile

Support for a successful journey

Successful Journey

All
programs and field education hold required orientations each year
100%
of undergraduates are required to attend academic advising each semester
All
students receive professional and faculty advising and PhD students receive 1:1 mentoring
32,575
hours/year of individualized field practicum support

Advising

Teaching, mentoring and advising quality

BSW students should make advising appointments through Jayhawk GPS. In the notes of that appointment, you can indicate how you would like to meet. Your advisor can accommodate your advising in a number of different ways:

  1. In-person advising, to be completed by your scheduled appointment.
  2. Email advising, to be completed by your scheduled appointment.
  3. Advising by phone during your scheduled appointment (we will need your preferred phone number).
  4. Advising by Zoom during your scheduled appointment (we will need your preferred phone number).

The BSW degree program prides itself on the thoroughness of its advising system. Early advising is recommended for students interested in social work.

Undergraduate academic advising is a developmental decision-making process during which students identify and realize their educational potential through communication with an academic success coach. Advising is an ongoing, multifaceted process. It is a responsibility shared by the student, success coach and KU. Advising concerns students' intellectual goals including career planning, enrollment, and course and major selection. It establishes and maintains a relationship between faculty members and students.

For students who plan to transfer to KU, please contact the School to arrange advising:

  • Amea Chandler, academic success coach, BSW program at KU Edwards
  • Vicki Mignot, academic success coach, BSW program at KU Lawrence

Once a student is admitted to the School of Social Welfare, a faculty advisor is assigned to assist the student with career and professional matters. In addition, an academic success coach will be able to assist students with enrollment and other academic program requirements for the BSW degree program. Students consult with their academic success coach before enrollment each semester and have their advising hold removed. Students can view their success coach on the myKU portal.

For more information on BSW degree advising, review the BSW student handbook.

MSW Enrollment Information

Find part-time and full-time MSW Advanced Standing and Traditional completion plans on the webpages for each program location and format:

Your specific enrollment time can be found in Enroll & Pay in the Manage Classes section. After you select “Manage Classes,” you will be able to select “Enrollment Dates” to find your specific time. 

The time assigned to you is the first opportunity you get to enroll in your courses. You may enroll any time after this time/date has passed. If you try to enroll before that date and time, you will get an error message.

You must also check Enroll & Pay to see if you have anyholds which may prevent your enrollment. The most common type of hold this time of year is an NPY Hold which means “Past Due Balance.” Please try to resolve any holds before your enrollment time. **Every MSW student has a “No Drops Hold” on their account. This prevents students from dropping classes without speaking to an advisor first. It will not impact your ability to enroll.

Schedule of Classes

Visit classes.ku.edu to find course offerings (make sure you select GRADUATE level and view the correct campus). 

Licensure info can be found on the student resources page

Each student has a faculty member assigned as an advisor for consultation on career matters, fields of practice, and concentration. In addition, an academic advisor will be able to assist students with enrollment and other academic program requirements for the M.S.W. degree. Students can view their advisors on the myKU portal. For more information on MSW program advising, please review the MSW Handbook.

Requests for a Leave of Absence or Change in MSW Program Plan of Study

Students who wish to request an intermit (leave of absence) or change their plan of study must complete the Request for a Leave of Absence or change in MSW Program Plan of Study form

Review the School of Social Welfare’s policies and procedures for an intermit or change to a plan of study in the MSW Handbook.

The primary purpose of the advising system is to provide advice, support, mentoring, and evaluation for students by faculty. The Doctoral Program Office also keeps a database for tracking student progress to help students and faculty to evaluate and guide students’ educational planning and progress. Current students can find their advisors on the myKU portal.

There are two types of advisors: Enrollment Advisor and Academic Advisor.

  • The enrollment advisor helps the student to schedule classes, assures compliance with school and university regulations for scheduling, and gives enrollment permission. The enrollment advisor is the PhD program director for all students until they have formed an Integrative Paper Committee.
  • The academic advisor provides advice, support, evaluative, and monitoring for the student. The academic advisor is responsible to notify the PhD program director whenever serious academic difficulty is identified for an advisee, so that appropriate supports and responses can be devised. The PhD program director serves as academic advisor to incoming students. The PhD program director also helps students to identify an ongoing academic advisor during their first year, based on matching common interests between the student and relevant faculty. A student may change academic advisor at any time by following the procedures described in the PhD Handbook.
  • Once a student has formed an Integrative Paper Committee, the chair of that committee serves in the capacities of both enrollment and academic advisor.
  • Once a student has formed a Doctoral Dissertation Committee, the chair of that committee serves in the capacities of both enrollment and academic advisor.

The Practicum Education Office works closely with students and agencies to secure an enriching field practicum experience. Every effort is made to locate a field placement within a one-hour drive from the student's home. Learn more about Practicum Education.

Assessment of Student Learning

Council on Social Work Education Accreditation requires continuous evaluation

The School of Social Welfare posts an annual evaluation of educational outcomes through the Council on Social Work Education accreditation process. Find more information below about the competencies measured for each degree program.

Updated Aug. 7, 2023

  1. To prepare B.S.W. 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.

BSW Program Mission and Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
  • 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; appear; and oral, written, and electronic communication.
  • Use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes. 
  • Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.
OBJECTIVE 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
  • Advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels. 
  • Engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
OBJECTIVE 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
  • Demonstrate anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels.
  • 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.
OBJECTIVE 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
  • Apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs. 
  • 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. 
OBJECTIVE 5: Engage in Policy Practice
  • Use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services.
  • Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
OBJECTIVE 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
  • Apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies.
  • Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.
OBJECTIVE 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
  • Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies.
  • Demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan.
OBJECTIVE 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
  • Engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals.
  • Incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.  
OBJECTIVE 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
  • Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes.
  • Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Updated Aug. 1, 2023

COMPETENCY 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Generalist:

  • 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 Specialist:

  • 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 ongoing self-care and professional development.

Macro Specialist:

  • 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:

  • 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 Specialist:

  • 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 Specialist:

  • 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:

  • 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 Specialist:

  • 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 Specialist:

  • 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:

  • 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 Specialist:

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

Macro Specialist:

  • 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:

  • 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 Specialist:

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

Macro Specialist:

  • 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: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, & Communities

  • 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 Specialist: Individuals, Families, & Groups

  • 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 Specialist: Organizations & Communities

  • 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: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, & Communities

  • 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 Specialist: Individuals, Families, & Groups

  • 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 Specialist: Organizations & Communities

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

COMPETENCY 8: Intervene with...

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

  • 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 Specialist: Individuals, Families, & Groups

  • 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 Specialist: Organizations & Communities

  • 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: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, & Communities

  • 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 Specialist: Individuals, Families, & Groups

  • 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 Specialist: Organizations & Communities

  • 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.

Current as of Aug. 4, 2023

  • Prepare students to become leaders nationally and internationally in advancing social work practice and policy through research and scholarship.
  • Graduate from the program with the critical knowledge and skills they need to become innovators as researchers, scholars, and educators.

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

Additional Resources for a Successful Journey

Find resources for current students including program handbooks, emergency funding information, and contacts for the Dean's Student Advisory Board.

Additional Funding

The School of Social Welfare goes above and beyond the typical financial aid and scholarship support to help provide support for students with additional need.

Scholarships & Funding

The School has has several sources of financial assistance available for BSW, MSW and doctoral students who meet the various criteria including traditional scholarships, emergency funding, travel funding and scholars programs.
Stone Jayhawk



Academic Advisors

Resources for Current Students

Information and student support
Find program guides, student support services and more within the School.
Current Student Resources