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Certificate Programs


  • Gerontology Certification (University of Pittsburgh Certificate)

  • Program Objectives
    The certificate program in aging, offered by the School of Social Work, has been in place since 1980 and continues to attract a growing number of students in the Master of Social Work program. The goals are to enhance the students' understanding of the aging process and to provide them with the skills relevant to practice with and/or on behalf of the elderly. Knowing how to work with the elderly as a social work professional offers many opportunities in an era where that segment of the population has been steadily increasing.

  • Curriculum Requirements
    In order to earn the Gerontology Certificate, the student is required to take the following courses:

    In the Spring Term of Year I, the student's Human Behavior in the Social Environment II requirement may be satisfied through SW 2077, Adult Development and Aging, described below.

    SWBEH 2077 HUMAN BEHAVIOR: ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING 3 crs.
    An in-depth human behavior and social environment course focusing on development during the adult years (early and middle-age) and in old age. Course offers a framework for understanding the adult life stages from a life-span developmental perspective. This includes an examination of developmental tasks, dilemmas, and challenges influenced by a complex environment of cultural, economic, and political forces.

    In the Spring Term of Year I, the student's Social Welfare Policy II requirement may be satisfied through SW 3039, Social Policy and Gerontology, described below:

    SWWEL 3039 SOCIAL POLICY AND GERONTOLOGY 3 crs.
    Course provides a framework for understanding some of the most complex and controversial issues in the development of social policy in aging from pre-1930 to the 1990s and beyond. Students examine the consequences of welfare policies and their immediate effects on the elderly. A primary focus of this course is on content and process analysis of agency-based policies that affect older life.

    SWINT 209 FIELD PRACTICUM (FALL AND SPRING SECOND YEAR) 10 crs.
    A variety of practica settings are available in this area of aging.

    In the Spring Term of Year II, students are required to take SW2030, Direct Practice with the Elderly, described below:

    SWINT 2030 DIRECT PRACTICE WITH THE ELDERLY 3 crs.
    The range of direct practice with and on behalf of the elderly is defined in terms of primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of intervention. The social work roles and interventive skills used in case management are taught. Psychosocial, systems, cognitive/behavioral, and other treatment approaches are learned and assessed for their usefulness in working with the elderly.

    In Spring Term of Year II, students in the Gerontology Certificate Program must also take one gerontology elective. Options for the elective include:

  • SW 2004 INTERVENTION IN DEATH AND DYING WITH PATIENTS AND FAMILIES: A course designed to help students grapple with the poignant issues of death, loss, and separation and to become more effective practitioners with dying patients and their families.

  • An elective relevant to practice in aging to be selected from social work offerings or those in other graduate departments.

    The skills elective option chosen may carry two or three credits.


    Sample Program for a Direct Practice Student in the
    Gerontology Certificate Program



    Fall - Year I Credits Spring - Year I Credits
    HBSE I 3 Adult Development and Aging 3
    Social Welfare I 3 Social Policy and Gerontology 3
    Research I 3 Advanced Direct Practice 3
    Foundations of Generalist Social Field Practicum 5
      Work Practice
    		 3
    Models of Intervention 3
    Summer I
    Field Practicum    		 3
    Fall - Year II Spring - Year II
    Advanced Research 3 Direct Practice Elective 2 or 3
    Diverse Populations 3 Gerontology Elective 2 or 3
    Direct Practice with the Elderly 3 Direct Practice Skill Elective 2 or 3
    Gerontology Elective 2 or 3 Field Practicum 5
    Field Practicum 5
    Direct Practice Skills Courses Gerontology Courses (content)
    Models of Intervention 3 Adult Development and Aging 3
    Advanced Direct Practice 3 Direct Practice with Elderly 3
    Diverse Population 3 Death and Dying 3
    Direct Practice with Elderly 3 Social Policy and Gerontology 3
    Skill Elective (this could be
    Death and Dying)    		 2 or 3

  • Home and School Visitor Certification

    (PA Department of Education Certificate)
    The purpose of the program is to expedite the planning for certification through the PA Department of Education. This certificate enhances the professional competence of all Home and School Visitors (school social workers) engaged in the provision of vital services in public and private elementary and secondary schools. Master of Social Work graduate students enrolled in the program are expected to meet all other requirements for the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree including those requirements for their area of concentration and the second year 10-credit field placement in an educational setting.

    Post-master's social work students interested in obtaining the Home and School Visitor certificate must apply to the School of Social Work as continuing education students. Post-master's social work students seeking certification must also submit a completed application package, have an admissions interview with the program chair, and pay the admission processing fee of $30 to the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work.

