College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Courses

Social Work

The School of Social Work builds knowledge about social welfare issues, policies, and practice interventions and integrates that knowledge into teaching and public service. It promotes the application of theories and practice approaches to development, implementation, and evaluation of social welfare policy and practice with vulnerable populations, especially children and the elderly.

Using family-centered and community-based practice approaches, the school prepares culturally competent social work scholars and practitioners with a commitment to social justice and social work values and ethics.

The school provides a program of professional training accredited by the Council on Social Work Education at the baccalaureate and master's levels, aimed at developing effective intervention in multiple systems and using professional social work values and ethics. It also offers a Ph.D. program, which prepares students to conduct research that contributes to the knowledge base of social work, to be leaders in setting policy and practice, and to teach in colleges and universities.

Undergraduate Program

Social work students are challenged to excel academically, think analytically, and apply theory to practice, in preparation for continuing their education at the graduate level.

Selective Admission

A limited number of students are admitted to the major. The application deadline is March 1. Admission to the undergraduate program in social work requires:

completion of 042:022 Introduction to Social Work with a grade of C or higher (should be taken the sophomore year);

a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50 (exceptions may be made for persons who do not meet the grade-point average requirement if they are strong candidates on the basis of other criteria); and

completion of application forms and statement.

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee admission. Admission often is limited by available instructional resources and opportunities for field placement.

For more information about admission policies, contact the School of Social Work undergraduate coordinator or admissions coordinator.

Bachelor of Arts

002:021 Human Biology

4 s.h.

Social work courses (begins with 042:022 Introduction

to Social Work and culminates with a field experience)

35 s.h.

Concentration area courses (see list of areas)

12 s.h.

Social science courses (12-14 s.h.):

030:001 Introduction to American Politics

3 s.h.

031:001 Elementary Psychology

3 s.h.

034:001 Introduction to Sociology: Principles

3-4 s.h.

One of these social science or quantitative studies elective courses:

06E:001 Principles of Microeconomics

4 s.h.

06E:002 Principles of Macroeconomics

4 s.h.

22S:002 Statistics and Society

3 s.h.

22S:025 Elementary Statistics and Inference

3 s.h.

113:003 Introduction to the Study of Culture and Society

3 s.h.

113:010 Anthropology and Contemporary World Problems

3 s.h.

The school recommends that required course work be taken in the following sequence. Most social work courses are offered only once each year.

FIRST AND SECOND YEARS

THIRD YEAR

FOURTH YEAR

CONCENTRATION AREA

African American studies
Aging studies
American studies
Anthropology
Business
Communication studies
Economics
Education
English
Health and sport studies
History
Journalism and mass communication
Leisure studies
Political science
Psychology
Religious studies
Sociology
Spanish
Women's studies

Four-Year Graduation Plan

Admission to the major in social work is selective. The four-year graduation plan applies only to students who are admitted by the beginning of their fifth semester.

Before the third semester begins: at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the fifth semester begins: 042:022, four courses that can be applied to the major (may include concentration area courses), admission to the major, and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the seventh semester begins: six more courses in the major and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the eighth semester begins: four or five more courses in the major and finalized field placement

During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours t o graduate

Honors

Contact the University of Iowa Honors Program for more information on honors study at Iowa.

Minor

Graduate Programs

Master of Social Work

The school offers the M.S.W. program at Des Moines, the Quad Cities, and Sioux City, as well as Iowa City. Each site provides a structured sequence of courses as well as opportunities for individualized plans of study. All sites give students access to the wealth of resources of a Research 1 University. The program's two concentrations--family-centered practice and integrated practice--offer students knowledge and skills for working with children, elders, families, small groups, organizations, and communities. Students have the opportunity to develop competencies necessary for leadership in addressing unique social work challenges of the State of Iowa, including a high proportion of elders, recent immigrants to rural communities, and rural poverty.

The 60 s.h. required for the M.S.W. includes 25 s.h. earned in foundation-level courses and 35 s.h. in advanced courses. Students who hold an undergraduate degree from a Council on Social Work Education program earn the master's degree with 48 s.h. All students must earn a minimum of 36 s.h. after admission to the M.S.W. program.

