phd social work atlanta

Academic Catalog

Social work, m.s.w..

Program Director Dr. Corinne Warrener, Ph.D., LMSW

Thayer Hall, Room 232

Telephone: (404) 880-8531

Master of Social Work Degree (59 Credits) Specializations:

• Child and Family
• Health/Mental Health

This program offers three-degree completion options: 1) Two-Year Option (59 Credits); 2) Three-Year Option (59 Credits); 3) Advanced Standing Option (38 Credits) 

Program Overview

The Master of Social Work Degree Program provides a quality graduate education to prepare students to be excellent direct service social work practitioners. The Program prepares students to demonstrate a heightened sense of social consciousness and to become culturally competent social workers capable of addressing and resolving complex social problems and issues affecting diverse groups in a variety of settings. However, the emphasis is to prepare graduates to be creative and responsible social work professionals who, in pursuit of social justice within a global context, demonstrate commitment to the search for solutions to problems affecting the African-American community, with a focus on children, families, and males within the context of family and community.

The Master of Social Work Degree Program further seeks to advance the aims of the profession through education for excellence in advanced clinical social work practice and offers two foci areas:

• Child and Family and
• Health/Mental Health.

Both specializations utilize ecological and systems theories as a base though they draw upon other theories, including developmental and life-stage theories. Three major integrative themes undergird the curriculum: Afrocentric Perspective; Humanistic Values; and Autonomous Social Work Practice Roles.

The Program mission is built upon a liberal arts base and an Afrocentric, autonomous social work practice model heavily guided by humanistic values that enable students to engage in competent practice.

The mission of the Master of Social Work Program is to provide to prepare social work practitioners as leaders who pursue social justice with a commitment to service to diverse populations, address disparity issues that prevail, and engage in competent practice.

The vision of the Master of Social Work Program is to create social work practitioners with knowledge, values, and skills for practice, advocacy, policy analysis, and research, to be effective and culturally competent with a strong impact on diverse global populations.

Program of Study Master of Social Work

The Master of Social Work Degree Program offers the following degree completion plan of study options:

• Social Work (One-Year, Full-Time Advanced Standing Option)
• Social Work (Two-Year, Full-Time Option and Three-Year, Part-Time Option)

Admissions Requirements

In addition to the General Admissions Requirements as published in this Catalog, all applicants to the Master of Social Work Degree for the Two-Year, Full-Time; Three-Year, Part-Time Option; and One-Year, Full-Time Advanced Standing Option must submit a personal statement. The applicants for the One-Year, Full-Time Advanced Standing Option must have a Bachelor’s degree in social work from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program in order to be eligible for Advanced Standing. The GRE is waived for application to the MSW Program.

All applicants for the Master of Social Work Degree must have completed a minimum of twenty-seven (27) liberal arts undergraduate credit hours as follows:

• Human Biology (3)
• Humanities (21)
• Mathematics (3)

Applicants who have liberal arts deficiencies may be admitted conditionally; such students must complete all liberal arts requirements during their matriculation in the MSW program.

Note: The Master of Social Work Degree program does not permit academic credit for life or work experience.

Program Objectives

• Prepare graduate students for service in the social work profession as competent advanced direct social work practitioners.
• Prepare students to apply multiple theoretical frameworks and practice models to work with client systems of all sizes to resolve complex social issues.
• Prepare students for ethical and culturally competent practice with diverse systems of all sizes, including the ability to utilize an Afrocentric Perspective to resolve complex social issues and to promote and advocate for social and economic justice.
• Provide students with social work research, knowledge, values, and skills that will enable them to provide leadership in service delivery systems on a global level.
• Prepare students to acquire skills to use technology appropriately to ensure competent and ethical practice and provide access to opportunities that enhance their personal and professional growth.

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MSW, Social Work

The Master of Social Work program prepares graduate students for advanced social work practice. We strive to develop future leaders in the profession of social work who are able to meet the ever-changing local, national, and global challenges.

Degree Type: Masters

Degree Program Code: MSW_SOWK_ONL

Locations Offered:

College / School:

School of Social Work

279 Williams Street Athens, GA 30602

706-542-3364

Graduate Coordinator(s):

Rachel Fusco

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Get ahead of the curve when you learn the most current, evidence-based practices taught by world-class faculty.

