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The macro social work program at the Boston College School of Social Work prepares students to address systemic issues at the community, organizational, and policy levels. 

In their coursework and field internships, students learn to harness the power of advocacy, social innovation, and community engagement to drive social change and advance the common good in Boston and beyond.

We asked Samuel Lewis Bradley, Jr., MSW program director and associate dean of academic planning, to discuss the benefits of macro social work.

What are the primary differences between òòò½Ö±²¥SSW’s macro social work program and clinical social work program? 

The best way that I can explain it is that the macro social worker focuses on the client as a community, organization, or movement. These folks are usually very focused on finding solutions to social problems wherever they may exist. This ranges from everyday issues like safer playground equipment for children to using the arts, social media, and other communications platforms for advocacy or even just recreation. 

Social work is a profession focused on the well-being of society. To achieve this aim, macro social workers interface with a variety of professions and workplaces. They are also represented in the leadership of numerous government agencies, non-profits, and for-profits. 

However, to practice macro social work, one does not have to be a chief executive officer. I began my MSW career as an alumni relations officer for a small liberal arts school. My macro education enabled me to work on a variety of fundraising and political events over the course of the first five years of my career. 

Here at Boston College, we pride ourselves on a macro social work program that teaches design-driven methodologies such as field observation, community-based systems dynamics, and group facilitation for social problem-solving, just to name a few. 

A clinical social worker’s primary focus will be on the mental health of individuals, administering group therapy, case management, and family therapy interactions. We pride ourselves on having extremely competitive and cutting-edge macro and clinical practice courses. You can’t lose either way. But beyond our ability to train you, some are called to social work as healers and others are called as advocates, troublemakers, and changemakers. 

Why is macro social work particularly important today?

The American macro social workers of the 20th century were workforce development trainers, advocates for new arrivals, and journalists spreading the news regarding injustices. They focused on telling the stories of those who were the most disadvantaged in society. Today, thanks to the wonders of globalization and the hard work of organizers, many of us have become aware of some of the most pressing social problems in our time: wealth inequality, discrimination, poverty, and social isolation, just to name a few. 

Many times, we answer these issues one-on-one in case management and therapy; however, in macro social work, we advance the cause of humanity through promoting social cohesion, democracy, and community-based decision making. We often achieve these goals through the arts, media, fundraising, management, and political activities. I always like to remind social work colleagues not to fall in love with one tool, but to use whatever they have available to them to move progress forward. 

Now more than ever, social workers are needed in all aspects of our society. At Boston College, our expert faculty prepares students to specialize in macro practice while also connecting their work to tangible skills like fundraising, organizing, and design for social impact. Many entry-level macro social workers begin their careers developing new programs. Our Design Thinking for Social Change certificate can enable you to learn advanced skills in design facilitation and program development. 

Students in the macro program are required to take Basic Skills in Macro Practice, Social Innovation, Program Evaluation, Community Engagement for Social Change, Research Methods in Social Work Practice, Advanced Policy, and Leadership in Social Transformation. Taken as a whole, how do these courses prepare students to drive innovation, address complex social problems, and advance the common good?

Our curriculum features a design- and project-based education component. Our focus on macro skills allows our students to learn the best of design for social impact starting on their first day of class in Basic Skills in Macro Practice. They then further refine their design facilitation skills in Social Innovation and Leadership and Social Transformation. These skills help social workers to lead in a variety of settings. 

Macro students take our Social Welfare System course and Advanced Policy courses so that they can learn specific legal mechanisms of change, and the historical context for the communities in which they work along with the policy analysis skills to speak persuasively to others. 

All of the students who complete Basic Skills in Macro Practice are required to write an op-ed about a specific social policy, and many choose to submit them to reputable papers such as The Boston Globe. Finally, we provide a Program Evaluation course so that students can learn to measure both qualitatively and quantitatively the progress of their programs and organizations. In my work, I often have to understand the basics of survey research, interviewing, and basic descriptive statistics.

