Managerial aspects in macro social work education: comparative analysis between MSW macro programs and nonprofit management education

The aim of this study is to evaluate the scope of management education within macro social work programs in the U.S. and to contrast this with similar nonprofit management education programs across various disciplines. This comparison aims to shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of management education in social work programs. For this purpose, a thorough list of macro-focused MSW degree programs in the U.S. was compiled using the CSWE database. We examined 521 courses from 86 MSW programs with a macro focus. These courses were analyzed and their content compared with that of nonprofit management education programs in other fields. Our findings reveal that while MSW programs in macro practice emphasize personal and interpersonal management skills, they often overlook crucial management tools like fundraising, marketing, philanthropy, and economics. Consequently, it is recommended that social work educators acknowledge the critical managerial competencies needed in social work agencies and incorporate a broader range of subjects to better equip future leaders in the field.