Dr. Philip McCallion, director and professor, School of Social Work, talks about how the MSW-MPH (master of public health) dual degree benefits students and what makes it unique.
How does your MSW-MPH dual degree program stand out from similar programs at other schools?
I think one good thing is that we are located within a College of Public Health, and so this is not a [dual] degree with a totally separate entity. We have faculty who know each other, work together—people from public health and social work—and we have some common agendas because we’re within the same college. I think that adds to the uniqueness of our program.
What type of student is best suited for the dual degree?
With the dual degree, you’re choosing a very particular track, and so what we always encourage students to do is really look at the courses that would make up the matrix for this joint degree, and be sure that that is what they’re looking for. And for prospective students we would have them talk with one of our advisers.
What kinds of organizations end up hiring graduates of the program?
I think where you see students coming out of this program going is to large organizations that are multidisciplinary, that are data-driven in their approaches, but which have a strong social justice emphasis. And then, we’re also seeing people moving into state agencies, where this kind of preparation and these kinds of values are appreciated as well.