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School becomes first in North Dakota and one of only a select number across the region to offer a specialized two-track graduate program option for social work

BISMARCK, ND — Starting now, fall of 2024, the University of Mary is offering a new graduate program that will allow people with either an undergraduate degree in social work, or a bachelor’s degree in a related field to earn a master’s in social work (MSW) with the option of choosing one of two specialized tracks — either clinical, or macro practice and leadership. 

To complete the program, the MSW is offered in a convenient and popular online learning format taking only four semesters for students with a bachelor's degree in social work from a CSWE accredited program or nine semesters for students with a bachelor's degree in a related field.  

The school’s undergraduate degree in social work began in 1964, making it one of the school’s initial offerings when it first opened its doors five years prior in 1959, as Mary College. Mary began investigating the potential for a graduate program a few years ago by assessing the need for more advanced practitioners in the field. 

“The surveys confirmed the benefit of a MSW program to help address the behavioral health and substance abuse issues that go along with an inadequate number of social, behavioral health, and addiction care providers in our area,” explained Heidi Nieuwsma, chair of University of Mary’s Department of Behavioral Sciences. “In addition to university-based measures, a study commissioned by the North Dakota Legislature in 2018 identified the need for the expansion of behavioral health services within North Dakota, particularly in the areas of outpatient services, crisis intervention, services to children and youth, and substance use. An identified critical need was for expansion in the number of behavioral health service providers coupled with development of a more robust behavioral health and substance abuse service delivery system. It is important to note that these findings were identified before the onset of the pandemic which has only further exacerbated the need for and lack of these types of services. So, we’re extremely excited that the University of Mary can continue its mission by helping fulfill a dire need in this field — not just in North Dakota, but in the region and across the US.”

While an undergraduate student at the University of Mary and after months of discernment and prayer, Jean Naser switched majors: from caring for patients in a health care profession, to caring for others as a social worker. 

“I jumped into the course work and immediately knew this was where I needed to be, coming alongside and walking with those experiencing hardship,” said Naser, who is now an administrator for Christian Adoption Services, a licensed child-placing agency in ND and MN. 

Naser has been a licensed social worker for nearly seven years and is one of the first to enroll in University of Mary's new dual-track MSW program starting in September. She believes the macro and practice leadership track is a need for our state and region and enrolled in the clinical track.  

“I have long thought about continuing my education but have been waiting on God’s time and the right program,” added Naser. “Heidi was the first one to mention the new MSW program to me. North Dakota — and the Midwest in general — is a unique place with unique needs that I believe are not properly or fully addressed by the current programs because these programs simply are not educated on the culture, way of life, and unique problems that we face. I am itching to get back into the classroom to learn and expand my mind. I specifically am interested in enrolling at the University of Mary because I loved my undergraduate program and trust the faculty. I also appreciate that it is a local program and affordable.”

Nationally, prior to the pandemic, economists expected a shortage of 195,000 social workers in the U.S. by 2030. An aging population, a sharp rise in social isolation or loneliness, homelessness and incarceration, and the opioid epidemic have all dramatically increased demand. 

With those numbers and factors on the rise, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’  projects employment of social workers to grow 7% by 2032, that means over 63,000 social worker openings per year. Careers for a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) include therapist, health care and school social worker, clinical supervisor, child and family services provider, and case manager. A person with a macro practitioner degree in social work would work as an administrator, supervisor, policy developer, planner, and researcher, and lobbyist to name just a few. 

Average annual salary for those jobs in North Dakota currently range from $65,000 to $75,000.

Limited space is available in the program, so anyone interested should go to 

 to learn more or contact an admissions representative at enroll@umary.edu, or by calling (701) 355-8030. The University of Mary is one of only 15 Recommended Cardinal Newman Society Residential Colleges and Universities in the US. 

SWAG��Ƶ the University of Mary: True to its motto “lumen vitae”—The Light of Life—the University of Mary offers education for the whole of life through cutting-edge professional programs and graduate programs animated by moral courage and leadership in chosen professions and service to the community. A private, co-educational Catholic institution, the University of Mary welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.

A Christian, Catholic, Benedictine institution founded in 1959 by the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, Mary offers over 60 bachelor’s, 18 master’s, and five doctoral programs—in Business Administration, Education, Nursing Practice, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. The 20-sport Athletic Department adheres to its Greatness Through Virtue mission under the governance of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), and the USA College Clay Target League. With more than 3,800 students, Mary has locations in North Dakota, Montana, Arizona, Rome, Italy, as well as vibrant online offerings.