Students may be allowed 9 to 12 s.h. of graduate transfer credit for previous graduate work.

The school operates a year-round, sequenced graduate program that begins in the fall semester for full-time students who require the full 60 s.h. The program continues through the summer, which is a full semester. Full-time students generally earn the M.S.W. the spring semester of their second year. Those who require 48 s.h. have the option of enrolling full-time or part-time their first semester.

Full-time study and a four-year part-time program are available in Iowa City and Des Moines. A three-year sequence of courses is available at all sites, although the Sioux City and Quad Cities sites admit new cohorts only on a three-year cycle. All students follow a structured sequence of courses. They must maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.00 and must be promoted each semester in compliance with the school's student advancement policy. A thesis option is available.

Following is an outline of the full-time 60 s.h. program. For information about the three-year and four-year part-time sequences, contact the School of Social Work.

FIRST-YEAR FOUNDATION

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

Summer Session

SECOND-YEAR CONCENTRATION

Fall Semester

One of these:

042:250 Family-Centered Theory and Practice I

3 s.h.

042:260 Integrated Social Work Theory and Practice I

3 s.h.

One of these:

042:292 Advanced Practicum in Family-Centered Practice I and II

5-6 s.h.

042:295 Advanced Practicum in Integrated Practice

5-6 s.h.

One of these:

042:293 Advanced Practicum Seminar in Family-Centered Practice I

1 s.h.

042:297 Advanced Practicum Seminar in Integrated Practice I

1 s.h.

Spring Semester

One of these:

042:252 Advanced Social Policy for Family Practice

3 s.h.

042:262 Advanced Social Policy for Integrated Practice

3 s.h.

One of these:

042:292 Advanced Practicum in Family-Centered Practice I and II

5-6 s.h.

042:295 Advanced Practicum in Integrated Practice

5-6 s.h.

One of these:

042:294 Advanced Practicum Seminar in Family-Centered Practice II

1 s.h.

042:298 Advanced Practicum Seminar in Integrated Practice II

1 s.h.

Concentrations

FAMILY-CENTERED PRACTICE

The concentration prepares students to work with individuals and families at appropriate levels of intensity, mobilize existing strengths, and enhance coping skills. Using principles of family-centered practice, students learn to take community and larger systems into account while working in partnership with individuals and families in all aspects of assessment and intervention planning. The concentration emphasizes sensitivity to a variety of family forms and to cultural diversity within family forms. "Family" is broadly defined to include step families, single-parent families, same-sex-couple families, grandparent-as-parent families, adult parent-adult child families, and traditional forms of families.

INTEGRATED PRACTICE

Building on strengths and assets of organizations and communities, students learn how to mobilize community members in advocacy and change efforts--skills useful for case managers, service coordinators, supervisors, program planners and developers, and administrators. Students also learn how to apply advanced skills to advocacy, community assessment, planning and mobilizing resources, and influencing social policy.

The concentration prepares students for practice in varied settings, including hospitals and community health programs, schools, mental health centers, neighborhood and family resource centers, community- and family-based community service agencies, correctional facilities, and programs that serve the elderly, both in the community and in care facilities. In many of these settings, social workers work as interdisciplinary team members and team leaders within organizations. They also collaborate with community organizations, community residents, and service providers. Many social workers are involved in staff supervision, program development, and agency administration. Content areas include grant writing; intervention in multiple systems, including team and network building; policy practice; and design of evaluation methods for client assessment and program evaluation.

M.S.W. via Distance Education

For program entry and application dates, contact the School of Social Work.

DES MOINES CENTER

QUAD CITIES CENTER

SIOUX CITY CENTER

Admission

a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with a reasonable distribution of courses in the liberal arts and sciences, including the humanities as well as the social, behavioral, and biological sciences;

competence with word processing and spreadsheet application on personal computers;

an undergraduate g.p.a. of 3.00 or higher, or a g.p.a. of 3.00 or higher on 12 s.h. of letter-graded graduate course work; consult the Office of Admissions for help in calculating grade-point average;

three letters of recommendation, including one regarding academic abilities and one from the applicant's most recent employer (if the employment was social work-related); and

a personal statement addressing criteria specified by the School of Social Work.

Applications are accepted beginning September 1 and must be completed by February 1 to be considered for the next academic year.

The school seeks to maintain a heterogeneous student body by enrolling students who represent diverse backgrounds and cultural perspectives. Previous experience in human services and cross-cultural experiences are desirable.

For a complete statement of graduate admission policies, contact the School of Social Work.

Financial Support

Doctor of Philosophy

The program offers students a coherent program of study with opportunities to pursue their own scholarly interests. It includes courses in a well-defined focal area and in one of three disciplines: sociology, psychology, or health management and policy. This course work prepares students for the comprehensive examination and dissertation defense.

Ph.D. students develop close working relationships with faculty members who have achieved national recognition in areas such as aging; child welfare; diversity, inequality, and social justice; and substance abuse and mental health.

The required 82 s.h. for the Ph.D. is earned through course work, research and teaching practicums, and dissertation work. Students who enter the program with an M.S.W. are granted credit for 30 s.h. and must complete an additional 56 s.h. for the degree. Students with master's degrees in related fields may apply to the M.S.W./Ph.D. program. They may be granted credit on a case-by-case basis. For information about the M.S.W./Ph.D. program, contact the School of Social Work.

To become Ph.D. candidates, students must satisfy the program's course work requirements, pass a comprehensive examination, and write a dissertation and defend it in an oral examination.

Each student's program of study must be approved by his or her doctoral committee.

CORE COURSES

042:300 Social Work Proseminar

1 s.h.

042:301 Knowledge Building in Social Work Practice

3 s.h.

042:302 Knowledge Building in Social Welfare Policy

3 s.h.

042:303 Social Work Research Practicum

4 s.h.

042:304 Advanced Research Seminar

3 s.h.

One of these:

042:305 Social Work Pedagogy: Theory and Practice

3 s.h.

042:306 Social Work Teaching Practicum

3 s.h.

COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS

Social work core curriculum (see "Core Courses")

17 s.h.

Social work focal area (aging, child welfare,

diversity, inequality and social justice, or

substance abuse and mental health)

6 s.h.

Minor in an outside discipline (psychology,

sociology, or health management policy)

12 s.h.

Research methods, statistics, and data analysis (not included above)

9 s.h.

Admission

The school makes special efforts to recruit students from underrepresented minorities, especially Iowa residents. The program accepts four to five students each year.

All applicants should have an undergraduate g.p.a. of at least 3.00 and a composite score (verbal and quantitative) of at least 1100 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. All applicants must submit a completed Graduate College application form, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, Graduate Record Examination scores, a personal statement of professional goals, including area of interest and reason for pursuing the Ph.D. (two to three pages), a résumé, a sample of scholarly writing (scholarly publication or research or theoretical term paper), and four letters of recommendation (two must be academic references). International applicants whose first language is not English must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Applicants must submit the application form, fee, and other materials to the Office of Admissions. An application packet and list of guidelines are available from the office. The application is due February 1 for the following academic year.

Financial Support

Joint Graduate Programs

Similar arrangements may be made with other departments. Academic units in which social work students have pursued joint degrees include the Tippie College of Business, the College of Education, the Department of American Studies, the Department of Religious Studies, and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Students are encouraged to take courses in other departments whether or not they are pursuing joint degrees.

The School of Social Work participates in the Certificate in Aging Studies program through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (see Aging Studies in the Catalog). Students can earn the certificate concurrently with the M.S.W. program; they must apply independently to the Aging Studies Program coordinator.

The school cooperates with the College of Education to provide curricula that meet requirements for school social work endorsement in Iowa.

Professional Association

Special Projects, Off-Campus Seminars

The school also offers students the opportunity to participate in travel/study seminars. Urban, rural, national, and international seminars are a vailable.

Continuing Education

Courses