Mission Statement, Values and Goals

Accreditation 

The Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Missouri State University is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

CSWE is a national association of social work education programs that is designed to enhance the quality of social work education. Its members include over 800 accredited master’s degree social work programs.

For more information, visit the CSWE website.

Mission statement

Our mission is to develop advanced generalist practitioners who are committed to promoting Missouri State University's public affairs mission.

These self-reflective leaders will improve communities at the local, national, and global levels through ethical advocacy to ultimately eradicate social, economic, and environmental injustices.

MSW graduates will demonstrate this through the utilization of culturally-informed frameworks, multidimensional problem solving approaches, research-informed practice methods, and evidence-based theories.

Generalist goals

The following are the program objectives for the MSW generalist curriculum:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the history, mission, and philosophy of the social work profession and how it relates to the formulation of a professional identity.
2. Recognize values and ethical dilemmas in practice within the parameters of the NASW Code of Ethics.
3. Demonstrate professional demeanor and self-awareness regarding personal values and professionalism impacting their professional judgment.
4. Understand, apply, and communicate the importance of cultural competance and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at all system levels.
5. Address the needs of populations-at-risk with an understanding of discrimination and oppression on all system levels.
6. Understand, identify, and advocate against local and global social, economic, environmental injustices in practice settings.
7. Recognize and value role of research for practice improvement.
8. Identify and assess impact of social policy at the local, national, and global levels and demonstrate knowledge of pathways to change policies to advance human rights.
9. Demonstrate critical thinking skills, including the ability to apply person-in-environment and multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate generalist social work practice on all system levels.

Advanced generalist goals

The following are the program objectives for the MSW advanced generalist curriculum:

1. Demonstrate ethical leadership and professional decision-making through the application of the NASW Code of Ethics on all system levels. 
2. Demonstrate culturally-informed advanced generalist practice approaches on all system levels.
3. Analyze the multidimensional factors that form and shape the human experience and integrate research-informed practice theories that support the unique factors of families and systems during the helping process.
4. Engage in social work value-based strategies designed to eliminate oppressive structural barriers and advance social, economic, and environmental justice at the local, national, and global advanced generalist practice levels.
5. Collect, analyze, evaluate, and apply evidence-based research to inform and improve policy and service delivery; specifically in the areas of children and families, physical health, behavioral health, and community health. 
6. Critically evaluate and advocate for ethical social work practices that lead to the development  of local, national, and global policies that promote human and environmental rights. 
7. Demonstrate wellness-oriented and other theoretical frameworks that maximize the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, cultural, and spiritual health on all advanced generalist practice levels. 
8. Exhibit critical thinking skills to appropriately apply evidence-based practice theories when engaging, assessing, intervening and evaluating services on all system levels.
9. Display an advanced generalist social work knowledge base during interprofessional collaboration.