KOREA-BASED MASTERS OF SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM

BACKGROUND OF THE PROGRAM

Since 1992 the College of Social Work at the University of South Carolina has offered its Masters of Social Work (MSW) program in Seoul, Korea. This program was developed in response to a request from Korean social workers who desired a master's degree, but whose life circumstances precluded their coming to the United States to study. After considering this request, the faculty of the College developed a plan to offer the MSW degree in Korea. This plan was approved by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education, and by educational authorities in South Carolina. Approval to offer the program was also obtained from appropriate authorities in Korea. Initially, the program was offered in collaboration with Kangnam University, and since the program began several additional Korean universities have joined the partnership, including Dan Kook University, Hallym University, Induk Institute of Technology, Korea Christian University, Chang Shin College, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seowon University, and Suwon University.

STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM

The Korean program is structured on the framework of the part-time MSW program which the College has offered in South Carolina for many years. Faculty from the University of South Carolina travel to Korea to teach courses on-site during the summer and in specially arranged schedules during the fall and spring semesters. Courses are taught during evenings and weekends in order to accommodate the needs of working students. All faculty who teach in Korea participate in an orientation program prior to going abroad in order to heighten their cultural sensitivity and make them more effective educators in Korea. In addition to the regular classroom teacher, a Korean interpreter participates in each class. These interpreters, who hold master's and doctoral degrees in social work from United States schools, help ensure the correct meaning, cultural relevance, and appropriate application of the course content.

Field instruction is offered through the College's block placement format. Students are supervised by qualified instructors who hold the MSW degree from Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited programs. The College's director of field instruction makes several visits to the field agencies to oversee the field instruction.

SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM

The College began offering courses to the first cohort on students in 1993. The twenty-eight students in this first group received MSW degrees in Columbia in December, 1995. The program has been offered to several additional groups of students since that time. With the graduation of the fourth cohort of students in December 2003, over one hundred MSW degrees have been awarded through the Korea-based MSW program. The fifth cohort of twenty-six students began their studies in June 2004. The Korea-based MSW program has been thoroughly assessed by outsider evaluators who visited the program and also met with the faculty in Columbia. In addition, representatives from the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation visited on two occasions for evaluation purposes. All evaluations have been extremely positive. In its last accreditation review by the Commission on Accreditation, the College was commended for the quality of the Korea-based MSW program.

Mr. Sung Kyun Choi, a member of the first graduating class, was elected President of the Korean Association of Social Workers in April 2002.  Click here for more details.

BENEFITS OF THE  PROGRAM

The Korea-based program has been beneficial to all parties. Non-traditional working students are able to receive MSW degrees that would otherwise be unavailable to them from schools in the United States. Furthermore, it is considerably less expensive for students to enroll in this program than it would be for them to come to the United States to pursue the MSW degree.

Most graduates of the Korea-based MSW program have moved into positions of increased responsibility as a result of graduate study. Over twenty are now teaching social work education courses as adjunct faculty members in Korean Universities. A large number of graduates have been promoted within their organizations and some have assumed leadership positions in other organizations. Several of the alumni have entered doctoral social work education programs in Korea and in the United States. Two of the graduates have pursued their PhD degrees at this College. Insoo Chung received his PhD in 2004 and is now teaching at Shaw University in North Carolina. Innam Cho, who is currently enrolled in the College's doctoral program, received the South Carolina NASW's award for Outstanding International Student in 2005. Mr. Sung Kyun Choi, a member of the first graduating class, has been elected President of his Korean Association of Social Workers in April 2002 Click here for more details.

Faculty from the University of South Carolina have enjoyed the experience of teaching abroad, and have found that they are better social work educators as a result of insights they acquired from living, studying, and teaching in another country. Similarly, faculty from Korean universities who participate in the program feel that they profit from this cross-cultural activity. Several faculty from both countries have engaged in joint research projects which have resulted in scholarly publications and papers presented at national and international conferences.

Dr. Frank Raymond, Dr. Nancy Brown and Dr. Insoo Chung

Innam Cho and Dr. Leon Ginsberg