ASSESSING PART-TIME EDUCATION IN AN M.S.W. PROGRAM

Because of the dearth of debates on the merits of full-time vs. part-time M.S.W. education, some findings on law-school part-time education are reported, together with the results of an empirical study which compared the achievement of part-time and full-time social work students. Given the same opportunities, part-time students do as well as full-timers. In spite of a continuing demand for part-time programs from individuals and groups interested in pursuing graduate studies in social work, and in spite of the proliferation of part-time MSW programs in various schools of social work, there has been a virtual absence of debate on the merits of such a program in the social work literature. A careful search of several social work journals published during the past 15 years fails to reveal any discussion of the issue. 1 The failure to discuss such a vital issue related to professional social work education may rest on the long-established but seldom articulate assumption tha