Proposal to Add a New Program

Proposal to Add a New Program

Document ID: SXT5J4HZ7T6U-1-1684

Proposal Status: Workflow not started

Proposal To Add A New Program

College:CHEPS / Department/School:Social Work
Contact Person:Michael E. Sherr / E-mail:
University Mailbox:3133
Date initiated:October 1, 2014 / Effective Date:August 1, 2016

Catalog information

  1. Title of program, degree to be awarded
  1. Program contact information – name, title, phone, email.
  1. Program description, including any concentrations, if applicable.The MSW program at UTC prepares students for advanced social work practice. Courses equip students to provide competent services to individuals, groups, and communities, with special emphasis on serving older adults throughout the Chattanooga region. Graduates of the program will be prepared for employment as social workers in numerous fields and agencies. Graduates of the program will also be able to obtain licensure as clinical social workers.
  1. Program mission statement/objectives, expected student learning outcomes
  2. Professional Identity - learn to serve as a representative of the profession, its mission, and its core values. Know the profession’s history. Commit to professional enhancement and continued personal growth and conduct.
  3. Apply Social Work Ethical Principles to Guide Professional Practice—become knowledgeable and make practice decisions rooted in the value base, ethical standards of practice, and relevant law guiding work with clients.
  4. Apply Critical Thinking to Inform and Communicate Professional Judgments—use critical thinking, augmented by creativity and curiosity, to make practice decisions based on multiple sources of knowledge, synthesize and apply that information, then communicate decisions effectively.
  5. Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice—Understand and appreciate the intersections of multiple dimensions of diversity and how differences shape human experiences.
  6. Advance Human Rights and Social and Economic Justice—Recognize that every person, regardless of position in society, has basic human rights. Incorporate social justice principles in practice in organizations, institutions, and society to ensure basic human rights for all social work clients.
  7. Engage in Research-Informed Practice and Practice-Informed Research—use practice experience to inform research, use evidence-based interventions, evaluate practice outcomes, and use findings to improve practice with future clients.
  8. Apply Knowledge of Human Behavior and the Social Environment—develop and apply knowledge of human behavior theory across the life course, the range of systems in which people live, and the ways social systems promote or deter people in enhancing their physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
  9. Engage in Policy Practice—understand how policy affects service delivery and actively engage in policy practice to ensure effective and efficient service delivery for clients.
  10. Respond and Shape Contexts that Shape Practice—stay informed and work to improve the organizational, community, and society contexts that influence practice.
  11. Engage, Assess, Intervene, and Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities—learn to grasp and demonstrate the dynamic and interactive processes of practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities as clients. Identify, analyze, and implement evidence-based interventions to achieve client goals; using research and technological advances; evaluating program outcomes and practice effectiveness; developing, analyzing, advocating, and providing leadership for policies and services; and promoting social and economic justice.
  12. Life Course Perspective— Use a life course perspective to inform practice with diverse older adults
  13. Engage, Assess, Intervene, and Evaluate Services for Older Adults and their Families—Apply the four stages of the social work helping process in practice with older adults and their families.
  1. Admission requirements
  2. 2.70 cumulative grade point average (Cum GPA) on all work attempted prior to completion of the baccalaureate degree (4.00 scale) or
  3. 3.00 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate coursework or
  4. 3.00 GPA for 30 or more semester hours of undergraduate credit earned after earning the first bachelor’s degree or
  5. 2.70 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate coursework and a 3.00 GPA on fewer than 24 hours of graduate coursework or
  6. 3.00 GPA for 24 or more graduate hours or
  7. An earned master’s degree or higher-level degree with at least a 3.00 GPA.
  8. Submit a personal narrative describing interest and suitability for social work practice, past and current volunteer and work experience relevant to social work practice, and as assessment of personal strengths and areas for growth needing further development during their MSW education experience.
  9. Two professional letters of reference.
  10. A criminal background check.
  11. Hold a BSW degree with a minimum 3.00 GPA from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
  12. Submit a letter of reference from a Field Education Director or Coordinator that documents successful completion of a 400-hour field internship from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
  1. Admission process
  1. Program completion requirements, to include degree requirements
  1. Program of study – core and elective courses
  1. Program continuation/graduation requirements – list those beyond Graduate School requirements, if applicable
  2. Students must follow the guidelines and policies for continuation as outlined in the UTC Graduate Catalog.
  3. Students must successfully achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all social work courses. Students must receive a grade of “C” or better in coursework to continue progressing through the curriculum.
  4. Students must maintain requirements for fieldwork and other policies as published in the UTC Social Work Student Handbook.
  5. Students who are found guilty of unprofessional conduct, negligent habits or other causes as specified by the CSWE will be dismissed from the program.
  6. Students who violate the National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics will be dismissed from the program.
  7. Students who have a cumulative institutional GPA that falls below 3.0 will be subject to the UTC Graduate Catalog Continuation Standards.
  8. Graduate students may also be dismissed for a grade of U, D, or F in any course; more than two grades below a B; or any other failure of a required component pertaining to Graduate School academic requirements.
  1. Thesis/dissertation or project option – Y/N?, describe if indicated.
  1. Program accreditation – Y/N? name of agency

[1] Link to the 2013-2014 UTC Graduate Catalog: