Current and Challenge of Master of Social Work Education in Mainland China: An Empirical Research from Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

ABSTRACTSocial Work education in mainland China was established late but it has experienced a rapid development. It was not until 2009 that the government decided to put huge investment into the Master of Social Work (MSW) education. This study conducted an empirical investigation to evaluate the MSW education from the students’ perspectives. 500 MSW students were randomly selected from 10 universities, 8 provinces in mainland China. The results indicated the MSW education curriculum is not appropriate, teaching methods are not student-oriented, professional practice is not sufficient and so on. In such a training mode, MSW students demonstrate a negative attitude towards their majors and future development. Nearly half of respondents said that they did not obtain enough professional knowledge and skills and that they are reluctant to be engaged in careers related to social work after graduation due to the low salary and bad welfare. The reason lead to the crisis and challenges were analyzed. Improve sugg...