Program in Social Work College of Humanities and Social Sciences Hawaii Pacific University

A Cross-Cultural Social Work Program

Accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE), Hawai'i Pacific University's Master of Social Work (MSW) program produces effective social work practitioners by combining theory, methods, and skills training with practical experience.

The program fosters cultural awareness among practitioners to allow them to select the most effective method for each specific person or group. The profession is examined from multiple angles, investigating the roles of critical thinking, history, ethics and values, and ongoing learning in a social work career.

Supervised field work in community agencies is incorporated throughout the entire duration of the program to provide students with real-world experience to complement the coursework.

First-Year Basics

The first-year courses are composed of a liberal arts base and the "generalist model" of social work practice -- an approach that identifies the primary methods for establishing positive relationships within small groups such as individuals and families, as well as organizations, corporate entities, and communities. Students also study subjects that support practice, such as human growth and development and social policy.

A special feature of the first year is the Interviewing Laboratory that is structured to help students develop communication skills. Students practice intensively under supervision and study and analyze both audio and video recordings of their interviews to improve their interviewing techniques. The course focuses on building rapport, observing verbal and non-verbal behavior, discerning appropriate skills for given situations, and examining the anchor role of interviewing in the social work profession on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.

Second-Year Specifics

In the second year of the program, students focus on knowledge and skills that help them become effective cross-cultural practitioners. This uses the practitioner's professional knowledge and understanding of cultures to select and implement the methods that have the best chance of success with a specific client or client group. Skills are enhanced through more focused courses examining various social work methods, as well as legal and ethical issues, followed by clinical training.

This phase of the MSW program includes a graduate practicum that requires the student to work in a community social agency with a special focus on a specific cultural group.

Students also focus on multicultural counseling and social work methods with diverse populations. If they wish, students may also select a specific culture on which to focus their studies and develop this cultural specialty as part of their degree program.

Advanced Standing

Advanced standing may be possible for students that have an accredited undergraduate degree in Social Work. These students may be exempt from up to one year of the MSW curriculum. Advanced standing students take the second-year courses of the two-year MSW program, in addition to Graduate Study of Social Work for Advanced Standing Students and the Interviewing Laboratory.

Flexible, Part-time Format

Hawai'i Pacific offers a flexible, part-time format for students that want to attain an MSW degree while working full-time or part-time. Courses are offered nights and weekends, and HPU advisers are available to assist students with scheduling.

Multiple Financial Aid Options

Hawai'i Pacific University's financial aid department offers a variety of financial support opportunities. Depending on the student's full-time or part-time status and the number of credits being taken, the student may be eligible for federal loans, private financing, and university scholarships and assistantships.

HPU participates in all federal financial aid programs, including both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans. HPU financial aid staff members are available to assist students with financial aid and scholarship information.

University Scholarships and Assistantships

Institutional scholarships and assistantships are available for new, full-time, degree seeking students who demonstrate financial need. When evaluating such requests, Hawai'i Pacific University also considers the students' academic record, level of community involvement and service orientation, and any professional work achievements.

Four programs at HPU -- Graduate Trustee, Graduate Dean, Graduate Kokua, and International Scholarship programs -- offer between $2,000 - $6,000 per year. Depending on the program, awards can go to U.S. citizens, permanent Hawai'i residents, or international students.

Multicultural Environment

HPU is ranked as one of the most internationally diverse universities in the world by the Institute for International Education. Since a primary objective of the Master of Social Work degree is to show students how to integrate the aims of social policy with culturally sensitive principles, HPU is the ideal place to obtain a MSW degree.

With Hawai'i Pacific University located in Honolulu, opportunities abound for working with a variety of Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawai'ian, and mixed-culture groups in various locales.

More Information

More information is available on HPU graduate studies, degree requirements, and application.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Master of Social Work (MSW)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 11
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? Yes
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? Not reported

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied107
• Accepted90
• Acceptance Rate84%
• Enrolled51
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic Not Reported
• Application Fee - International Not Reported
• Electronic applications accepted? Not Reported
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Not Reported
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesNot Reported
• Doctoral's DegreesNot Reported
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesNot Reported

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$13,590
• Out-of-state tuition *$13,590
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitNot Reported
• Application deadlines for financial awardsNot Reported
• Types of financial support availableTuition Waivers, Career or Field-Related Internships, Federal Work-Study, Scholarship and/or loans, Graduate Assistantships

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students105
• Female Percentage77%
• Male Percentage23%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students105
• Part-time Percentage14%
• Full-time Percentage86%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino15%
• Black / African American12%
• White / Caucasian38%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian1%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander3%
• Two or more races17%
• Unknown14%

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty8
• Full-time Percentage75%
• Part-time Percentage25%
• Female Percentage38%
• Male Percentage62%