Sunday, March 25, 2012

What Comes With a Masters of Social Work?


Masters Social Work programs or MSW programs are extensions of a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. MSW is post-university level education, which means it involves added dimensions to the discipline. This takes most of the undergraduate courses to the next degree of refinement.

Students must first complete a regular four-year college course to get into a master's course. The undergraduate, after all, prepares you for the advanced ideas that are going to be thrown at you in a master's. Those in these classes have to deal with complex analysis of various social issues and matters, among other things.

You should thus be someone who has a fairly deep comprehension of how the societal framework is structured and how it may be improved. In other words, this is not a purely academic subject without real currency. If you have experience in social work, it shall assist you immensely.

Social Work is all about communities and the people. Understandably, a Masters program in this field of public service cannot and must not be confined to the classroom. People in the course have to do a lot of researching and problem-solving.

Theoretical knowledge cannot fix everything. Field experience can never be put down as a mode of teaching. You should never stick to a paper-based mode of understanding.

Master's course run to a couple of years, usually. Coursework, research studies, internships, and hands-on training promise two years of meaningful learning in graduate school. The certification you gain from those two years of study shall open doors for you when it comes to social work projects.

Social work students and social work practitioners are expected to exercise analytical thinking and excellent problem-solving skills. You should be skilled at handling practical situations. Those who wish to enter the academe may even go on to take up the next program for getting a PhD in the discipline.

Most of the graduates of MSW go on to become employees of public service groups, both state-run and NGO-type. The abilities of MSW graduates are in demand in places that are experiencing severe societal and economic issues. Naturally, they are also going to be challenging.

Nowadays, a major focus in the discipline is the developing world. Third-world countries are now referred to as “developing” countries, because experts want to instill a mindset of development, rather than abasement and depravity. People in the MSW program should understand that because their own goal is to help all societies.

While social work is not easy, it has its share of rewards. Assisting those whose situations call for it can be most rewarding. The Master of Social Work is hence a qualification given to those who have become experts in the practice of aiding others.