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Nearly 800 full and part-time students are pursuing their M.S. degree at Columbia’s School of Social Work; several dozen are pursuing doctoral studies. The School’s curriculum is designed to emphasize the social work profession’s commitment to understanding the person, environment, and the interplay between them. The curriculum also embodies diversity—of populations served, theories examined, methods and models taught, and instructional approaches emphasized, and imparts and refines skills in critical thinking. A growing number of students are earning dual master’s degrees; others earn the master’s degree with a minor in law or public policy and administration. Professor Emeritus Alfred J. Kahn, who joined the faculty in 1947 and was the first to receive a doctorate from the School and in New York State, believes that the mission of the School has remained constant throughout the decades: “to respond to social needs, and to be alert to changing social conditions.” Through concurrent study in class and in the field, students in the M.S. program acquire an understanding of the scientific principles, the practice methods, and the ethical and social values of professional social work. All students complete coursework in human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and services, research, and social work practice, thus gaining a strong foundation that supports further in-depth study. Coursework is complemented with the field instruction placement. In light of the wide range of students’ career goals and the multitude of functions that social workers are expected to perform, the curriculum allows for significant individualization and specialization. Students concentrate in one of five practice methods and learn the values, knowledge and skills unique to that method. By selecting a field of practice in, for example, family, youth, and children’s services, students focus on the policies, programs, research and issues that characterize the field and apply their chosen practice method in the context of the field. “Students ordinarily enter the doctoral program after receiving the master’s degree, which is the professional degree in social work, and completing at least two years of professional practice experience,” said Brenda McGowan, chair of the doctoral program. “This enables them to link their academic interests with ‘real-world’ experiences in practice, programming and administration.” Fifteen years ago, the Columbia University School of Social Work Educational Site was established at Purchase College, SUNY, to provide greater accessibility for students who live north of New York City. Courses are taught by Columbia faculty, and field instruction sites are located in social service agencies in the New York City area, including Westchester and Rockland counties, and Connecticut.
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