Social Work and Public Health

The MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program is offered by the School of Social Work (SSW) and the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (HBHE) in the School of Public Health (SPH). The two-and-one-half year program leads to both the MSW and MPH degrees. Applicants must meet the admission requirements of both schools.

The goal of the MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program is to provide academic training and practical experience to improve public health social workers' effectiveness in health care settings and agencies. The training develops the understanding of the intersection of public health and social work. The specific goals of the program are as follows:

  • To provide an opportunity for dual degree students to acquire the skills and competencies necessary to work with health care professionals in meeting the health care and social support needs of various "at-risk" groups in our society, such as the elderly, persons with AIDS, pregnant teens, substance abusers, and persons with developmental disabilities
  • To provide specialized training in the area of public health social work in the development, management, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion/disease prevention and health intervention programs in social service agencies

Program Details

Graduates of our program hold jobs that are varied and utilize the skills that they have learned in both schools. Positions might include school health coordinator for a large metropolitan health department, school counselor in a large school district, or health educator for specific client populations within a large HMO.

Throughout the seven semesters of the MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program, students are enrolled in classes in both schools. The program's reduced credit requirements are consistent with Rackham Graduate School guidelines and existing dual degree programs. Students are required to complete a total of 93 credit hours, which includes the credit-hour reduction earned during the SPH field placement. The Dual Degree Program curriculum has been structured to ensure that all requirements of both programs will be met fully. Students complete 46 credit hours in the SSW, a reduction of 14 credits, and 47 credits in the SPH, a reduction of 13 credits. Each school requires a separate field placement experience to fulfill degree requirements.

Masters of Social Work Program and Concentration Areas

The MSW requires 46 credit hours in the SSW. For the MSW, students enroll in the 16-month program. Social work students are required to have a dual concentration—a practice method and a practice area. Students complete nine credit hours of coursework in both their practice method and practice area concentrations. The practice method concentration is selected from one of the four social work practice methods:

  • Interpersonal practice
  • Community organization
  • Management of human services
  • Social policy and evaluation

The practice area concentration is selected from one of the five practice areas:

  • Aging in families and society
  • Children and youth in families and society
  • Community and Social Systems
  • Health
  • Mental health

Masters of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education Program Curriculum

The MPH requires 47 credit hours in the SPH, including core courses from the five major public health areas (biostatistics, epidemiology, health management and policy, environmental health sciences, and HBHE) and a field placement. In addition to the Breadth, Integration, and Capstone (BIC) requirements and HBHE requirements, students elect courses related to their career interests, in consultation with their faculty advisors, from areas within HBHE and other public health areas. Interest areas might include health education program development, implementation, and evaluation; development of social networks and community organizations for health intervention programs for specific problems and/or populations; health promotion and maintenance; and illness management in various population groups and settings.

Further Information

For further information, contact the following: