Class Sizes, Faculty Workloads, and Program Structures

Abstract

This article reports on results from a survey of how U.S. and Canadian MSW programs have responded to increased enrollments and fixed resources. Descriptive findings depict current circumstances in these programs, such as average class sizes, course caps, and faculty workloads, along with information on how these circumstances have changed during the past five years. Data are then presented on program responses indicating that, as a group, the programs did not adopt categorical or theoretically predicted strategies for dealing with changing circumstances. Finally, the implications of current conditions and trends are discussed.