MSW Focus Area

Special Practice Areas in Social Work

The specialized practice area is a versatile and comprehensive approach to helping individuals, families, and communities. This appeals to students who prefer a greater breadth of learning rather than the depth of a specific focus area. The specialized practice area allows you to learn the principals of a wide range of practice fields and client systems. Special practice areas provide opportunities to explore and develop expertise with practice issues that intersect across populations and practice arenas. In this area, you will select your courses to better inform your career interests.

Knowledge to Inform #

You’ll learn assessment, intervention, and advocacy which can be applied across a variety of populations and practice arenas. The versatility of specialized practice allows you to select courses from other focus areas to inform and support career goals. The holistic nature of selecting courses from multiple practice arenas reflects generalist social work practice. The growing trend toward generalist practice reflects an understanding of social workers as holistic, addressing both individual and systemic issues. Ensuring a comprehensive approach allows problem solving from multiple perspectives.

In this focus area, you can select courses to gain experience in:

Behavioral Health
Child, Youth and Families
Health/medical
Organizational Leadership
School Social Work

In this specialized practice area, you’ll be prepared to live your passion in the career you choose.

Focus Area Courses #

Choose 5 courses

SWK 618 Social Policy and Services (SPA) (3 cr.) Required
SWK-D 613 Special Instruction and Support Services for Diverse Populations (3 cr.)
SWK-D 614 School Social Work Practice with Children, Adolescents, and Families (3 cr.)
SWK-D 616 Social Work Practice in Schools (3 cr.)
SWK-D 636 Social Work Practice with Children and Families: Involuntary Populations, Addictions and Domestic Violence (3 cr.)
SWK-D 675 Digital Equity, Digital Citizenship, Data Justice and Practice (3 cr.)
SWK-D 676 Military Social Work: Practice Principles for Working w/Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families (3 cr.)
SWK-D 677 Foundations of e-Social Work Practice (3 cr.)
SWK-D 678 Telebehavioral Health Social Work Practice with Individuals (3 cr.)
SWK-D 679 e-Social Work Practice with Groups (3 cr.)
SWK-D 683 Community-based Practice in Behavioral Health (3 cr.)
SWK-D 685 Mental Health and Addictions Practice: Individuals and Families (3 cr.)
SWK-D 686 Social Work Practice: Addictions (3 cr.)

Find your degree pathway!