Advanced Social Work Practice Specialization Curriculum
Four Corners MSW Program
The Advanced Social Work Practice specialization curriculum in Durango, Colorado, will prepare you to practice across a continuum of services at micro, mezzo and macro levels with a wide range of populations and settings to meet the needs of rural and tribal communities. The specialization emphasizes culturally responsive practice needed for the increasing diversity in communities locally and nationally. Because one-quarter of students reside within or near Native tribes, we put a special focus on Native social work practice. Two specialized courses, both taught by Native faculty, add Native content to the curriculum.
To see a full list of course descriptions, view the GSSW bulletin. The minimum credits required for the master of social work degree are 81 for Four Corners MSW Program students and 54 for Four Corners Advanced-Standing MSW Program students. The specialization curriculum is made up of 42 credits, and the rest is comprised of the foundation curriculum. The table below shows a list of required and elective class offerings for the Advanced Social Work Practice specialization.
| Area Requirements | Courses |
|---|---|
| Theory (3 credits required) |
Critical Theories of Child and Adolescent Development |
| Assessment (3 credits required) |
Assessment of Mental Health Across the Lifespan |
| Ethics, Safety & Supervisory Skills (3 credits required) | Environmental Change Impacts and Resilience Strategies for Mental Health Leadership and Supervision Skills Child Welfare Practice: Assessment & Intervention Human Security Social Work & the Law Trauma Informed Assessment and Interventions Global Cultural Perspectives: Ethical Considerations Suicide Assessment and Interventions |
| Intervention Skills (3 credits required) | Creating a Regenerative Future Contemporary Ecological Justice Issues and Social Work Practice Integrated Health Care: Models and Practice Practice Elements in Interventions with Children and Youth Multisystemic Social Work Practice and Advocacy with Families Positive Youth Development Programming Substance Use Interventions Grassroots Organizing for Social Justice Child and Adolescent Trauma Planning and Program Development Solution Focused Brief Therapy School Social Work Interventions Social Work Practice in Health Mind-Body Connections and Social Work Practice Experiential Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapies Interpersonal Approaches to Counseling |
| Policy & Advocacy Skills (3 credits required) |
Policy Advocacy for Ecological Justice in the U.S. |
| Evaluation & Research Skills (3 credits required | Adapting and Implementing Interventions Methods for Evaluating Practice and Programs Public Impact for Policy, Community Organizing, and Research Dissemination Photovoice as Intervention and Research Methodology Introduction to Human-Centered Design for Evaluation & Program Development |
| Values (3 credits required) | Critical Race Theory Praxis and Social Work Disproportionality and Disparities Across Systems: The Impact on Children and Youth Intergenerational Justice Restorative Approaches in Social Work Practice Genocide: A Social Justice Issue EmBODYed Practice: Ethical Approaches to Fatness and the Body Cultural and Linguistic Competency in Integrated Behavioral Health Social Justice in Mental Health Social Work Practice with LGBTQIA Communities Spirituality and Social Work An Introduction to Prison-Industrial Complex Abolition Global Trauma Digital Justice in Social Work Values for Social Work Practice Native Peoples Disrupting Privilege through Anti-Oppressive Practice Disability Studies Critical Perspectives on the Latinx Context Social Development in Latin America Social Work and Latino/a Cultures: An Intensive Practice and Spanish Immersion Course Social Work in Kenya: Context, Conservation, Empowerment, Sustainability Bosnia in Transition: The Social Work Response Social Work and Social Justice in South Africa Historical Trauma and Healing Feminisms in Social Work Practice Human Trafficking: Prevention, Intervention, and Support of Its Victims Human Sexuality |
| Internship (12-15 credits) | Specialization field internship |
| Electives (12 credits required) |
All Concentration level SOWK courses that do not meet the above requirements count towards Concentration Curriculum Electives. See Course Description section for list of all Concentration Curriculum courses. |
