Program of Study - Sustainable Community Health Promotion in Social Work Certificate
Purpose
Students will learn to apply a sustainability framework to analyze social conditions and social poficles that facilitate or impede achievement of healthy people and healthy communities. Using the sustainability model as an analytical tool, students will propose policies and interventions to maximize the economic, ecologic and social well-being of individuals, families and communities without jeopardizing the health of other communities and future generations.
Students who earn a graduate certificate in Sustainable Community Health Promotion in Social Work will be able to:
- Articulate a holistic definition of health that includes the social, economic and environmental conditions essential to the well-being of individuals, families and communities.
- Communicate the significance of environmental justice in achieving health and well-being for individuals, families and communities.
- Analyze the disproportionate environmental health risks incurred by members of vulnerable populations, including low-income people, people of color, and people with disabilities.
- Apply a sustainability perspective to the analysis and development of social policies to promote health.
- Advocate for sustainable food systems and community green spaces to facilitate physical and mental health.
- Use a sustainability model to devise a community health promotion program targeting a locally identified health problem.
- Work collaboratively with public health officials and medical providers to prevent disease by facilitating healthy lifestyle choices for people of all ages and abilities.
Admission Requirements
Students who have completed the MSSW foundation curriculum or who have been admitted to the 33-hour MSSW program (advanced standing program) are eligible to earn the certificate.
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Program Requirements
Required Courses (12 Credits)
| SOCW 6315 | Social Work with Diverse Populations | 3 |
| SOCW 6332 | Social Work Practice with Latinos | 3 |
| SOCW 6342 | Advanced Policy Analysis and Development | 3 |
Choose ONE of the following
| SOCW 6336 | Advanced Macro Assessment | 3 |
| SOCW 6340 | Advanced Social Work Practice with Organizations | 3 |
| SOCW 6341 | Advanced Social Work Practice with Communities | 3 |
| SOCW 6395 | Natural Environment and Human Well-Being | 3 |
| SOCW 6399 | Special Topics in Social Work Practice | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 12