Integrating Faith and Social Work: Gordon College’s New MSW 4+1 Partnership  

Gordon College is partnering with Roberts Wesleyan University (RWU) and Dordt University (DU) to create a new 4+1 Master of Social Work (MSW) program that allows social welfare majors in the School of Psychology and Human Services to complete a master's degree in five years. This partnership brings together three Christian institutions of higher learning to provide an efficient, cost-effective and accessible degree program that integrates faith and learning to prepare students for the in-demand social welfare vocations.  

“A student who is a believer, who has their faith and their education centered around Biblical principles, who can take that into the world with humility, grace and professional academic preparation, is poised to make such a difference,” says Professor Sybil Coleman (social welfare), who will serve as the program's inaugural director. 

A New MSW Online Degree Program 

Gordon currently offers a bachelor's degree in social welfare to undergraduate students. While this degree is more than enough for some careers in the field of social work, many agencies and organizations in this industry require advanced degrees and licensures, especially for more specialized roles.  To ensure Gordon students are well-equipped for the careers they want to pursue, professors Sarah Krass (social welfare) and Coleman reached out to RWU and DU, who each have an MSW degree program, about the possibility of creating an accelerated master’s program as a partnership between the schools.  

Students participating in the new 4+1 MSW program may choose from two different tracks, which each flow through one of the partnering universities. Gordon students who follow the DU track will complete their undergraduate courses at Gordon to earn a bachelor's degree. During their senior year these students will apply to DU’s online MSW program and then spend two summers and two semesters after graduation to achieve their master’s degree. Gordon alumni who have graduated with either a social work or social welfare degree within the past five years may also apply for the 4+1 MSW program on the DU track. 

MSW students who choose the RWU track will apply during their first or second year at Gordon, as RWU requires specific online courses for undergraduates in order to qualify for the MSW program. Thanks to careful planning from the faculty, these courses will simply replace similar ones Gordon already offers to keep students’ workload balanced. Once they’ve completed their undergraduate courses, students can start a job after graduation and take advantage of the flexibility of online courses to do their MSW coursework from locations across the United States. 

The MSW 4+1 program opens many doors for Gordon’s social welfare majors, especially with its different concentrations in clinical practice, child and family services, community practice and administration and advanced generalist. Once students have their MSW and the necessary practicum hours, they can go on to apply to become licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) or licensed independent clinical social workers (LICSW). 

“Gordon students will essentially be getting an MSW in social work within five years, instead of in six, for a fraction of the price of what that degree usually costs—and they won’t have to relocate,” Coleman says. “The big picture is this program will allow us to more quickly and efficiently get practitioners out into the field to meet the needs of society.” 

Serving Others with Dignity and Worth 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the fields of psychology and social welfare will see employment growth of 7.8 percent over the next 10 years—nearly three times faster than the all-occupation average. Given the increasing amount of unrest and injustice in our world, it’s no surprise that the demand for social workers is rising. 

“Social work utilizes a systems perspective,” Coleman says. "Social work and social welfare [look at] what is occurring on the various systems impacting the client. This includes macro, meso and microsystems, such as the economy, environment, community, family and individual. Rather than looking at just the problem, social work takes into consideration what might be impacting an entire system.”    

Gordon social work and social welfare alumni have gone on to become social workers, therapists, counselors, lawyers, community organizers and more. They work with individuals with developmental disorders, seniors in retirement centers, housing organizations, anti-trafficking organizations, within the judicial system and with politicians to create legislation to help those who are struggling.   

Social work is a vocation that demonstrates the love of God by serving all aspects of society, with a particular concern for the vulnerable. Gordon’s partnerships with RWU and DU will prepare students to be compassionate, competent difference-makers who fully integrate their faith with their career through a Christian higher education.  

“Scripture teaches that every person is made in the image of God,” Coleman says. “Whether you are an abuser or a criminal, suffer from mental health disorders or doing well in life, you are made in the image of God, so everyone is to be treated with dignity and worth. It doesn't mean there aren’t consequences to certain behaviors, but as social workers, we're coming alongside clients to serve them as equals.”