Those who dream of working with people struggling with issues that keep them from living their lives to the fullest will find that they can work with those people once they graduate from one of the accredited social work degree programs in Maine. Though Maine is a small state, it is home to many employers who need social workers. You might work in a hospital to help patients heading home after battling an illness or surgery, but you can also work in a public or private school and for the government. These programs give you the chance to make connections in the field.
University of Maine
School of Social Work
Established in 1865, the University of Maine originally went by the name of the Maine State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. Less than three decades after opening, it changed its name to the University of Maine because it wanted to show prospective students that it offered degrees in many different fields. In addition to more than 90 programs for undergrads, the university also offers a number of doctoral and graduate programs, especially those in research fields. U.S. News & World Report, Washington Monthly and Forbes rank the university, sometimes called Maine, as one of the best in the United States.
Master of Social Work
Like other accredited social work degree programs in Maine, the MSW program that the University of Maine offers consists of both foundation courses and specialty courses. The first year of the program is the generalist year and is when you take basic introduction courses designed to help you succeed in your second year as well as at work. Those courses include human behavior in the social environment, social welfare policy and issues for generalist practitioners, practice in generalist social work and advanced social work research. You’ll also have the option of taking electives like theory, assessment and treatment of trauma, substance abuse assessment and intervention, overview of the opportunities and challenges of aging and spirituality and social work practice. The university has a field placement requirement too. Students will spend 400 hours working in a generalist field in the first year and 500 hours working in a specialized practice the second year.
Accreditation
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
5770 Social Work Building
Orono, ME 04469
(207) 581-2389
lynne.gamperle@maine.edu
https://umaine.edu/socialwork/
University of New England
Online
The University of New England is a private college in Maine that opened in 1939 and went by two different names before adopting its current name in the late 1970s. Though it has two campuses in Maine, it also operates a campus in Morocco that is open to both international students as well as American students who want to study abroad. Though the university only admitted male students during its early days as a junior college, it now has a coeducational admissions policy. This policy helped the university, also known as UNE, reach an enrollment of more than 13,000 students.
Master of Social Work
UNE offers one of the only online accredited social work degree programs in Maine that let you earn your MSW from home. You can get your degree in just 16 months and without ever visiting the UNE campus. This program is available in three different options based on what you want to do with the degree: clinical practice, community practice and integrated practice. The clinical option trains you on working with individuals and families, while the community track focuses more on working with groups and certain populations. Those in the integrated program will look at features of both areas. Half of the 64 credits that you take will come from foundation courses like human behavior and the social environment, social work research and social welfare policy and programs. UNE has an advanced standing program that allows those with more experience to skip these foundation classes.
Accreditation
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
716 Stevens Ave.
Portland, ME 04103
(877) 863-6791
socialworkonline@une.edu
Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Social Work Degree Programs
University of Southern Maine
School of Social Work
One of the top school systems in Maine is the one operated by the University of Southern Maine. Often called USM, it started out with a single campus in Gorham. This campus served as a normal college that later became a state teachers college. As the university’s curriculum expanded and new programs started, it gained university status, which led to a name change. USM owns a second campus in Portland that features many of the same programs and opportunities for students. In the late 1980s, the university established a third campus called is the Lewiston-Auburn area and later an online campus.
MSW in Social Work
While there are a number of accredited social work degree programs in Maine, the USM is best for those who want to ensure they have an understanding of the fundamentals before doing any fieldwork. The first year that you spend in the program is when you will take seven foundation courses that include multicultural social work, critical thinking about human behavior, social work research and social work policy. You will also take one elective and do two fieldwork seminars. The second year is when you take advanced courses such as social work advanced practice: groups and social work welfare policy II. You will also need to do either a research project or a thesis. All students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or land on the academic probation list. If you receive a grade below a B- in any required class, you will need to retake that class and get a higher grade to get off probation.
Accreditation
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
PO Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104
(800) 800-4276
No matter who you want to work with in your career, you need to find the right social work program that will prepare you for working with those clients. Accredited social work degree programs in Maine offer all the preparation that you need for everything you will do in the future.
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