Siena’s MSW program provides a rigorous education that prepares graduates for practice with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. The advanced generalist practice curriculum is built on Siena’s strong Franciscan values and liberal arts tradition, takes advantage of our proximity to the state capital and diversity of the capital region, supports learning of our student body, taps expertise from faculty, students and alumni, and aligns with the expectations of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Our program:
- Prepares students for effective advanced generalist social work practice, equipped with the requisite professional knowledge and skills grounded in the NASW Code of Ethics.
- Grounds students’ assessments skills of client experiences using a person-in-environment framework that takes into account racism, oppression, power and privilege.
- Infuses the curriculum with knowledge about social work practice, social policies, and social welfare systems in other countries, as well as the political and economic structures globally that impact clients in the U.S. and around the world.
- Facilitates critical thinking and supports student creativity and natural curiosity to engage differences, respecting diversity of thought and lived experiences in order to make informed decisions.
- Fosters students' understanding of scientific inquiry, its usefulness in social work practice, as well as its limitations and biases.
- Actively encourages students to continually work to understand and articulate how racism, privilege, and white supremacy operate in their life.
- Provides students with knowledge and skills to support a commitment to social, racial, economic, and environmental justice and the protection of human rights.
- Provides students with the strategies and tools to address human oppression, economic deprivation, discrimination and environmental degradation, with an understanding of their connection with micro and macro practice.
- Graduate future leaders in creating a just world.