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Abstract
The development of the BSW as the first professional degree raises the question of the function and expected level of practice of the advanced degree. The need to differentiate degree levels reopens the question of generic and specific education, which is here related to discussions in the 1950s, prior to the widespread adoption of a generic curriculum. The importance of the generic curriculum to professional identity is examined in relation to the need for specialized knowledge for advanced practice and policy-development roles. The implications of structural options that would differentiate the two professional degrees are reviewed.