Master of Social Work/Master of Divinity
Social work and theology have many historical, philosophical, and applied commonalities. In an effort to integrate the two educational experiences and prepare professionals competent to integrate their practice skills, the School of Social Work, in co-operation with the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, has developed a cooperative degree program leading to the Master of Social Work and Master of Divinity degrees.
This program provides a full social work and theological education that may be completed in four years by virtue of mutual and reciprocal educational planning between the institutions. Candidates for the degrees normally enter the Seminary and concentrate on theological studies during the first two years of the program. The third and fourth years are spent primarily in the School of Social Work with approximately one course each term being taken at the Seminary. Students electing to terminate the cooperative degree program before its completion must complete all the work required by the respective institutions for either degree in order to receive that degree separately. Applications for admission are processed independently by each school.
Requests for further information concerning the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and its various programs may be addressed to the Director of Admissions, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 North Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, or call (412) 362-5610.
Master of Social Work/Master of Public Administration,
Master of Public and International Affairs, or Master of Urban and
Regional Planning
Three unique joint-degree programs are offered by the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. These include Public Management and Policy; Economic and Social Development; and Urban and Regional Planning.
Students entering these programs can earn master's degrees from both the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. In the School of Social Work, students would pursue either community organization or social administration concentrations.
The joint program offers students a broad educational program for eventual service in middle-management positions, public sector administration, community development policy, social planning, urban planning, administration of a social agency, community organization, senior human service organization, economic development organizing at the community level, and a host of combinations of such service positions. It provides students with additional opportunities to expand their knowledge base and to develop more marketable professional skills than are usually acquired through single-degree programs.
Degree candidates must meet the minimum foundation, core, and specialized requirements of both schools, except where substitutions are appropriate and approved by the academic advisers. Depending upon which joint-degree concentration the student elects, the total number of credits required for graduation ranges from 72 to 80 credits. For most students, this means that individual programs can be completed within six to seven terms of full-time residency. Students electing to terminate the joint-degree program before its completion must complete all the work required by the respective schools for either degree in order to receive that degree separately.
Master of Social Work/Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service
The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and the Hebrew Union College School of Jewish Communal Service have collaborated in offering a cooperative degree program for the education of people interested in professional social work careers in Jewish communal service. Career opportunities for such professionally educated staff persons include homes for the aged, councils and federations, community centers, family and children's service agencies, vocational and employment services, Hillel foundations, hospitals, and residential treatment centers, among others.
The first year of the program is given at the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union College, and the second year is offered at the University of Pittsburgh. Students completing both programs, which include class work and field work, earn the MSW and the MA. The provision of advanced standing and equivalencies makes it possible to earn both degrees within a 22-month period.
Students must be admitted to both programs in order to qualify for admission to the cooperative degree program. Application forms and admissions information can be obtained by writing to:
