The UW-Green Bay and the UW Oshkosh have established a Collaborative MSW Program that prepares social workers for advanced practice as facilitators, partners and leaders in planned change activities with service users and community service providers. The program’s goal is to educate professionals ready to assume direct practice leadership roles within this region’s increasingly diverse and transforming rural and metropolitan environments.

The program aims to prepare practitioners who can work to strengthen families through services and policies supportive of family and community well-being; engage in interdisciplinary learning and coordinated inter-professional practice; provide leadership in the community and in civic life; and encourage and guide the inclusion and representation of Native Americans and members of other cultures in the region.

 Program graduates provide leadership in the social work field:

• Through their expertise in the use of skills associated with “best practice” models, particularly those that are family-focused and that serve diverse clientele;

• By taking action to improve services, particularly in the public and tribal practice sectors and in rural social work practice;

• By regularly utilizing research to critically analyze, improve and develop services within their areas of expertise;

• By developing and refining services through collaborative efforts with diverse clientele;

• By developing ongoing and innovative strategies for support of professional peers.

The program offers a full-time curriculum, which can be completed in two calendar years. A part-time program is also available, which can be completed in nine semesters for students entering at the foundation level or five semesters for students entering at the advanced level. To meet the needs of working students, most courses in the program are offered on evenings and Saturdays. Students also integrate and apply their classroom learning in a 16-hour-a-week field experience.

In addition to the requirements of the Office of Graduate Studies specified in the first section of this bulletin, the program has established the following policies and procedures for admission.  To be admitted to the Collaborative MSW Program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75, with 3.0 in the last two years of study;

2. Have an academic background in the liberal arts and have completed a minimum of 18 credits in the social sciences from among courses in at least three of the following disciplines: psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics and political science (BSW students meet this criterion);

3. Through a written statement, three letters of reference (including one academic reference) and a relevant professional work/volunteer background, provide evidence of interest in and ability to work with social work clientele and in social work settings; documentation of breadth and depth of professional and/or volunteer experience (usually includes post-baccalaureate experience) that has prepared the applicant for advanced level practice;

4. Have completed coursework in: human biology, statistics, research methods and lifespan development or submit plans for completing this work prior to taking the advanced curriculum in the program;

5. For advanced standing, have graduated from an accredited baccalaureate social work program within the last 8 years.

The program has a two-stage admissions process. Applicants complete a pre-admissions process by submitting a Pre-Admission Application Packet, personal essay, work resume and contact information for three references to the Collaborative MSW Program. These materials are available at: www.uwosh.edu/socialwork/msw/admissions-procedures/. Applicants who are recommended for acceptance to the Collaborative MSW Program then complete additional application procedures at either UW-Green Bay or UW Oshkosh.

Areas of Emphasis

In addition to requiring a common foundation of courses, the Collaborative MSW Program offers an Advanced Direct Practice curriculum. This curriculum prepares students for leadership in the field through their work with and on behalf of individuals, groups, and families. Work with vulnerable families who face multiple life challenges is emphasized.

Students also may concentrate their studies in social work administration and management. This concentration is offered when there is sufficient student interest to provide the SW Administration and Management practice course (SW 722). Students interested in this concentration are directed to the Collaborative MSW Program coordinator.

Students are required to take four courses in the advanced curriculum and two elective courses relevant to their practice area focus.

Location of Classes

Most social work courses are offered at the UW-Fox Valley campus in Menasha, a central location for most students from northeastern Wisconsin. Some additional elective and interdisciplinary courses will be available on either the UW Oshkosh or UW-Green Bay campuses. Other Appleton locations may be used when space needs cannot be met at UW-Fox Valley. Please check the semester schedule of classes for specific information on course offerings.

Field Hours

The program requires 960 total field hours: 480 hours in the foundation year and 480 hours in the advanced year. Students are in the field placement for 16 hours a week for 15 weeks each semester. Field credits are awarded at one (1) credit for every four hours in the field.

Accreditation

The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Foundation Requirements: 28 credits

Core Courses:

Advanced Requirements - All Students: 32 credits

Core Courses:

Advanced Requirements: Direct Practice Concentration

*Soc Work 727 (3 credits) Psychopathology and Strength-Based Assessment

At UW Oshkosh:

• Psych 530 (3 credits) Adult Development and Aging
• Psych 690 (3 credits) Special Topics (approval of the program coordinator required)
• Women's Studies 550 (3 credits) Women, Race and Class

At UW Green Bay:

• Educ 552 (3 credits) Social and Family Influences on Early Development and Learning

Advanced Requirements:

Administration/ Management Concentration

At UW Oshkosh:

• MPA 723 (3 credits) Organizational Structure and Behavior
  

At UW Green Bay:

• Management 753 (3 credits) Organizational Theory and Behavior

At UW Oshkosh:

• MPA 723 (3 credits) Organizational Structure and Behavior
• MPA 752 (3 credits) Public Budgeting and Finance
  

At UW Green Bay:

• Management 753 (3 credits) Organizational Theory and Behavior

Advanced Requirement: Professional Project

Students in the program meet professional project requirements by completing a research project during their final semester in the program (Social Work 732). Students develop their project proposal in the Advanced Research Applications course (Social Work 731). This field-related research project is completed when students finish their two-semester Advanced Social Work Field Practica Social Work 729 and 733).

Six (6) credits of electives are required in the direct practice concentration and three (3) credits of electives are required in the administration/ management concentration. Students may also take advanced HBSE as electives.

Elective Courses:

At UW Oshkosh:

• Soc Work 575 (3 credits) Treatment and Mistreatment of Offenders
• MPA 729 (3 credits) Healthcare Organization and Management
• MPA 760 (3 credits) Administrative Law
  

At UW-Green Bay:

• Management 750 (3 credits) Team Dynamics and Problem Solving
• Management 757 (3 credits) Leadership and Innovation
  
• Management 776 (3 credits) Organizational Communication and Conflict