Our MSW program is ranked No. 18 by U.S. News and World Report among public master of social work programs. Our graduates have high pass rates on national licensing exams. You gain experience through impactful field internships and research opportunities that focus on your areas of interest, mentored by top scholars and professionals.

With Athens, metro Atlanta, and Online campuses and financial resources to support your professional goals, we make it possible for you to attend full-time, extended-time or online. Full-time program students can choose from three specializations: micro practice, macro practice and integrated practice that combines micro and macro practice specializations. The Extended-time and Online programs offer the micro practice specialization only.

We also offer dual master degrees in public health (MSW/MPH), and law (MSW/JD), and a number of certificates in areas such as substance use counseling, nonprofit management and leadership, and gerontology, among others.

For more information, visit: MSW Admissions or contact Allison Haynes, [email protected] , (706) 542-5429.

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PhD student accused of killing friend's baby faces death penalty if convicted

Nicole virzi was babysitting the twin sons of a pittsburgh couple when one died of blunt force trauma to the head. the other was found with multiple injuries., by susan baek | nbc news • published august 27, 2024 • updated on august 27, 2024 at 1:31 am.

Pittsburgh prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case of a woman accused of killing a 6-week-old baby and injuring his twin brother in June, a new court filing shows.

Nicole Virzi, 30, a PhD student, was charged with homicide and multiple counts of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children. The charges stem from an incident in June when Virzi was babysitting the twin boys of a couple she knew in Pittsburgh.

📺 24/7 Chicago news stream: Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are

According to a criminal complaint, Virzi called the police on the night of June 15, claiming that one of the twins had fallen from a bassinet. The baby, named Leon Katz, was rushed to a nearby children's hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The next evening, Virzi discovered injuries to Leon’s twin brother, including scratches, bruising and swelling. After the second baby was taken to the hospital, doctors found the injuries sustained by both twins were neither natural nor accidental.

An examination by the medical examiner's office revealed that Leon had suffered from a severe skull fracture and multiple brain bleeds, with the cause of death determined to be blunt force trauma to the head, resulting from homicide.

Virzi, who had been staying at an Airbnb property in Pittsburgh, told police that Leon was in a bouncer seat when she left the room to get him a bottle. She then heard the baby screaming and found him on the floor before she contacted police. Virzi also alleged that Leon's twin brother got a scratch to his face when she tried to put him in a car seat and he flailed his arms.

The twins' parents denied inflicting any injuries on their children.

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The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office cited torture as one of the aggravating factors justifying its pursuit of the death penalty.

Virzi’s defense attorney, David Shrager, told NBC News that Virzi was close friends with the twin’s parents and maintains her innocence.

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“This was not the direction we hoped the case would go,” Shrager said. “We strongly disagree with the allegations made by the DA’s office regarding the death penalty. We will of course be litigating this case aggressively until the truth comes out.”

Virzi was pursuing her doctorate at the University of California, San Diego. According to the  university's website , she was studying behavioral medicine in the joint doctoral program in clinical psychology.

She is being held in the Allegheny County Jail without bond.

Pennsylvania is one of 27 states where the death penalty remains legal. Over 100 people remain on death row in the state — including  just one woman  — but no executions have been carried out since 1999.

When Gov. Josh Shapiro took office last year,  he a nnounced  that he would not issue any execution warrants during his term. He called on the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty, saying, "The Commonwealth shouldn't be in the business of putting people to death."

This article first appeared on  NBCNews.com . Read more from NBC News here:

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Social Work Baccalaureate Program

Baccalaureate program.

The Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work Baccalaureate Social Work (BSW) Program affirms the Institution and the School’s mission as approved by the Board of Trustees and stated in the Undergraduate Catalogue as follows:

The mission of the Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work Baccalaureate Social Work (BSW) Program is to develop social work generalist practitioners who are ethical and competent critical thinkers dedicated to helping vulnerable, oppressed, or marginalized individuals, families, groups, and communities through research-informed practice; and committed to addressing social, economic, and environmental injustices locally, nationally and globally.