    The course credit hours (27 credits) required for the certificate are distributed among classes offered primarily by the School of Social Work but also the School of Education. Students must also complete a 10-credit hour field instruction in an educational setting under the direct supervision of an MSW graduate with two years' post-master's experience and with Home and School Visitor/School of Social Work certification. The list of certificate program requirements is provided below.

    For more information write to: Dr. Santos Torres, Jr., Chair, H&SV/SSW Certificate Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Cathedral of Learning, Room 2226, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, or call (412) 624-6239.

  • Program Requirements
    All are required:
    *SWINT 2034 DIRECT PRACTICE WITH DIVERSE POPULATIONS 3 crs.
    SWINT 2058 SOCIAL WORK IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS 3 crs.
    *SWBEH 2063 HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT 3 crs.
    *SWWEL 2081 SOCIAL WELFARE 3 crs.
    *SWINT 2082 MODELS OF INTERVENTION 3 crs.

    Must choose one from the following:
    CHLDDV 2003 DEVELOPMENT: CONCEPTION THROUGH EARLY CHILDHOOD 3 crs.
    CHLDDV 2004 DEVELOPMENT: MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE 3 crs.
    SWBEH 2062 HUMAN BEHAVIOR: CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AT RISK 3 crs.

    Must choose one from the following:
    ADMPS 2101 PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL LAW 3 crs.
    ADMPS 2102 SCHOOL LAW FOR TEACHERS 3 crs.
    ADMPS 3102 SCHOOL LAW 3 crs.

    Must choose one from the following:
    EDUC 2000 PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT 3 crs.
    PSYED 2127 HUMAN LEARNING 3 crs.

    All are required:
    I&L 2500 FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION 3 crs.
    *SW 2099 FIELD WORK 10 crs.

    Listed courses from the School of Education: law, learning, and special education must be taken as the three elective courses required in the MSW program.

    *These courses simultaneously fulfill MSW degree and H&SV/SSW Certificate requirements.


  • Post-Master's Family Therapy Certification

    (University of Pittsburgh Certificate)
    The Postmaster's Family Therapy Certificate Program has been jointly designed by family therapy educators and practitioners to provide a planned sequence of courses and clinical supervision/practica that will promote integration of theory and practice and enhance competence for practitioners of family and marital therapy.

    Through parttime study over a twoyear period, participants will accumulate 22 credits of academic courses, field practice, and group supervision beyond the master's degree. The program is designed to meet the needs of working professionals, and classes meet one evening each week during the Fall and Spring terms. Course work and group supervision can be used toward American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy's (AAMFT) requirements for clinical certification.

  • Admission Requirements
  • A master's degree in social work or a related helping profession

  • Three years of postmaster's professional experience in a clinical setting

  • Two professional references

  • A written statement describing reasons for applying to the program

    In addition, applicants may be asked to attend an admissions interview or provide video or audio tapes of clinical work, if suitability cannot be determined through the above criteria.

    For application materials or further information, contact the School of Social Work Continuing Education Office 2025 Cathedral of Learning; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Telephone (412) 6243711 or FAX (412) 6246323.

    Implementation of the program will be contingent on a suitable number of wellqualified applicants being available. The program currently admits students on a biennial basis, and admission has been competitive.


  • Post-Master's Program for Employee Assistance Program Certification

    (University of Pittsburgh Certificate)
    The Postmaster's EAP certificate has been jointly developed by social work educators and Employee Assistance Program professionals to provide a specialized sequence of courses, field practice, and supervision for social workers and other helping professionals who wish to practice in the growing field of Employee Assistance Programming. The EAP certificate will provide 21 credits (315 hours) of postmaster's study, and participants will have up to 4 years to complete the certificate program, although the program can be completed within two years.

    The EAP certificate is structured to meet the educational needs of working professionals through a series of weekend and summer institutes integrated with group supervision and field practice. The program will focus on the six key Employee Assistance Professional Association (EAPA) curricular areas:

  • Work Organizations
    		•
  • Human Resource Management
  • EAP Policy and Administration
    		•
  • EAP Direct Services
  • Chemical Dependency and Addictions
    		•
  • Personal and Psychological Problems
    • Participants in this program will also be prepared to take and pass the national test for Employee Assistance Program professional certification through EAPA.


  • Admission Requirements
  • A master's degree in social work or a related helping or human resource profession

  • Three year's clinical/direct or employee assistance practice experience

  • Two professional references

  • A written statement describing reasons for applying to the program

    In addition, applicants may be asked to attend an admission interview or provide other materials which may be helpful in determining admission.

    For application materials or further information, contact the School of Social Work Continuing Education Office 2025 Cathedral of Learning; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Telephone: (412) 6243711 or FAX: (412) 6246323. Implementation of the program will be contingent on a suitable number of wellqualified applicants being available.




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