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Freeing the Power of the Individual

The mission of the School of Social Work is to prepare students for competent professional generalist social work practice at the baccalaureate and master levels within the goals of The University of Southern Mississippi, the College of Health and the values of the profession (view the NASW Code of Ethics at http://www.naswdc.org/pubs/code). Secondarily, the school seeks to promote and enhance the social work profession, provide support to the human service community, and generate and transmit knowledge to advance professional practice.

Students are challenged to engage in critical inquiry, study the theoretical foundations of social work, develop sensitivity to oppression and discrimination, appraise human diversity, and develop interpersonal and organizational skills necessary for professional service. Graduate are committed to the values and ethics of the profession, humane in their orientation, responsive to the unserved and under served populations, and concerned with social justice and the social implications of service.

The school provides a learning environment that is responsive to students' professional development by promoting a learning community and a sense of individual and collective responsibility for each other's growth. It supports frequent and substantial dialogue between students, faculty, and field instructors. Through its advisement system, the school responds with flexibility to the needs of students with work and family obligations as well as those with academic problems. The faculty attempts to create a challenging and supportive educational climate.