About the UMaine School of Social work

The University of Maine School of Social Work offers fully accredited BSW and MSW programs, rooted in the generalist perspective of social work practice. Rooted in social work values and ethics, our curriculum equips students with skills to engage, assess, and intervene with individuals, families, group, communities, organizations, and institutions; frameworks for understanding the complex interplay of human behavior and the social environment; analytical capacities for crafting research and policy; and a commitment to improving the quality of life for people in Maine and globally. Our undergraduate and graduate programs feature a cohort-based learning model, a high degree of student-faculty interaction, individualized internships, and small class sizes, which maximize personal growth and learning.

In the bachelor’s program (BSW), students prepare to be generalist practitioners by applying multi-level, multi-method approaches to the resolution of challenges people face in their environments. In the master’s program (MSW), students are educated as advanced generalist practitioners and prepared to work across levels (individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities) and settings in roles that include administrators, clinicians, and supervisors.

History

The University of Maine has provided undergraduate education in social work and social welfare since the 1950′s and began offering a Bachelors of Social Work in 1972. The BSW program was granted initial accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in 1979 and has remained fully accredited through 2027. IInitially approved by the Board of Trustees in 1987, the MSW program has been continuously accredited by CSWE since 1991 and is fully accredited through 2027. The School has grown from approximately 50 undergraduate students in 1987 to over 100 undergraduate and 135 graduate students today.

Land Acknowledgement

The University of Maine School of Social Work recognizes that it is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of Penobscot people, where issues of water and territorial rights, and encroachment upon sacred sites, are ongoing. Penobscot homeland is connected to other Wabanaki Tribal Nations—the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Micmac—through kinship, alliances, and diplomacy.  The School of Social Work recognizes that the Wabanaki Tribal Nations are distinct, sovereign, legal and political entities with their own powers of self-governance and self-determination.