MSW I : Academic Orientation

1. MSW I: Academic Orientation drussell@csus.edu 916-278-7170, Dr. Dale Russell Graduate Program Director

2. Agenda for Academic Orientation • Mission & Guiding Principles • What works and what challenges… • General Program Culture • Program Foundation Facts • Advancement to Candidacy • Required Courses • Involuntary Termination or Suspension • Student Standards • Student Performance Evaluation Standards • Academic Requirements • Academic Advising • Information Retrieval • Graduate Social Work Student Association • Educational Contract

3. Mission The division of social work strives to prepare competent social workers who can both lead and serve the richly diverse region in the development and delivery of services that contribute to human well-being and social justice. Toward this end, the division offers high quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs and teaching, research, and joint collaboration with the community. Guiding Principles Richness of human diversity Respect uniqueness Advance social justice Value human relationship Promote human well-being Ethically driven, critical thinking change agents Diverse faculty CSUS Division of Social Work

4. What works Managing time – timelines Critical thinking – in depth relationship with source material and faculty Shift from beginning to intermediate critical thinker Critical thinking and writing Appropriate use of student colleagues Editing own work Submitting written work after 4 to 5 edits Challenging Too many commitments to work, school, internship, personal life Anxiety, fatigue, multiple projects Mental & physical health problems Unrealistic expectations of productivity Values in conflict with NASW policy statements and the code of ethics Different standards among faculty What works & what is challenging for MSW students:

5. General Program Culture • Social justice focus with attention to vulnerable, diverse and underrepresented populations • Commuter campus with students who have multiple responsibilities in the home – children, jobs, elder parent care • Many MSW students are BSW graduates • Often first generation college educated • Students and faculty and mainstream to progressive • Faculty sincerely care about students • Faculty have very wide range of levels of expertise, practice experience and standards

6. MSW Program Foundation Facts • Multilevel generalist practice • 60 unit program (28 units foundation and 32 advanced) • 1, 2 and 3 year program – The 3 year program is part-time • Students may not switch between full and part-time, pt program is more competitive

7. Advancement to Candidacy • Satisfy any conditional admissions requirements • Complete at least 28 units with minimum of 3.0 GPA • Obtain approval of a culminating experience • In the usual 2 year program happens at end of the second semester in the first year • Form signed by Graduate Coordinator and submitted to SW to be submitted to Graduate Studies

8. Foundation Year 202 Diversity 204A & B Practice 210 Research 235A & B HBSE 250 Policy ** B or higher 295A & B Field Advanced Generalist Concentration 204C & D Practice 251 Policy 295C&D Field 500 or 501 & 502 Culminating Experience 9 units of electives (micro/macro mix) Required Courses –

9. Involuntary Termination or Suspension from Program • Students may leave the program under specified terms as determined by the Division Chair through recommendation of the faculty • Reasons for such are • when it is determined to not be in the best interests of the Division, community or student to award the degree • Student not qualified for admission to the profession for factors other than academic standing • NASW code of ethic violation • Interpersonal qualities are not in keeping with a professional social worker • Physical or mental health challenges

10. Student Standards • Behaves in an Ethical Manner • Takes Responsibility for Learning • Thinks Critically • Communicates Skillfully • Collaborates Effectively • Produces Quality Work • Assumes Responsibility for Obstacles to Learning

11. Student Performance Evaluation Standards • Ability to Acquire Professional Skills • Written & Oral Communication, Interpersonal, Cognitive, and Physical Skills, • Emotional and Mental Abilities • Stress Management, Emotional & Mental Capacities, • Professional Performance Skills • Professional Commitment and Behavior, Self Awareness, Ethical Obligations • Scholastic Performance • Academic Standards

12. Academic Standards • Academic Probation – cum. GPA overall or at CSUS falls below 3.0 • Minimum of a “B” for all graduate courses • Continued Probation – on academic probation and semester GPA continues to be less than 3.0 • Academic disqualification – on probation when grade points is below 3.0 • Special Contract – necessary after academic disqualification • Administrative Academic Probation/Disqualification – withdrawn from substantial portion of course 2 successive semester or any 3 terms; repeated failed progress toward degree under circumstances with student’s control; failure to comply with academic requirements or regulations

13. Repeat policy 3 C Policy • No more than 2 Cs of any type on transcript (must repeat any course grade less than a “B”) • Disqualification from program if obtain 3 Cs

14. Academic Advising • Orientation & Initial Academic Advising • First week of school with Graduate Director • Practice professor as Academic Advisor until further notice • Graduate Student Handbook – online • Use of Educational Contract in Academic Advising • Orientation, assessing aptitude, review student request for exceptions, confer regarding academic difficulties

15. Information Retrieval • Check My Sac State • CSUS email account • Mass emails sent regularly to students make sure we have a correct account for you • MSW bulletin board on 4th floor in Mariposa Hall – resources, academic and financial support and opportunities

16. Student Association Student Social Work Association • Ebbs and flow depending on student population • Right to sit on standing committees within the division • Opportunity to come together and offer support to each other and influence the program to change in appropriate ways • Thoughts on the need for its existence and how to engender more participation

17. The End .