Social Work, M.S.W. Advanced Standing Curriculum

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Advisement for the program is available from the School of Social Work .

The Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) prepares social work practitioners for advanced direct practice with individuals, families, groups and organizations. Graduates will be prepared to practice in a variety of settings.

The M.S.W. program is designed to help students achieve their maximum potential through a carefully structured curriculum of generalist and specialized courses. Students without an accredited undergraduate degree in social work are admitted to the traditional 62 semester hour program that may be completed in four semesters.

Advanced standing is available to applicants who have graduated from an undergraduate accredited social work program within the past three years, or within the last five years with two years of human service experience. Applicants having received a B.A.S.W. more than five years previously will not be considered for advanced standing. Applicants for advanced standing must have earned a minimum 3.0 grade point average on the last 120 credits that appear on their bachelor’s degree transcript, as well as a 3.2 on the last 60 graded upper-division credits (including all social work courses). The traditional and advanced standing M.S.W. programs are offered in hybrid and fully online formats.

Course of Study

The expected course of study for the traditional full-time program requires two years of coursework and field instruction. Students in the traditional part-time program are expected to complete their course work and field instruction in four years. The expected course of study for full-time advanced standing students is one year of course-work and field instruction or two years for part-time advanced standing students. Students in the traditional program must complete two different field placements.

Program Policies

Students may graduate with no more than 6 credits (typically 2 courses) in which they earn lower than a B (3 credits for advanced standing students).
Students in the regular curriculum program (62 credits) are allowed to repeat 2 courses 1 time during their program to improve their grade.
Students who have begun the Specialized Practice curriculum may not repeat a Generalist Practice course.
Advanced standing students may repeat 1 course 1 time.
Students who have exceeded their allowable C credits and who have utilized their allowable course repeat option will be dismissed from the program regardless of their GPA.
Students who receive any grade below a C and have utilized their allowable course repeat option will be dismissed from the program regardless of their GPA.
A grade point average of 3.0 is required for graduation. To remain in good academic standing, graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 for all graduate courses. If the GPA falls below 3.0, the student is placed on academic probation according to University policy.

Additional policies are found in the M.S.W. Graduate Student Handbook.

Program Admission

Students seeking admission to the M.S.W. program must demonstrate that they:

Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
Have completed a broad liberal arts background with a minimum of 24 credit hours including at least one course in sociology, psychology, English, political science or history, and statistics. These undergraduate requirements may be taken at any accredited college or university, including community colleges. All prerequisites for admission must be completed by the end of the first semester in the program. All offers of admission are conditional upon the successful completion of the undergraduate coursework.
Have earned a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average on the last 120 graded credits that appear on their bachelor’s degree transcript, as well as a 3.0 grade point average on the last 60 graded upper-division credits.
Meet the requirements for advanced standing if the applicant seeks admission to the program. Applicants for advanced standing must have graduated from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within the last three years. Applicants with two years of human service work who graduated within the last five years will be considered. Applicants for advanced standing must have earned a minimum 3.0 grade point average on the last 120 credits that appear on their bachelor’s degree transcript, as well as a 3.2 on the last 60 graded upper-division credits (including all social work courses).
Have submitted transcripts of any completed graduate courses.
Have submitted three professional letters of recommendation, usually from persons such as professors, employers, supervisors, professional colleagues and community associates. Applicants who have been employed in a social service agency should request a recommendation from a recent employer or supervisor. Student applicants should provide a recommendation from a faculty advisor or instructor.

Provisional Admission

Provisional admission may be granted to applicants to the M.S.W. program who have a GPA of 2.5 to 2.99 (2.8 to 2.99 for advanced standing applicants) on the last 120 graded credits that appear on their bachelor’s degree transcript and have an otherwise strong application. Provisionally admitted applicants must complete one semester of graduate courses (at least two courses) with a GPA of 3.0.

Transfer Applicants

Under certain circumstances, students may receive a maximum of 29 semester hours for work completed not more than five years prior to first registration from a CSWE accredited graduate school of social work and for which a grade of at least a B was received. No course, including any transfer course, may be counted toward a degree if it was completed more than seven full calendar years prior to the date of graduation.

Students must complete a minimum of 32 credits in the Salisbury University School of Social Work, to be eligible for the M.S.W.

Students currently or previously enrolled in another accredited master’s level social work degree program who are seeking admission as a transfer student are required to submit the following additional materials:

A brief written statement describing the reasons why they are requesting a transfer.
A copy of practicum/field work evaluation(s), if applicable.
One of the three recommendations must be from a faculty member or field supervisor affiliated with the program.

Students from non-M.S.W. programs may receive a maximum of six transfer credits for courses for which he/she has earned a grade of B or above. Each course will be individually assessed for program equIVA- lency. Official determination of allowable credit for work completed elsewhere will be made at the time of admission.

Any student registered in the program who wants to take a course at another university and transfer credit toward the Salisbury University School of Social Work M.S.W. (i.e., a summer course) must receive approval from the program chair of the Social Work School.

Advanced Standing Applicants

Applicants for advanced standing must submit the following material in addition to the usual application requirements:

Transcripts documenting eligibility for advanced standing.
Recommendation from the field liaison and agency field instructor.
A detailed evaluation of their field instruction experience and performance by the agency supervisor or an evaluation of their employment performance. They may submit evaluations of field performance conducted at the end of each undergraduate semester.

Pending Legal Action and Conviction Statement

Persons who indicate on the application that they have pending legal action or convictions will be asked to supply documentation on the nature of the offense and the disposition. Individuals admitted to the program who are facing pending legal action or convictions may have restrictions placed on the area of study and field placements they may pursue. In addition, some field placement agencies require a criminal background check.

Applicants are also advised that the Professional Standards Committee of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners may refuse to issue a license or certificate of registration to any person who has been convicted of any crime in this or any other state. Applicants may be denied admission, or if enrolled, terminated, from the program if they have not been truthful or provided inaccurate information in the application.

Life Experience Statement

No credit will be given for work or life experience.

Non-Degree Student Enrollment

Eligible students who wish to enroll as non-degree graduate students (not formally admitted to a graduate degree program) are not required to complete a formal application for admission and may schedule up to three approved generalist-level courses. These students may have official transcripts sent to the Admissions Office from the baccalaureate granting institution and all institutions attended for graduate study and register for classes with the Registrar’s Office.

Checklist

This checklist is an unofficial tool for planning. Matriculated students and advisors should consult the Academic Requirements Report in GullNet before and after registering for classes each semester to track academic progress.