The Master of Social Work program is available on a full or part-time basis and may be completed through a thesis or a practicum route. The MSW builds on the BSW by offering students an integrated research, policy, practice concentration in one of the key thematic areas: social work in northern and remote areas, Indigenous Peoples, women and the human services, and community practice and research. The aim of the MSW is to provide students with advanced social work research, policy and practice skills. It is designed to enable students to pursue independent studies that will help them undertake a variety of responsibilities in management, policy formulation, program consultation, planning, advanced social work, clinical practice, and research within the human services.
Accreditation
The MSW program at UNBC is fully accredited and was granted the maximum eight-year re-accreditation by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE), in June 2018. CASWE is a voluntary, national, non-profit association of university faculties, schools or departments that offer professional education in social work at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels.
Entry Routes
There are two entry routes into the MSW at UNBC:
- MSW: Entry from a CASWE-accredited BSW leads into the Advanced Year of the MSW Program.
- MSW Foundation Year: Entry from a Bachelor degree in a related area and two years (24 months full-time equivalent) human service experience. Entry at this level begins with an MSW Foundation Year of studies.