Master of Social Work (MSW)

• MSW 6100 Human Behavior and the Social Environment
  An overview of social work theories and knowledge associated with the bio-psycho-social approach to human development that includes the impact of social systems and environmental influences on individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Program
• MSW 6200 Practice 1
  An introductory social work approaches course that enables students to learn, understand, and apply generalist social work practice methods to work with individuals and families. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Program
• MSW 6220 Practice II
  An introductory social work approaches course that enables students to learn, understand, and apply generalist social work practice methods to work with groups, communities, and organizations. Prerequisites: MSW Practice I & HBSE
• MSW 6300 Research I
  An introduction to research and methodological approaches generalist social workers utilize regarding general inquiry and programmatic/practice evaluation. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Program
• MSW 6320 Research II
  An overview of specific research approaches utilized by social workers to equip students with the knowledge and skills to conduct research projects and evaluate data. Prerequisite: MSW Research I
• MSW 6400 Social Policy I
  An overview of the foundation, development, and current state of social welfare policy and services in the United States and abroad. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Program
• MSW 6500 Diversity and Social Justice
  An overview of the values, principles and ethics associated with social work practice with oppressed populations. Prerequisite: HBSE
• MSW 6600 Field Internship I
  An applied skills course requiring 200 hours of internship experience in a social work related agency/organization. Prerequisites: MSW Practice I, HBSE, MSW Research I, & Social Policy I
• MSW 6620 Field Internship II
  An applied skills course requiring 200 hours of internship experience in a social work related agency/organization that builds on what was learned in the Field Internship I course. Prerequisites: MSW Practice I, HBSE, MSW Research I, Social Policy I, and Field internship
• MSW 7000 Advanced Micro Practice
  An advanced practice course that includes engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with individual clients. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7100 Advanced Mezzo Practice
  An advanced practice course that includes engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with families and groups. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7200 Advanced Macro Practice
  An advanced practice course that includes engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with communities and organizations. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7400 Social Policy II
  An advanced study of the development, implementation, and evaluation of social policies and the associated influences on the social work profession. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7500 Empirical Practice (4 credits)
  An integrative course that teaches the application of theory, research, and evidence-based interventions to advanced generalist social work populations and systems. Prerequisites: Advanced Micro Practice, Advanced Mezzo Practice, Advanced Macro Practice, & Social Policy II
• MSW 7600 Field Internship III (4 credits)
  An applied skills course requiring 250 hours of advanced internship experience in a social work related agency/organization. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7620 Field Internship IV (4 credits)
  An applied skills course requiring 250 hours of advanced internship experience in a social work related agency/organization that builds on what was learned in the Field Internship III course. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• Elective
• Elective
• Elective

900 hours of field experience

• MSW 7000 Advanced Micro Practice
  An advanced practice course that includes engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with individual clients. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7100 Advanced Mezzo Practice
  An advanced practice course that includes engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with families and groups. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7200 Advanced Macro Practice
  An advanced practice course that includes engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with communities and organizations. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7400 Social Policy II
  An advanced study of the development, implementation, and evaluation of social policies and the associated influences on the social work profession. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7500 Empirical Practice (4 credits)
  An integrative course that teaches the application of theory, research, and evidence-based interventions to advanced generalist social work populations and systems. Prerequisites: Advanced Micro Practice, Advanced Mezzo Practice, Advanced Macro Practice, & Social Policy II
• MSW 7600 Field Internship III (4 credits)
  An applied skills course requiring 250 hours of advanced internship experience in a social work related agency/organization. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• MSW 7620 Field Internship IV (4 credits)
  An applied skills course requiring 250 hours of advanced internship experience in a social work related agency/organization that builds on what was learned in the Field Internship III course. Prerequisites: Field Internship I & II, OR admission into advanced standing
• Elective
• Elective

