Master of Social Work

The mission, goals, and objectives of the MSW Program at CSUN are to prepare advanced professional practitioners to address the needs of the greater Los Angeles and Southern California regions and to enhance social services for people in urban environments through a strengths-based, community-oriented, urban family practice model while promoting social justice with special sensitivity to the multicultural and multinational population.

Our mission, goals, and objectives are woven throughout the curriculum. We prepare graduates to work successfully with a variety of client systems. The MSW Program is grounded in a strengths-based framework to promote the well-being of urban families and urban communities. Our curriculum incorporates content on the profession’s history, purposes, and philosophy. It emphasizes critical and creative thinking that will enable our graduates to initiate, adapt, and evaluate interventions for urban families while remaining alert to relevant national and global issues. The program trains professionals to practice ethically and competently, and to integrate social work knowledge, process, and values into all professional activities.

The DPSS Program

Enrollment for the DPSS program begins in the spring semester only. Students complete 63 graduate units, including a minimum of 12 hours per week of field placement internship starting in the fall of the second year and 16-20 hours per week of field placement internship starting in the fall of the third year

Students attend classes year-round. Classes are taught three at a time, in fifteen-week semesters. Classes are held every Friday from 9:00—4:45 and Saturday from 9:00—11:45 in the first year. The second and third year classes are held on Saturdays from 9:00—4:45.

MSW Field Education

Field practicum is undoubtedly a keystone in graduate social work education. It is in field education where theory, practice concepts and skills, values, and social policy and research information are applied and internalized. Field education provides the guided practice needed to prepare MSW students to become advanced social work professionals.

Beginning Fall semester of the second year students are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours of field placement internship per week in an agency outside of DPSS. In Fall semester of the third year students will complete the remainder of their required field hours (16-20 hours per week) within DPSS but residing in a different department than their current position. Field placement days vary based upon the agency needs, student schedules and employer approval.