MSW/MPH Dual Degree
The School of Social Work and the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health offer a dual masters degree in social work
(MSW) and public health (Master of Public Health, MPH). This dual degree allows students to complete each degree with a reduction of about 20% in required hours. At present, the
MSW/MPH dual degree is open to ONLY to students who select the Administration and Community Practice Concentration. (For DP, see below.)
Within the College of Public Health, students enroll in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences. This department is located at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, approximately 20 miles north of Norman. The
MSW/MPH is open to students in the full-time, part-time, and Advanced Standing social work program options. For students attending full-time, completion of both degrees takes about three years. Part-time program students typically take about four years. Students in the Advanced Standing option complete the dual program in about two years. Admission to the
MSW/MPH requires acceptance by both social work and public health. Students in dual degree programs are not awarded either masters degree until both degrees have been completed. An
MSW/MPH program for those who choose the DP concentration is being studied. Further, as described below, DP students may be able to tailor a ?generic? dual
MSW/MPH degree.
Courses offered through the Department of Health Promotion Sciences include: United States Health Care Systems, Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health, Integrated Public Health Practice, and Environmental Health. For more detailed information on the program, see the school?s website at:
www.ou.edu/socialwork or contact Professor David Moxley at David.Moxley@ou.edu; (405) 325-0365.
Generic Dual Degrees
The University of Oklahoma allows students to develop individually-designed dual degrees that meet their own individual educational needs. OU terms these dual degrees ?generic dual degrees?. Typically, students earning generic dual degrees can reduce total degree requirements for both degrees by as much as 20%. To be admitted to a generic dual degree program, students must be admitted by both departments involved in the degree. Students must be admitted to both programs prior to completing 12 credit hours. Neither degree in a dual degree program is awarded formally until both degrees have been completed. Currently, several social work students are combining their social work degree with the Masters in Public Administration
(MSW/MPA). As mentioned above, Direct Practice students wanting a dual MSW/MPH may design a generic dual degree in this area. Contact Professor James Rosenthal with questions about generic dual degrees at
jimar@ou.edu; (405) 325-1401.
Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program
The Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program provides stipends to selected students who make a commitment to work in public child welfare. Its web address is: http://www.ou.edu/socialwork/projects/cwpep/index.html.
The Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program (CWPEP), in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services
(OKDHS), offers students the opportunity to make a commitment to serve Oklahoma families and children at risk of abuse or neglect. Applications are available to all full-time junior and senior social work undergraduates and to full-time and part-time social work graduate students at both the Norman and Tulsa programs. The CWPEP also is available to current
OKDHS/Child Welfare employees and to employees of the tribes that have Title IVE agreements with OKDHS and work in the tribe?s Indian Child Welfare
(ICW) program. CWPEP provides financial assistance to eligible applicants who are accepted into the program and agree to the terms of the legal contract. CWPEP works with the students in practicum placements within
OKDHS/CW or the tribe?s ICW program. Applicants must be citizens of the United States and have criminal background and driving records checks. Upon graduation with a BSW or MSW degree, social workers are employed by OKDHS as CW Specialists or return to the tribe in
ICW. Students who do not fulfill the terms of the contract are required to repay all the funds provided or expended in their behalf. CWPEP graduates are given priority hiring status by OKDHS upon passing the required State Merit Exam.
CWPEP is a wonderful opportunity for those students seeking a career in public child welfare and interested in experiencing the challenge of CW social work. For more information contact: Martha Scales at (405) 325-2907 or (918) 660-3351, or email:
mscales@ou.edu.
Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect (ITP)
The Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (CCAN) in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center offers a two-semester Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect
(ITP) for advanced students in medicine, dentistry, occupational therapy/physical therapy, psychology, law, social work, education, public health, nursing, sociology and related disciplines. Established in 1987, the ITP provides specialized training in clinical practice, prevention, policy formation, child advocacy, research and administration in the field of child abuse and neglect. More than 285 U.S. students and seven international students have participated in the ITP program. This description from http://devbehavpeds.ouhsc.edu/ccanitp.asp
Typically, MSW students take the ITP course sequence in their final (concentration) year though students could, possibly, take it earlier than this. Students may earn up to 6 credits in the ITP program. Interested students should contact James Rosenthal
(jimar@ou.edu; (405) 325-1401).
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program (LEND) Internship
LEND is an interdisciplinary internship training program available to advanced social work graduate students interested in working with children with disabilities and their families. The School of Social Work collaborates with the College of Medicine at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center to provide a training stipend each year to one social work student to participate in the LEND program. This internship is designed to provide specialized training to professionals who work with children who have, or are at risk of developing, neurodevelopmental disabilities or other similar conditions such as autism and mental retardation. Social work interns train with 11 other students from medical and allied health fields.
The social work stipend is typically awarded to a social work student in their concentration year. Students may earn up to 6 academic credits in the LEND program. Contact Professor Steven Wells at
spwells@ou.edu; (405) 325-1064, for further information. Visit http://devbehavpeds.ouhsc.edu/lendindex.asp for more details on LEND.
School Links with Gerontology Programs
The University of Oklahoma has created the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate and Masters Programs in Geriatrics/Gerontology in response to the educational needs of professionals preparing for service to growing aging population. The programs are intended to provide knowledge and skills needed for students and professionals from various disciplines who work with older adults. OUSSW provides two electives in gerontology which could potentially apply to both the MSW and Interdisciplinary programs: Social Gerontology and Social Work Practice in Aging. For information contact Sandra Edge-Boyd at
sedge@ouhsc.edu. The Web site for the certificate and master?s programs is:
www.ah.ouhsc.edu/ahs. For more specific information about the aging courses at the
OUSSW, go to: http://www.ou.edu/socialwork/projects/aging
