Tennessee Tech University will launch a new Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program in fall 2027, creating expanded pathways for graduate education while helping address growing needs for mental health and social services across the Upper Cumberland.
Approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission earlier this year, the 60-credit-hour program will be housed in Tech’s Department of Sociology and Political Science and led by Steven Seiler, professor of sociology, MSW program director, and director of Tech’s Center for Addiction Prevention and Support.
The program will be delivered in a primarily online hybrid format designed to accommodate working professionals. University leaders say the MSW program is part of a broader initiative aimed at expanding access to care and strengthening the region’s social service workforce.
“This project is really about making a positive social impact in the Upper Cumberland,” Seiler said. “The idea is to help fill gaps in access to mental health care while also producing social workers who will serve communities across this region.”
The MSW program will closely complement the work of Tech’s Center for Addiction Prevention and Support (CAPS), which Seiler also leads. CAPS is preparing to launch a free mental health clinic for the community that is on track to open this fall. Both the first years of the degree program and the new community clinic are supported in part by a $2.5 million grant from the Opioid Abatement Council.
The clinic will provide therapy services to adults who may face long wait times or financial barriers when seeking care. It will additionally serve as a training site for graduate students in the MSW program.
“As we bring in MSW students, those who are interested will have opportunities to work in the clinic as therapists under supervision,” Seiler said. “That will help expand our capacity to serve the community while also providing meaningful clinical training.”
The clinic will operate from the center’s offices in the Regions Bank Building at 10 W. Broad Street in Cookeville.
Beyond in-person services, the initiative also aims to expand access to care across the 14-county Upper Cumberland through partnerships with community organizations.
One such collaboration is with the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency, which would allow telehealth services to be offered at agency offices throughout the region. The approach would help connect individuals with counseling services closer to home, particularly in rural communities where travel to larger cities can be a barrier.
According to Seiler, the effort is designed to address both workforce shortages and growing demand for behavioral health services.
“The Upper Cumberland is, in many ways, a social work desert,” he said. “While there are dedicated professionals serving this area, we simply don’t have enough licensed social workers to meet the need.”
Currently, students in the region who wish to pursue a master’s degree in social work often must travel long distances or enroll in online programs offered by universities outside the immediate area.
Tech’s program aims to make graduate education more accessible by combining flexible online coursework with limited in-person instruction scheduled in the evenings.
Graduates will be prepared for careers in a wide range of settings, including behavioral health organizations, schools, health care systems, courts, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The program will be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, thereby supporting graduates pursuing professional licensure.
The proposal for the program received letters of support from stakeholders across the region, including Putnam County Schools, the Upper Cumberland Council on Children and Youth, the Putnam County Regional Office of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, among others.
For Seiler, the effort reflects both a professional mission and a personal commitment to the region he now calls home.
“There’s such a need for support for people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges,” he said. “If we can help provide a lifeline or create new pathways for care and support in this region, then we’re making a difference for our communities.”