Graduate Social Work Student Association
The Graduate Social Work Student Association is an official student organization that serves as a bridge between MSW students, the UI School of Social Work, and social workers around the state. Incoming and potential students can reach out to any of the leadership with questions or concerns. For more information or to join the Graduate Social Work Student Association, contact the School of Social Work.
Master of Social Work
The University of Iowa MSW program prepares social workers for leadership in the profession and for advanced social work practice in a wide range of settings. The program offers two concentrations: Social Work Clinical Practice and Social Work Leadership Practice.
Enduring Understandings
- Social Justice: Seeing the world through a social justice lens and acting to dismantle structural oppression and social injustice are core to the mission of the social work profession.
- Ethics: Social work values and ethics are central to our professional identity.
- Systemic Perspective: Understanding that people and their environments are interconnected.
- Critical Thinking: Social workers are critical thinkers and problem solvers.
- Use of Self: Awareness of self and an effective use of self are crucial to effective relationships at all levels of practice in order to facilitate change.
Want to get started?
Learn more about the program, including courses, curriculum, and requirements here.
MSW/PhD in Social Work
The combined program provides students the opportunity to complete our MSW degree while earning credit toward the PhD degree. Instead of taking six years to complete the MSW and PhD programs separately, students in the combined program can complete the MSW and PhD degree in five years.
Learning Outcomes
- gain a mastery of the Enduring Understandings of our MSW Program: Social Justice, Ethics, Systemic Perspective, Critical Thinking, and Use of Self;
- locate their work in the intellectual landscape of social work;
- critically analyze theories, practices, policies, and research in at least one specialized area of social work knowledge;
- disseminate knowledge that contributes to the advancement of social work research, practice, and policy, including: writing publishable, peer-reviewed manuscripts; presenting at local, national and international conferences; and/or producing policy briefs or white papers; and
- in the social work classroom, create a learning culture and classroom climate that is inclusive of a diverse population of students and diverse learning styles.
Want to get started?
Learn more about the program, including courses, curriculum, and requirements here.
Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
Our PhD program is a four-year, highly individualized, research-intensive program, where candidates work closely with our nationally-recognized social work doctoral faculty. The program is highly interdisciplinary by design, with students completing several courses in one of four disciplines: Sociology, psychology, education or public health. By taking courses in other departments, our graduates are able to see social problems through multiple lenses. Our PhD graduates become leaders in education, research and government.
Learning Outcomes
- locate their work in the intellectual landscape of social work;
- critically analyze theories, practices, policies, and research in at least one specialized area of social work knowledge;
- disseminate knowledge that contributes to the advancement of social work research, practice, and policy, including: writing publishable, peer-reviewed manuscripts; presenting at local, national and international conferences; and/or producing policy briefs or white papers; and
- in the social work classroom, create a learning culture and classroom climate that is inclusive of a diverse population of students and diverse learning styles.
Want to get started?
Learn more about the program, including courses, curriculum, and requirements here.
Graduate Certificate in Aging and Longevity Studies
The Graduate certificate in Aging and Longevity Studies takes a multidisciplinary approach to gerontology. Its coursework has been coordinated and sequenced to provide a broad background in aging for students from varied disciplines. The certificate provides students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to increase their effectiveness in working with an ever-growing population of older adults in the US and globally.
Learning Outcomes
- knowledge of aging demographics in the US and globally;
- awareness of personal values about aging;
- understanding of demographic, health, financial, cognitive, physical and social forces of aging on individuals;
- recognition of policy and services available for older adults;
- identify societal implications of population aging; and
- identify and explain research methodologies, interpretations and applications used by different disciplines to study aging.
Want to get started?
Learn more about the program, including courses, curriculum, and requirements here.