òòò½Ö±²¥SSW students who choose to focus on macro social work often earn the Design Thinking for Social Change and Leaders for Equity and Justice in the Workplace certificates, both of which require the completion of specific sets of courses. How do each of these programs prepare students to create solutions to thorny problems facing communities in need? 

The Boston College School of Social Work is pleased to be the only school of social work in the country to offer these kinds of courses. Our Design Thinking for Social Change certificate is the perfect finishing school for students who are interested in combining a love of design with the social change that we are all working for every day. Social workers can use these skills to design new programs, work with communities to facilitate design thinking and strategy sessions, and consult for non-profit and for-profit organizations. 

Our Leaders for Equity and Justice in the Workplace certificate is designed for students who are interested in managing organizations. These courses review the state of the art in organizational practices including management, organizational policy analysis, and communication. Students who take this certificate have gone on to work for the municipalities, non-profits, and Fortune 500 companies. Those students have worked in workforce development, human resources, and DEI offices. Now, more than ever, we need social workers who look out for the well-being of workers. 

In addition to required coursework and certificate programs, what ideas do you have in the works to enhance the educational outcomes of students in the macro program? 

Our macro research and practice faculty are always working on keeping the program current with the state of practice. It can be surprising to some to learn that we utilize skills like design thinking, service-delivery design, strategic planning, futures thinking, and system dynamics to do our work, but that is what is required of social workers in the 21st century. I sometimes chuckle when others say that they think that all we do is work with spreadsheets in an office all day. As we move ahead with our curriculum, we are constantly updating our courses with novel practices utilized in business, technology, and social justice. 

How many faculty teach courses focused on macro social work, and what are some of their specific areas of expertise?

This is a hard number to quantify. Many of our social work researchers perform macro work via their research and communications practices. While many of our faculty are clinically trained, they also maintain robust macro practices. Moreover, we have too many part-time faculty and field advisors to count—over 80! 

We have many full-time faculty members who specialize in macro social work. Some of them focus on clean energy and energy access, supportive housing access, international humanitarian and mutual aid structures, public health, racial justice and anti-discrimination organizations, social policy for child welfare, and resource support. Many of our part-time faculty members also run organizations or major divisions and programs here in the Greater Boston area. 

MSW students at òòò½Ö±²¥SSW gain real-world experience through field practicums with organizations that complement their goals and interests. Where are students specializing in macro social work working right now? 

Our macro students are in workforce development, supportive housing access, lobbying, and advocacy organizations, and work for political candidates and other high-profile government agencies. Several work at the United Nations, UNICEF, the Global Jesuit Refugee Services, and other international and humanitarian aid organizations. But macro isn’t just about prestige; we work in plenty of places where most of society might not think to look to—rural small towns, libraries, human resources offices, banks and financial assistance programs, and even in technology companies like Spotify and Meta. Many of our macro students are offered jobs before they complete the program. 

What are some of the most important transferable skills that students develop in òòò½Ö±²¥SSW’s macro social work program?

Design thinking facilitation, strategic foresight and planning, survey construction and implementation, interviewing and thematic analysis, organizing, and communications strategy, public health interventions, grant-writing, peer-to-peer fundraising, endowment management, community organizing, and political and policy analysis, to name a few. 

Moreover, we don’t just rely on in-class training; each one of our macro students undergoes 1,200 hours of practicum based training—and yes, we cross-train all of our macro students in biopsychosocial assessment and psychotherapeutic interventions. 

These transferable skills open up a world of career options for students in the macro program. What are some of the ways that graduates harness the power of their macro education to make a positive difference within communities, organizations, and systems?

Because we offer a professional graduate program, all of our students are required to complete over 1,200 hours of internships—and they are a much sought-after element of social innovation, non-profit, and social advocacy settings. Our students are trained in boardrooms, on sidewalks, in churches and refugee camps. Our formative process is hands-on and our courses are skills-based and simulation-focused. We want you to discover, develop, and practice your strengths while you receive feedback from qualified supervisors. Further, we want to challenge you to grow new skills in areas that you may not have even imagined—such as design, research, or communications skills. I like to think that this is why we have a high outplacement rate for our graduates, along with our professional in-house combined Career and Alumni Relations Offices.