MSW Program Goals

The MSW program’s goals are derived directly from its mission statement and are designed to meet the social service needs of its Program locations and beyond. The program goals are:

1. To provide a foundational MSW curriculum and an advanced generalist social work curriculum that prepares graduates for autonomous social work practice and instills a commitment to professional development.
2. To prepare graduates for master’s level social work practice that promotes social, economic, racial, and environmental justice and endeavors to address poverty and other social problems within individual, family, group, organizational, and community contexts in local, regional, statewide, national, and international settings focused on improving the quality of life for all persons. 
3. To award the graduate degree to individuals who are skilled practitioners, adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics, promote human rights, incorporate anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion into their practice, and are capable of assuming leadership and professional roles locally, nationally, and globally.
4. To instill the value of lifelong development and responsibility to contribute to the professional social work knowledge base and practice through leadership, supervision, scholarly inquiry, research, and ethical use of emerging technology. (Adopted 3.18.25)

MSW Mission Statement

As an established School of Social Work in the region, the mission of the GVSU MSW program is to prepare excellent advanced generalist social workers who are committed to the advancement of human rights, equity, and well-being among the individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities of West Michigan, the State, the Nation, and globally. We value diversity, serving our community, scientific inquiry, relationships, and ethical practice and are united by a commitment to our students, the profession, and the University. We are guided by research and ecological, rights-based, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches to teaching and practice. The program is committed to maintaining academically rigorous courses and dynamic field education experiences that prepare graduates to adopt a service-oriented approach to the complex social, behavioral, and systemic challenges they will encounter. Graduates will possess the professions’ knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes necessary to ethically adapt and advocate for the comprehensive justice of all people. We strive to develop lifelong learners who are committed to justice, human relationships, cultural competence, humility, and serving the most vulnerable populations. (Adopted 12.2.2024)