Master in Social Work

Master in Social Work

The Master in Social Work (MSW) is a research and policy-oriented graduate program intended for social workers and social development practitioners.

Capitalizing on Miriam College’s strong base of international programs and active advocacies on peace, gender and the environment, the MSW program adopts inter-disciplinary, international and critical perspectives that examine how global issues impact on local communities, people and individuals and how diverse and multiple stakeholders at various levels can work together to achieve social justice and national development goals.

Our MSW curriculum is ladderized allowing students the option to enroll first in an 18-unit Graduate Diploma Course in Social Work for 1 year (2 semesters) before continuing to MSW. Classes are offered on a modular basis, taken every Saturday from 8 am - 6 pm

Why take up Master in Social Work (MSW) at MC

The MSW degree will enable graduates to:

• Strengthens the theoretical and ethical grounding of the students’ practice
• Uses research effectively to improve delivery of social services
• Equips students to design social welfare and development policies and programs that are gender responsive, inclusive and sustainable, and aligned with local, national, ASEAN and global priorities
• Give students valuable exposure through the publication of their scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals or through paper presentations at national or international conferences

What Will I Study?

You will be able to choose from these 2 tracks: Corporate Social Work and Humanitarian Studies. Below are some of the specialization courses that you will take:

CORPORATE SOCIAL WORK

• Gender and Human Security in Humanitarian Work
• Humanitarian Action in Complex Emergencies
• Working with Migrant Communities in Multi-cultural Settings

HUMANITARIAN STUDIES

• Corporate Social Responsibility: Principles, Perspectives, and Issues
• Social Work Practice in the Corporate Sector
• Applying Positive Psychology in Social Work and in the Workplace

Career

Social work is a hard-to-fill and in-demand job in the Philippines and in many parts of the world, including the Asian region. As more people in different parts of the world are affected by adverse impacts of climate change,human-induced disasters, armed conflicts and political and economic crises, more social workers are needed to provide expertise and leadership to respond to the needs of vulnerable sectors and to ensure their welfare and well-being. Emerging social work job opportunities include working in the corporate sector, in foreign and diplomatic services and humanitarian affairs.

The passage of Republic Act 10912 or the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Law also provided an impetus for Miriam College to open the new program. This law requires all social workers in the Philippines to earn 45 CPD points for the renewal of their professional license done every three years, and a master's degree automatically meets these required points for social workers.