The growing interconnectedness of the world’s almost 200 countries, termed globalization, and the rising impacts of foreign affairs on our daily lives increasingly require individuals with advanced knowledge of International Affairs. The Accelerated BA/MA in Social Work and International Affairs allows students to explore global problems and interactions from an interdisciplinary perspective that makes use of eight Arts and Sciences academic departments and four additional colleges. Students will have the flexibility to tailor their program to fit their individual interests. Students can fulfill a capstone experience by participating in an internship, taking a study abroad class, writing a paper for publication, or writing a master’s thesis.

Loyola University Chicago and the City of Chicago together serve as the ideal location for an MA in International Affairs: Loyola embodies a long commitment to interdisciplinary education; and Chicago is consistently ranked as one of the top ten global cities in the world. The program offers a unique urban setting for students interested in the advanced study of International Affairs.

The majority of full-time students are expected to finish the program in 5 years, as opposed to the six years if both programs are pursued separately. Undergraduate students from participating programs at Loyola will be able to pursue an accelerated BSW/MA in Social Work and International Affairs.

Students will also be able to take graduate courses in the School of Communication, the School of Education (International Education), the School of Law, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Quinlan School of Business, and the School of Social Work.

Related Programs

CURRICULUM

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
BSW Requirements
Required Courses
SOWK 200	Introduction to Social Work	3
SOWK 301	Practice Skills with Individuals and Families	3
SOWK 302	Integrated Micro/Mezzo/Macro Theory and Practice	3
SOWK 303	Group Work Practice in Social Work: Micro/Mezzo/Macro	3
SOWK 305	Life Span Development, Human Behavior, Trauma, & Theory	3
SOWK 307	Social Work Policy and Community Intervention	3
SOWK 330	Internship I and Simulated Experience	3.5
SOWK 340	Internship II and Simulated Experience	3.5
SOWK 350	Preparation for Practice	3
SOWK 362	Integrative Seminar	1
SOWK 370	Power, Oppression, Privilege, and Social Justice	3
SOWK 380	Assessment of Client Concerns in Context	3
SOWK 390	Research and Evaluation in Social Work Practice	3
Social Science Courses		15
PSYC 101	General Psychology
SOCL 101	Society in a Global Age
9 Credits of Social Science electives 1
International Affairs MA Requirements
Required Courses
Core
INTA 475	Political Analysis I	3
INTA 420	Comparative Political Systems	3
INTA 430	Theories of International Politics	3
Capstone Experience		3
Select one of the following:
INTA 470	Fieldwork in PLSC-Internship
PLSC 499	Directed Readings
PLSC 605	Master's Study
Electives
In addition to the four core classes, students will take an additional six elective courses, with no more than three offered by a single department in the College of Arts and Sciences or another School at Loyola. The core INTA courses in Political Science do not count toward this three-course total, and thus a student may take three Political Science courses in addition to the three core (required) courses.		18
Total Hours		74

¹

Social science electives can be drawn from multiple LUC majors and are approved by the BSW program.

²

At least two Graduate-level International Affairs courses must be taken Senior Year. These courses can count as major electives or general electives. These courses double-count for International Affairs MA requirements.

List of MA Elective Courses

The participating programs that will contribute classes include: Global Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Theology, Criminal Justice & Criminology, as well as the Schools of Communication, Education, Business, Law, Health Sciences and Public Health, and Social Work.

Please note that the courses listed might not be offered every year and new courses may be added to this list. Students should talk with the Graduate Program Director if they want to take a course that is not on the list of elective courses to see whether the course can serve as an elective.

College of Arts and Sciences

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Criminal Justice and Criminology Department
CJC 416	International Criminal Justice	3
Methods Courses
CJC 403	Research Methods and Program Evaluation	3
CJC 404	Applied Data Analysis and Interpretation	4
History Department
HIST 441	Women's & Gender History: Europe	3
HIST 459	Environmental History	3
HIST 464	Transnational Urban History	3
Methods Courses
HIST 483	Oral History: Method and Practice	3
Modern Languages and Literatures Department
Language Research Tool: Although there is no language requirement, students interested in honing their foreign language skills will have the option of taking a 400-level language course (i.e., a course beyond 101, 102, 103, and 104), and having that course count as one of the six elective courses. Current language possibilities offered at Loyola include Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
MLL also offers graduate-level courses in Spanish as part of their master’s degree in Spanish. These courses are as follows and would be open only to interested students with advanced writing, speaking, and reading skills in Spanish. These courses are as follows:
SPAN 405	Critical Methods (pan-Hispanic world)	3
SPAN 490	Hispanic Culture & Civilization (Latin American film, with a focus on human rights)	3
Philosophy Department
PHIL 459	Philosophy of Law	3
PHIL 463	Virtue Ethics (includes non-Western philosophy)	3
PHIL TBD	Critical Race Theory (originally taught as a “special topics” course; is being turned into a permanent course)
PHIL 480	Social & Political Philosophy (focuses on global development on a regular basis)	3
Methods Courses
PHIL 400	Philosophy Research Tools	3
Political Science Department
PLSC 421	Democratic Political Systems	3
PLSC 422	Authoritarian Political Systems	3
PLSC 431	Formulation US Foreign Policy	3
PLSC 432	Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis	3
PLSC 433	International Organization	3
PLSC 435	International Political Economics	3
PLSC 436	International Conflict	3
Methods Courses
PLSC 401	Intro to Research Design & Method	3
PLSC 476	Political Analysis II	3
Psychology Department
PSYC 460	Social Psychological Theory	3
PSYC 461	Attitude and Attitude Change	3
PSYC 474	Research in Group Dynamics	3
PSYC 484	Prejudice and Intergroup Relations	3
Methods Courses
PSYC 486	Methods of Program Evaluation	3
Sociology Department
SOCL 418	Demography	3
SOCL 423	Social Movements	3
SOCL 426	Sociology of Gender	3
SOCL 441	Sociology of Religion	3
SOCL 447	Sociology of Culture	3
SOCL 461	Race & Ethnicity	3
Methods Courses
SOCL 410	Logic of Sociological Inquiry	3
SOCL 412	Qualitative Methods in Social Research	3
SOCL 414	Statistical Methods Analysis I	3
SOCL 415	Statistical Methods of Analysis II	3
Theology Department
THEO 459	Contemporary Theology	1-12
THEO 460	Seminar in History of Theology	1-12
THEO 464	Religion & Politics in Christian History	3
THEO 470	Foundations Crititical Issues Theological Ethics	1-12
THEO 480	Seminar in Christian Ethics	1-12

School of Education (International Education) 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ELPS 405	Introduction to Educational Policy Analysis	3
ELPS 448	International Higher Education	3
ELPS 455	Comparative Education	3
ELPS 540	Seminar in the History of Education	3
ELPS 550	Seminar on Globalization and Education	3
ELPS 555	Seminar Comparative Education	3

School of Communication 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
COMM 401	Foundations of Global Strategic Communication	3
COMM 402	Organizational Leadership and Change Management	3
COMM 422	Global and Multicultural Audiences and Stakeholders	3

School of Social Work

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
SOWK 502	Power, Oppression, Privilege, and Social Justice	3
SOWK 654	Global Social Work: Reflective Practice for Justice and Peace	3
SOWK 730	Immigration Dynamics and U.S. Social Policy	3
SOWK 731	Social Work Practice with Refugees and Immigrants	3
SOWK 732	Migration, Social Justice, and Human Rights	3
SOWK 733	North American Migration Dynamics, Challenges & Opportunity	1-3

School of Law 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
LAW 176	International Trade Law 1	1-3
LAW 371	International Business Trans 1	1-3
LAW 372	International Law and Practice	3
LAW 388	Global Access to Medicine: A Patent Perspective	3
LAW 459	Intro to English Legal Profession	1
LAW 568	European Union Law 1	1-3

¹

Explanatory note about 1, 2, 3, and variable credit hour courses from the School of Law: “For the law courses showing a range of hours (e.g., 1-3 credit hours), students have the option to choose the number of credits for enrollment within the range. For students opting for the higher credits (i.e., enrollment in 3 credit hours rather than 1 credit hour would require additional assignments and/or an examination). If the MA students in these courses need to be enrolled in 3 credit hours, the following notation can be included with the course listing: ‘MA students must choose the 3 credit option for enrollment in this course’.” Please note that courses to be included in this MA program will require students choosing the 3-credit option.

School of Law - Classes Offered at the John Felice Rome Center

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PLAW 101	Comparative and Ethical Lawyering for the Rule of Law	3
PLAW 102	History, Theory and Practice of Rule of Law for Development	3
PLAW 103	Theory and Practice of Assessments in Rule of Law Advising	2
PLAW 104	International Development Architecture	3
PLAW 105	Sustainable Development Through International Commerce and Investment	2
PLAW 106	Design of Rule of Law Programs and Proposal Preparation	2
PLAW 107	Rule of Law in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding	2
PLAW 108	Legal Systems and Methods	3
PLAW 250	Research and Writing on the Rule of Law	3
PLAW 907	Rule of Law Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation	3

Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MPBH 400	Determinants of Population Health	3
MPBH 414	Introduction to Global Health	3
MPBH 417	Global Maternal & Child Health	3
MPBH 422	Population Health Planning & Management	3
MPBH 424	Health Economics and Healthcare Financing	3
MPBH 432	Health Impact Assessment	3

 Quinlan School of Business 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ECON 424	International Business Economics	3
FINC 455	International Financial Management	3
HRER 422	Global HR Management	3
HRER 502	Global Employment Relations	3
MARK 465	International Marketing	3
MARK 461	Research Methods in Marketing	3
MGMT 446	International Business Ethics	3
SCMG 486	Global Logistics	3

Suggested Sequence of Courses

In order to provide optimal flexibility in the program, there is no required course sequence. However, students are expected to take two graduate-level courses in each semester of their senior year and a total of six graduate-level courses in their fifth year. There is no required course sequence, but we strongly suggest that students first take the required courses (PLSC 420, PLSC 430, and PLSC 475) whenever they are offered before taking elective courses.

Guidelines for Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs

Terms

• Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs: In this type of program, students share limited credits between their undergraduate and graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees.  
• Shared credits: Graduate level credit hours taken during the undergraduate program and then applied towards graduate program requirements will be referred to as shared credits.

Admission Requirements

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s undergraduates. Admission to these programs must be competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the program’s admissions committee. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a bachelor’s degree. That is, programs may choose to have more stringent admissions requirements in addition to those minimal requirements below.

Requirements:

• Declared appropriate undergraduate major,
• By the time students begin taking graduate courses as an undergraduate, the student has completed approximately 90 credit hours, or the credit hours required in a program that is accredited by a specialty organization,¹
• A minimum cumulative GPA for coursework at Loyola that is at or above the program-specific requirements, a minimum major GPA that is at or above the program-specific requirements, and/or appropriate designated coursework for evaluation of student readiness in their discipline.²

Students not eligible for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program (e.g., students who have not declared the appropriate undergraduate major) may apply to the master’s program through the regular admissions process. Students enrolled in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program who choose not to continue to the master’s degree program upon completion of the bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.³

Ideally, a student will apply for admission (or confirm interest in proceeding towards the graduate degree in opt-out programs) as they approach 90 credit hours. Programs are encouraged to begin advising students early in their major so that they are aware of the program and, if interested, can complete their bachelor’s degree requirements in a way that facilitates completion of the program. Once admitted as an undergraduate, Program Directors should ensure that students are enrolled using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program will ensure that students may be easily identified as they move through the program. Students will not officially matriculate into the master’s degree program and be labeled as a graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.

¹

Programs that have specialized accreditation will adhere to the admissions criteria provided by, or approved by, their specialized accreditors.

²

The program will identify appropriate indicators of student readiness for graduate coursework (e.g., high-level performance in 300 level courses). Recognizing differences between how majors are designed, we do not specify a blanket requirement.

³

If students choose not to enroll in the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, they still must complete all of the standard requirements associated with the undergraduate degree (e.g., a capstone).

For more information on Admissions requirements, visit here.

Curriculum

Level and progression of courses. The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to be competitive and attractive to our most capable students. Students admitted to Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs should be capable of meeting graduate level learning outcomes. Following guidance from the Higher Learning Commission, only courses taken at the 400 level or higher (including 300/400 level courses taken at the 400 level) will count toward the graduate program.^1,2  Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may come from 300/400 level courses where the student is enrolled in the 400 level of the course. Further, at least 50% of the credit hours for the graduate program must come from courses that are designed for and restricted to graduate students who have been admitted to a graduate program at Loyola (e.g., enrolled in plan code that indicates the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, typically ending with the letter “D”).³

In general, graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Director, students may take one of their graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Bachelors/Master’s program if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.⁴ Undergraduate degree requirements outside of the major are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program.⁵

Shared credits. Undergraduate courses (i.e., courses offered at the 300 level or below) cannot be counted as shared credits nor count towards the master’s degree. Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may be counted in meeting both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Of those shared credits, students in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program should begin their graduate program with the standard introductory course(s) for the program whenever possible. So that students may progress through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in a timely manner, undergraduate programs are encouraged to design their curriculum such that a student can complete some required graduate credit hours while completing the undergraduate degree. For instance, some of the graduate curriculum should also satisfy electives for the undergraduate major.

The program’s Graduate Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and master’s degree conferral review process. Shared credit hours will not be marked on the undergraduate record as having a special status in the undergraduate program. They will be included in the student’s undergraduate earned hours and GPA. Graduate credit hours taken during the undergraduate program will not be included in the graduate GPA calculation.

¹

If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate director will review the relevant syllabus(es) to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400 level course or higher.

²

Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer graduate curriculum to undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.

³

In rare cases, the Graduate Director may authorize enrollment in a 400-level course for a highly qualified and highly motivated undergraduate, ensuring that the undergraduate's exceptional participation in the graduate class will not diminish in any way the experience of the graduate students regularly enrolled.

⁴

For example, if a particular course is only offered once every 2-3 years, and a student has demonstrated the necessary ability to be successful, the Graduate Director may allow a student to take a graduate level course to be shared prior to the student being formally admitted to the graduate program. See, also, footnote 3.

⁵

Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a graduate program.

Graduation

Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once in the graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from undergraduate to graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their graduate studies after earning the undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional master’s degree program. Any application of graduate credit earned while in the undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the graduate degree granting school.

Learning Outcomes

• a foundation for understanding and critiquing research related to International Affairs, including methods training that leverages both qualitative and quantitative data [International Affairs]
• knowledge of the principal theories of comparative politics and international relations, as well as the key areas of research in these two subfields [International Affairs]
• an interdisciplinary understanding and appreciation of International Affairs through coursework available within eight different departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and four additional Schools at Loyola [International Affairs]
• enhanced writing and critical thinking skills and dispositions through class-based projects and a capstone experience [International Affairs]
• strengthened methods, research, or writing skills tailored to students interests with advanced methods courses, language training, or the writing of a master’s thesis. [International Affairs]
• For the BSW, see Social Work Competencies.

BSW Program Generalist Learning Outcomes

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant policies, laws, and regulations that may affect practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand that ethics are informed by principles of  human rights and apply them toward realizing social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in their practice. Social workers understand frameworks of ethical decision making and apply principles of critical thinking to those frameworks in practice, research, and policy arenas.

Social workers recognize and manage personal values and the distinction between personal and professional values. Social workers understand how  their evolving worldview, personal experiences, and affective reactions influence their professional judgment and behavior. Social workers take  measures to care for themselves professionally and personally, understanding that self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work  practice. Social workers use rights-based, anti- racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to understand and critique the profession’s history, mission, roles, and responsibilities and recognize historical and current contexts of oppression in shaping institutions and social work. Social workers understand the role of other professionals when engaged in interprofessional practice. Social workers recognize the importance of lifelong learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to ensure relevant and effective practice. Social workers understand digital technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice.

Social workers:

1. make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics within the profession as appropriate to the context;
2. demonstrate professional behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication;
3. use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes; and
4. use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice

Social workers understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights. Social workers are knowledgeable about the global intersecting and ongoing injustices throughout history that result in oppression and racism, including social work’s role and response.

Social workers critically evaluate the distribution of power and privilege in society in order to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice by reducing inequities and ensuring dignity and respect for all. Social workers advocate for and engage in strategies to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure that social resources, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably, and that civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected.

Social workers:

1. advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels; and
2. engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

Social workers understand how racism and oppression shape human experiences and how these two constructs influence practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community levels and in policy and research. Social workers understand the pervasive impact of White supremacy and privilege and use their knowledge, awareness, and skills to engage in anti-racist practice. Social workers understand how diversity and intersectionality shape human experiences and identity development and affect equity and inclusion. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of factors including but not limited to age, caste, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, generational status, immigration status, legal status, marital status, political ideology, race, nationality, religion and spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that this intersectionality means that a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege and power. Social workers understand the societal and historical roots of social and racial injustices and the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. Social workers understand cultural humility and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, racial, technological, and cultural exclusions, may create privilege and power resulting in systemic oppression.

Social workers:

1. demonstrate anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels; and
2. demonstrate cultural humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self- regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients and constituencies, acknowledging them as experts of their own lived experiences.

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice

Social workers use ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches in conducting research and building knowledge. Social workers use research to inform their practice decision making and articulate how their practice experience informs research and evaluation decisions. Social workers critically evaluate and critique current, empirically sound research to inform decisions pertaining to practice, policy, and programs. Social workers understand the inherent bias in research and evaluate design, analysis, and interpretation using an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective. Social workers know how to access, critique, and synthesize the current literature to develop appropriate research questions and hypotheses. Social workers demonstrate knowledge and skills regarding qualitative and quantitative research methods and analysis, and they interpret data derived from these methods. Social workers demonstrate knowledge about methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research. Social workers can articulate and share research findings in ways that are usable to a variety of clients and constituencies. Social workers understand the value of evidence derived from interprofessional and diverse research methods, approaches, and sources.

Social workers:

1. apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs; and
2. identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work.

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

Social workers identify social policy at the local, state, federal, and global level that affect well-being, human rights and justice, service delivery, and access to social services. Social workers recognize the historical, social, racial, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. Social workers understand and critique the history and current structures of social policies and services and the role of policy in service delivery through rights- based, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist lenses. Social workers influence policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation within their practice settings with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers actively engage in and advocate for anti-racist and anti-oppressive policy practice to effect change in those settings.

Social workers:

1. use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services; and
2. apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Social workers value the importance of human relationships. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to facilitate engagement with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, and privilege as well as their personal values and personal experiences may affect their ability to engage effectively with diverse clients and constituencies. Social workers use the principles of interprofessional collaboration to facilitate engagement with clients, constituencies, and other professionals as appropriate.

Social workers:

1. apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies; and
2. use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in culturally responsive assessment with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Assessment involves a collaborative process of defining presenting challenges and identifying strengths with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities to develop a mutually agreed-upon plan. Social workers recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and use interprofessional collaboration in this process. Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, privilege, and their personal values and experiences may affect their assessment and decision making.

Social workers:

1. apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies; and
2. demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan.

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. Social workers understand theories of human behavior, person-in-environment, and other interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and they critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in selecting culturally responsive interventions with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand methods of identifying, analyzing, and implementing evidence-informed interventions and participate in interprofessional collaboration to achieve client and constituency goals. Social workers facilitate effective transitions and endings.

Social workers:

1. engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals; and
2. incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers evaluate processes and outcomes to increase practice, policy, and service delivery effectiveness. Social workers apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives in evaluating outcomes. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in evaluating outcomes. Social workers use qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating outcomes and practice effectiveness.

Social workers:

1. select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes; and
2. critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.