The Social Work Program Mission Statement is consistent with the profession?s purpose, values, and the program?s context.? Derived from the Program?s mission are the following Program Goals.? Students will demonstrate the ability to:

• Conduct advanced social work practice, with a rural concentration, which operates from a systems and strengths perspective with the ability to respond to varying rural contexts, including diversity and difference and to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate at all levels including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
• Think critically and examine issues within the rural context while applying knowledge from both a person in environment and human behavior perspective to determine appropriate methods of intervention and to communicate these in an ethical manner utilizing the strengths of rural settings.
• Utilize an advanced reflective and developmental approach to practice.
• Apply an advanced critical and analytical approach to practice that incorporates the unique culture and systems within rural settings and includes engaging in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
• Use advanced knowledge and skills in analyzing rural social policies and promoting change in rural settings through the development of more just and humane policies as they affect clients, social workers, and service systems.
• Address the uniqueness of issues of human rights, mechanisms of operation, discrimination, and social and economic justice in order to improve the social and economic well-being of clients within rural settings across all levels of practice.