MSW Mission Statement
The mission of HPU’s MSW is to prepare qualified students, especially working adults, for entry into competent, ethical, effective practice of advanced generalist social work. Utilizing critical thinking and building upon our diverse environment, Hawai‘i Pacific University’s social work students strive to enhance the social well-being of all people, provide leadership in culturally competent services at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels, advocate for social and economic justice locally nationally and globally, and promote multiculturalism through furthering social work knowledge.
MSW Program Goals and Objectives
Goal 1: To prepare graduates who demonstrate competence in social work practice
at an advanced level with client systems of all sizes.
Objective 1 Graduates can use critical thinking to apply the generalist perspective, ecosystems theory, and advanced social work methods with client systems of all sizes.
Objective 2 Graduates can use critical thinking to evaluate and apply research-generated data and methods in practice; and for practice evaluation.
Goal 2: To prepare graduates who can work effectively with diverse populations in
multicultural settings.
Objective 3 Graduates can function as practitioners in organizations and systems serving diverse populations, using appropriate communication skills, supervision and consultation, and demonstrating professional use of self.
Objective 4 Graduates understand and respect diversity. They can apply the strengths perspective to diverse groups. Their practice is without discrimination, and demonstrates respect, knowledge, and skills appropriate to the client.
Objective 5 Graduates have identified at least one culture of interest, used theory, empirical evidence, and critical thinking to synthesize social work practice with this culture, and demonstrated the ability to work with this culture.
Goal 3: To prepare graduates who understand the social contexts of social work practice at micro, mezzo, and macro levels, including the changing nature of those contexts, and who advocate for social and economic justice.
Objective 6 Graduates can discuss Social Work’s history, current issues, current structures, and focus on human rights and justice.
Objective 7 Graduates can describe how societies function as systems. They can discuss methods of oppression and discrimination that often place populations at risk. They can describe strategies of advocacy and social change that advance social and economic justice locally, nationally, and globally.
Objective 8 Graduates can use critical thinking to analyze and apply knowledge of biological, psychological, social and spiritual variables and theories, including social policy, to individuals and to interactions between individuals and systems.
Goal 4: To promote the values and ethics of professional social work in the program and in its graduates’ practice
Objective 9 Graduates have shown the ability to practice according to the values and ethics of the profession.
Goal 5: To develop in graduates an appropriate foundation for and valuing of lifelong learning, leadership, and generation of knowledge.
Objective 10 Graduates continue their professional development.
Objective 11 Graduates contribute to the profession’s knowledge-building and/or leadership roles.