The School and the program utilizes an Afrocentric, autonomous social work practice model to prepare culturally competent practitioners capable of intervening and working with systems of all sizes and resolving problems that particularly affect African American children, families, and males within the context of family and community.  The curriculum is built on a liberal arts base and is guided by humanistic values.  Faculty ensures that graduates are prepared to recognize and impact social and economic injustice issues at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

The Program’s mission embraces not only the Institution and the School’s mission; it is consistent with the purpose of the social work profession to promote human and community well-being. The program is also guided by a person and environment construct, a global perspective, respect for human diversity, and knowledge based on scientific inquiry, social work’s purpose is actualized through its quest for social and economic justice, the prevention of conditions that limit human rights, the elimination of poverty, and the enhancement of the quality of life for all persons.  Both the School and the BSW Program seek to increase the work force of generalist social workers engaging in accountability, empirically based practice, knowledge building and sharing of their own practice wisdom. 

Vision The Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work Baccalaureate Program will prepare generalist social work practitioners with the appropriate practice and research skills, enabling effective responses to societal and economic issues faced by diverse populations. The Baccalaureate Social Work Program has four goals, which reflect the stated mission of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work and Clark Atlanta University, and are consistent with the purposes, values and ethics of the social work profession.  The BSW program goals build on and integrate a liberal arts foundation.  The goals listed below reflect content from the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards core competencies for baccalaureate social work degree programs. 

BSW Program Goals   The Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work Baccalaureate Social Work Program has four goals, which reflect the stated mission of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work BSW Program at Clark Atlanta University. The goals embrace each other and specific generalist knowledge and skills that students are expected to synthesize and apply in practice.  Thus, the goals of the BSW Program are designed to: 

Goal 1 : Prepare students for generalist practice with diverse groups without discrimination and with respect, knowledge of age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, sex, religious, sexual orientation and the relationships between human behavior and the social environment across the lifespan which incorporates the Afrocentric Perspective and the values and ethics of the social work profession.   Goal 2 :  Prepare students as social work generalists who link social research and social service practice by applying research findings to practice, and by evaluating their own practice.   Goal 3 :  Prepare students for generalist social work practice with systems of all sizes.   Goal 4 :  Prepare students for lifelong learning and critical thinking through an educational process that combines a liberal arts foundation with professional social work education and prepares them for graduate education in social work.  

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Undergraduate Program in Social Work consists of the following: Admission to University Formal declaration of an interest in social work and completion of an Undergraduate Social Work application in the spring semester of the sophomore Grade Point Average (GPA) 2.5 or better. Completion of two undergraduate social work courses: Introduction to Social Work (CUSW 200) and Introduction to Helping Professions (CUSW 202) with a "C" or better in each. Completion of social science prerequisite course: Introduction to Sociology (CSCJ 215) with a "C" or better. Completion of two English prerequisite courses: College Composition I (CENG 105) and College Composition II (CENG 106) with a "C" or better. Completion of twenty (20) community service hours in CUSW 202: Introduction to Helping Professions Submission of applicant’s personal statement responding to the following questions: 1. Describe your motivation(s) for becoming a social worker. 2. Describe any employment, volunteer, or life experiences, which you believe have helped prepare you to pursue a career in social work. 3. What strengths do you bring to professional social work practice? 4. What do you consider to be areas in which you need additional growth and development in relation to professional social work practice? 5. Discuss your commitment to abide by the values and ethics of the social work profession. 6. Identify and describe any areas in which your personal values conflict with professional social work values. If value conflicts do exist, please describe your plans to resolve the conflicts. 7. Describe your immediate and long-range career goals and list your fields of practice preferences (client populations/social problems/agency settings). 8. List any client populations, social problems, or agency settings with which you would not feel comfortable. Please include, at this point, any additional information you believe to be relevant to your application for admission to the professional core. All transfer students must contact faculty in the Social Work Program prior to, or no later than, the registration period. The Undergraduate Program in Social Work does not give credit for life experience or previous work experience under any circumstances. All graduating students from Clark Atlanta University must take field instruction and field seminar.

Degree Requirements

The degree offered by the Undergraduate Program in Social Work is the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). The Program requires the following courses in addition to the University Core Requirements: Baccalaureate Social Work Program Curriculum – Graduation Requirements 122-123 Credit Hours

Freshman Year

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Senior Year