Wichita State University Reviews of Master's in Social Work

"I had a wonderful practicum which taught me so much; however, the actual classes were virtually worthless, at least to a BSW choosing to pursue therapy. The school's perspective and lens were so broad you ended up learning very little by trying to cover too much. I graduated feeling like a jack of all trades and master of none. Newman and Friends have better programs if you want to be a therapist."

"The faculty of the MSW program come across as genuine individuals with a true concern for the success of students and the program as a whole. The technology the school uses (blackboard) is not favorable, however. The workload is fairly heavy yet manageable. There is very little offered through the University, College of Liberal Arts, and the MSW program itself as far as financial aid goes. There are some limited opportunities for fellowships/scholarships and the amounts are very limited--this is the biggest downfall. Graduate school is the most expensive and the least funded through WSU."

"The greatest strength - and a weakness as well - with the School of Social Work at WSU is the advanced generalist perspective. There are no specific tracks for either administrative or clinical specialties, so one is not limited to one or the other after graduation and can do either or both. It provides a breadth of knowledge for a social worker to be able to move seamlessly between various levels and areas of practice. However, one must be prepared to focus in on a specific area with electives (and even take up to 6 hours of elective credits in another program for very specific interest areas in clinical work) to be confidently prepared to do clinical work with specific populations right out of school; and fortunately, faculty will approve that. There are also a nice variety of practicum sites to learn on the job, and a few that allow work-based practicums. Because WSU is very focused on technology and innovative entrepreneurship, that bleeds over into social work, and interesting things are being done with social media in research and developing professional identity, and online and hybrid classes (though I tend to take traditional classes). Additionally, a new research lab has been developed, as well as the first peer-reviewed online journal WSU has ever had: The Advanced Generalist Social Work Research Journal. WSU is also very affordable, and faculty are open and concerned about students (even though there is a majority of macro practitioners here rather than clinical). It is a school where you get out of it what you put into it, and is much more attractively priced than other comparable programs in an area where housing is also affordable. Faculty include a world-reknown expert on Deep Ecology in social work, an expert on social work pedagogy, a PhD professor with a Masters in Divinity who has studied spirituality, mindfulness and ACT, a well-published and respected quantitative researcher with specialties in gerontology and homelessness, clinicians from child welfare, and a professor with a specialty in public health as well as macro social work. In short, it is one of the "best bangs for your buck" for a Masters in Social Work, and located in a diverse ubran city among a rural region, allowing opportunity to practice in either setting."

"The coursework provided in the Masters of Social Work program is very pertinent to the work that will be done at the master's level in social work. The curriculum and faculty has a strong commitment to social work values and respect for people and diversity. The faculty are for the most part very supportive and knowledgeable and responsive to student needs. The workload is quite heavy for a program that claims to be supportive of working students with lots of reading, but I'm not sure that it is any worse than other graduate programs. My adviser, however, has not been very accessible to me, not sure what other students' experiences with advisers have been like, however. The education platform that is used by the university is very finicky and prone to issues which has been a frustration to both staff and faculty in the program and has been a barrier to some of the students in my program."

"Wichita State's MSW program is a great program with plenty of opportunity. There are plenty of electives to choose from to help make your graduate experience more targeted in what you want to do professionally later on. Being in the metro city gives you plenty of opportunity for experience in the field ,no matter what area of Social Work you want to go in to. Overall, Wichita State's MSW program, and graduate program overall really, is a fantastic choice to further your education and help advance your career."