African American MSW Students: Personal Influences on Social Work Careers and Factors in Graduate School Selection

The research is an empirical examination of who the individuals were that influenced 207 African American respondents to pursue graduate social work education, and what enrollment decision factors (EDFs) led them to select a social work program. Statistically significant relationships between EDFs are also isolated. The purposive sample consisted of MSW graduates from three predominantly White universities in two southeastern states in the United States. Almost 80% were females, the mean age was 44.5 years, and 45% majored in social work as undergraduates. Individuals who reportedly had 'a great deal of influence' in their selection of graduate social work education included social work practitioners, family members, and undergraduate professors. The 'very important' EDFs included geographical location, type of social work program, class scheduling, and cost of tuition. The strongest EDF correlations were between (1) number of minority students and number of minority faculty (r = 0.662, p = 0.000, 0.01 level, 2-tailed); (2) academic reputation and type of social work program (r = 0.590, p = 0.000, 0.01 level, 2-tailed); and (3) number of minority faculty and school climate toward minorities (r = 0.523, p = 0.000, 0.01 level, 2-tailed). Findings suggest that graduate school recruitment strategies for African Americans and other under-represented groups should include use of social work practitioners and educators, as well as more informed and deliberate marketing approaches with respect to school curricula and how it translates into future career options.