Global Student Opportunities

Group of students at india conference

UMSSW has a number of student field opportunities, and global learning experiences which integrate decolonization practices.

Our campus faculty are leading academic curriculum changes to prepare students for significant professional roles in a rapidly diversifying state and nation and in a world where health needs are defying national borders and population identities. UMSSW currently has a number of global opportunities for MSW and PhD students.

Field

We currently have two field placement opportunities for MSW students through our partnership with Rajagiri University in Kerala, India and Greenwich University in London, England. We also have two intensive courses with travel to Rajagiri India and Israel.

Research

Interested MSW and PhD students also have the opportunity to work with faculty on research projects with a global perspective (e.g., Drs. Michalopoulos, Negi, Wagner, Shdaimah).

Global Courses

UMSSW also has short courses in partnership with the University of Haifa in Israel, University of Zambia, and Rajagiri University in India. In summer 2025, UMSSW will be offering an intraprofessional (with the School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy) summer intensive course focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals and how they apply in Zambia and the US (Maryland). This course will entail 2 weeks of travel to Zambia for selected students from SSW, Pharmacy and Medicine. Through our partnership with Rajagiri University, UMSSW offers a course examining social work practices in Southern India. The course involves preparation meetings in the Fall semester and an in country experience in January (including attending an international social work conference). UMSSW also offers the course, Conflict, Collaboration, and Conciliation: Working together to provide professional services against a backdrop of conflict. This virtual course is a collaborative collaboration student seminar with Erfurt University and Max Stern Yizreel Valley College. This global independent study explores the provision of services in a variety

of local, national, and global settings, often within interprofessional contexts. We seek to bring together students from schools of social work in three countries: Germany, Israel and the United States. Finally, UMSSW has a US-focused course on immigration and ways to address the ever-changing demographic in Baltimore, Maryland and the US.

Ready to be a Changemaker?