By Joan C. McKinney, director of university communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University’s new master’s of social work degree is available in as little as one year of full-time study, according to Dr. Darlene Eastridge, dean of the Carver School of Social Work and Counseling.
Eastridge said the new master’s degree program is a “great benefit for people employed in social work positions who need a graduate degree for promotion or licensure yet who are unable to travel to urban areas and who are forced to settle for degrees that do not meet qualifications for social service supervisory positions.”
Eastridge said CU’s tuition for the master’s program is the “best bargain of all MSW programs in the state of Kentucky.”
She said the new program is a “great opportunity for non-traditional, working students interested in the master’s in social work degree especially people in advancing their career in the field of children and families and advanced licensure opportunities.”
The MSW courses are offered in online and on-campus 10- week trimester sessions with a majority of trimesters requiring only one night a week on campus. This degree is offered in full-time, part- time and advanced standing options (persons who already hold a bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited undergraduate program).
Eastridge said, “This program provides students an opportunity to attain a master’s degree that prepares them for leadership, program development and administration.”
She said another reason for students to enroll in the master of social work degree is that at CU you receive “specialized attention.” She said currently the average size of graduate classes at CU is around seven students per course.
“Using these models within a Christian/social work value base, graduates are prepared to provide assessment and interventions with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations,” she said.
Eastridge said the curriculum in family practice addresses needs and concerns identified by the Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children in their current and pending shortages of professionally trained social workers. The Global Services track prepares graduates with skills to assess and build programs with a global missions focus.
All graduate courses are offered by qualified and appropriately degreed professors and each student receives an academic advisor who will guide and direct their personal educational experience, said Eastridge.
“Our master in social work is a great value with graduate program tuition rates well below the statewide average of public and private schools. Special attention, minimal time away from home and family plus academic mentorship and preparation make Campbellsville University and the Carver School of Social Work and Counseling a great option in continuing your education,” Eastridge said.
“We at Campbellsville University view social work as a helping profession sanctioned by society to assist in the elimination of human suffering,” Eastridge said. “That is what social work is all about… helping people and improving lives!”
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,405 students who represent 98 Kentucky counties, 25 states and 29 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2008 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South and eighth in the South for “Great Schools, Great Prices.” CU has been ranked 15 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America’s Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his ninth year as president.