SARA Disclosure--Masters of Social Work

Northwest Nazarene University's Social Work program is nationally accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). NNU's program offers both a Generalist-track (63 credits) and an Advanced Standing-track (41 credits) designed for students who have earned a baccalaureate degree from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.  Either track can pursue one of two concentrations:  

1) Integrated Clinical and Community Practice (ICCP) - The purpose of this track is to combine training in a variety of fields of practice for students who are interested in clinical or macro MSW practice but not in psychotherapy. The track will include content on child welfare, medical, criminal justice at the micro and mezzo levels and macro practice. The goal of this concentration is to help students understand how to practice in one or more of these areas of social work while also appreciating the other systems with which their clients are likely to interact.

Field placement opportunities for child welfare include public and private child welfare agencies, juvenile justice programs, court settings, schools and foster care/adoption agencies. Field placement opportunities for healthcare include dialysis centers, emergency rooms, community health clinics, home health and hospice agencies and hospitals. Field placement opportunities for criminal justice include county, state, and federal jails/prisons, juvenile justice programs and court settings. Students interested in macro practice can experience field placement opportunities in almost any setting. Specific agencies providing macro opportunities include NASW, AARP, Salvation Army and Health and Welfare.

2) Clinical Mental Health and Addictions (CMHA) - This concentration prepares students to provide psychotherapy and addiction services for individuals, families and groups in rural and small-town settings. Specific content on trauma-focused practice is included, in addition to content on macro practice in community mental health or addiction settings. The goal of this concentration is to help students understand how to practice in therapeutic settings, whether working with clients with mental health concerns, addiction issues or a dual diagnosis.

Field placement opportunities for students in this concentration include private therapy offices, community mental health centers, inpatient mental health and/or addiction treatment settings, substance abuse clinics, drug court and co-occurring mental health and addiction treatment.

CWSE national accreditation makes it possible NNU graduates to establish licensure throughout the U.S.  Prospective students from outside the state of Idaho can use the table below to begin to investigate whether an NNU degree is right for them.  As they do this due dilligence, they should keep in mind two things in mind:  1) each jurisdiction will likely have very specific state requirements that an applicant for a professional license must meet beyond the educational requirements; and 2) as a general rule it will be beneficial to a candidate to pursue formal licensure in Idaho and then apply to another state with that credential in hand.

A note of Social Work licensure: nearly every state and territory requires additional hours of clincal supervision post-MSW as you begin your initial professional appointment. This is true if you graduate from an in-state or out-of-state university.  Different states sometimes describe this licensure status as:  "pre-licensure," "initial licensure," "provisional licensure" etc. This does not mean an NNU MSW degree does not meet education standards in these states; it simply indicates that in the field of Social Work final licensure depends of a period of extended supervision.

Along with the state specific resources listed below, an the Social Work Licensure Guide is an excellent guide to specific licensure requirements in each state.