500 hours of field experience

Diana Borrelli: Hello. It is great to meet you. My name is Diana, and I am the Master’s of Social Work student at Fairleigh Dickinson University. I wanted to share with you a few reasons why I decided to come to Fairleigh for my MSW degree and why, a year later, I’m certain I made the right decision. While I was researching different programs, I came across the fact that at FDU, we were able to speak with the director of our program and the assistant director of field placement even before we were students. I jumped on the Zoom calls, which also allowed us to speak to other students that were considering coming to FDU that asked questions that I was not even thinking of. And then I asked questions that they were not even thinking of. This collaborative environment and idea of open discussion is exactly how our program is. It started even before we joined. And the availability of our professors and the helpfulness that they always provide us was also being shown to me, even before we were students. And the fact that Dr. Clay was open to listen about the fact that I needed to have availability of internship hours after work and on the weekends, even though she cannot guarantee it, but it is something that may be discussed and could be possible, was something that was wonderful because every other program told me no. And this is the collaborative environment that you will find when you come to this school. The reason why I find Fairleigh Dickinson’s Master’s of Social Work program to be very unique– they do not ask you to come up with a specialized track. They understand that the social work world is very large, and it can be very small. There is a lot of places that we can work. There’s a lot of influence that we can do. And they want to teach us about it before we make our decisions. The micro and macro practice has quite literally blown my mind, even in the first year. I thought I knew so much more and came in believing I knew what I wanted to do. But every semester, something new is introduced to me, and I am grateful to have the professors, the faculty, the staff to run my ideas back and forth with as I learned. The asynchronous online program aspect of it is really special. And it helps with all of us who have our busy schedules and are not able to be there for particular meetings all the time. We do have the ability to have live sessions that are not mandatory, which is great because we can meet our peers and see in person as we discuss and speak with our professors and hear about their past experiences, how it relates to the discussion that we are having at the moment. And it is one of my favorite experiences within the program. And we also work on group projects too, which is sometimes challenging with time. But we figure it out. And we work together. I would say for anyone considering joining the FDU MSW program, you would be making the right decision. And I’m not just saying that. It has been a great experience in that the professors are there for me whenever I ask. Be proactive in what you need, and they will be there. Be proactive in what you’re looking for, and the resources will be there. But it is one of the most open environments to suggestions and improvement of a program, should it help in the long run. And it’s one of the most positive environments in regards to lead all of us in the best direction possible. And it is truly about us and making it best for our futures, which is not always the case. So thank you very much, Fairleigh, for making this program wonderful for all of us. And for those of you considering it, thank you for listening. Have a wonderful one. And I hope you find the experience to be the same for you. Bye.

Dr. Zakia Clay earned her Masters and Doctorate degree in Social Work from Rutgers University. In addition, she completed her undergraduate studies at Kean University and obtained a Dual Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Dr. Clay also holds a certificate in Clinical Supervision, Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI), and Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Dr. Clay’s practice experience includes community mental health, crisis services, and private practice. She has also provided training and consultation services to community providers and mental health authorities. Dr. Clay began working in academia full time in 2012. She aims to cultivate collaborative learning communities where respectful dialogue, active learning, critical thinking, and reflection can take place.

Dr. Clay can be reached at zakiaclay@fdu.edu.

Dr. Bucchio was the founding program director and is currently an associate professor for FDU’s MSW program. He obtained his PhD in 2012 and a Master’s in Social Work in 2009 from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Bucchio’s research interests include: Child Welfare & LGBT Foster Youth, International Social Work, Online Education, and Interdisciplinary Education and Practice. Dr. Bucchio has taught across MSW and BSW curricula, and is experienced with programmatic accreditation processes.

Dr. Bucchio can be reached at jbucchio@fdu.edu

Dr. Cole’s research agenda is focused on youth and young adult mental health including trauma and experiences with community violence, mental health services research, implementation science, and suicide prevention. She was a co-investigator for the National Institute of Mental Health grant examining the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a virtual training program to improve clinicians’ skills in suicide prevention. Beyond her teaching and research, she has over 12 years of clinical practice experience providing crisis services in a hospital setting, home-based foster care services, and therapy to youth, adults, as well as families.

Dr. Cole can be reached at a.cole@fdu.edu

Dr. Kaiser has a passion for connecting social work instruction with engaged community research. In her career thus far, she has used her scholarly research and professional skills to enrich her approaches to teaching and developing pedagogical strategies. After earning her MSW, she worked as a researcher and development worker for a few years, conducting macro-level research on both structural barriers to providing services to disadvantaged children and adults in society. She has lived and worked in different countries among diverse populations, and feels these experiences have added a rich perspective to her own learning and academic practice. Additionally, the opportunity to work with and live within diverse global communities has instilled in her a deep appreciation for understanding the value of cultural competence and a dedication to teaching this important aspect of social work to students.

Dr. Kaiser can be reached at elma_kaiser@fdu.edu

Dr. Kwon earned her BSW from Loyola University Chicago, her MSW from Columbia University, and her PhD from Seoul National University. Her research is focused on poverty, socioeconomic disparities in health, health policy, health insurance, health and well-being, and life-course perspective.

Dr. Kwon can be reached at ekwon@fdu.edu

Tiffany Timberman (she/her) is a Licensed Social Worker in New Jersey and Tennessee who is finishing her Doctor of Social Work (August 23) through Simmons University in Boston, MA. Tiffany obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work from Stockton University. During her MSW, she developed an interest in learning about trauma-informed care when working with adolescents and exploring the positive effects of video games on the lives of young people. Much of Tiffany’s work has focused on supporting adolescents and children who have experienced significant trauma and adversity. She is passionate about how trauma impacts school functioning and exploring the expansion of social work in K-12 education to assist educators in better understanding struggling youth.

Ms. Timberman can be reached at t.timberman@fdu.edu.

Nicole Zmuda, PhD, LCSW, is an assistant professor of social work at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has a master’s in social work from Marywood University and a PhD in Human Sexuality from Widener University. She is also a licensed clinical social worker, with over 15 years of experience in the treatment of substance use disorders. Her research interests focus on the psychological and social influences on sexual behavior and intimate relationships, particularly within marginalized communities.

Dr. Zmuda can be reached at n.zmuda@fdu.edu.