Social Work M.S.W.
Requirements
90 units
Requirements for Graduation
1. A minimum of 90 quarter units of designated graduate courses as approved on the petition for advancement to candidacy. Seventy-seven of the quarter units must be completed at this university (with the exception of MSW course work from an accredited program);
2. A grade point average of at least 3.0 ("B");
3. Completion of a culminating research project or a thesis;
4. Up to one half of the course work (45 quarter units) may be transferred from an accredited MSW program. Only grades of "B" (3.0) or better will be accepted and students must first be accepted for admission. Courses not in keeping with program requirements may not be acceptable;
5. Completion of all MSW coursework within a four year period;
6. Completion of SW 625AB. Research Project, which will fulfill the graduation writing requirement;
Electives
In lieu of taking all electives in the social work curriculum, students may elect to take up to four units of relevant 500- or 600-level electives from other disciplines with the approval of their advisor.
Accreditation
The program was granted full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education in February, 1992. Questions regarding accreditation should be directed to the chair of the Department of Social Work.
Residency
The student must carry an academic workload of a minimum of eight units of 500- or 600-level course work for three consecutive quarters to achieve the residency requirement of full-time graduate status as defined by the university.
Degree Requirements (90 units)
The program is structured into two Models: Model 1 is designed for students who can devote their time and attention to intensive study. It offers six quarters of course work leading to the MSW degree in two years. Model 2 is designed for students who need to spread their studies over a longer period of time to accommodate other responsibilities. It offers course work leading to the MSW degree in three years. The timing of particular courses for the Model 1 and Model 2 programs are described on the department's web site and in The MSW Student Handbook, available in the department office.
In keeping with accreditation requirements, all course work for the MSW degree must be completed within four years and students must enroll in at least one course during each quarter for which they are registered. (The latter requirement does not apply to summer sessions.)
Course work required for the MSW degree is divided into the foundation curriculum and the advanced curriculum. In Model 1, foundation courses are completed in the first three quarters of study; in Model 2, the same courses are taken over the first two years of study. Courses in the advanced curriculum are taken in the second year of Model 1; the third year of a three-year program is virtually identical to a full-time program in coverage of the advanced curriculum. In a four-year program, the advanced courses are taken in the last two years of study. The curriculum is divided into the micro and macro practice sequences. All students take both sequences.
Required courses leading to the MSW degree cover five curricular areas: Micro Practice, Macro Practice, Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE), Research and Field Work. Courses within each category must be completed in sequence, as they are listed below, and all foundation courses in a category must be completed before registering in the advanced courses in the same category.
Foundation Courses (52 units)
1. Foundation Micro Practice (10 units)
SW 602A. Foundation Micro Practice I (4)
SW 602B. Foundation Micro Practice II (4)
SW 602C. Foundation Micro Practice III (2)
2. Foundation Macro Practice (10 units)
SW 606A. Foundation Macro Practice I (4)
SW 606B. Foundation Macro Practice II (4)
SW 606C. Foundation Macro Practice III (2)
3. HBSE (8 units)
SW 604A. Human Behavior in the Social Environment I (4)
SW 604B. Human Behavior in the Social Environment II (4)
4. Research (8 units)
SW 612. Social Work Research I (4)
SW 613. Social Work Research II (4)
5. Field (12 units)
SW 608A. Foundation Field Work I (4)
SW 608B. Foundation Field Work II (4)
SW 608C. Foundation Field Work III (4)
6. Four units of electives, approved by advisor if taken outside the department.
Advanced Year (38 units)
1. Research (4 units)
SW 625A. Research Project I (2)
SW 625B. Research Project III (2)
2. Field (12 units)
SW 608D. Advanced Field Work I (4)
SW 608E. Advanced Field Work II (4)
SW 608F. Advanced Field Work III (4)
3. Advanced Practice Courses (20 units)
Micro Practice
SW 645. Social Work Advanced Micro Practice I (4)
SW 646. Social Work Advanced Micro Practice II (4)
SW 647. Social Work Advanced Micro Practice III (2)
Macro Practice
SW 655. Social Work Advanced Macro Practice I (4)
SW 656. Social Work Advanced Macro Practice II (4)
SW 657. Social Work Advanced Macro Practice III (2)
4. Integrative Seminar (2 units)
SW 660. Advanced Practice Integrative Seminar (2)
Note: The research project represents the culminating graduate experience. A thesis may be done as an expansion of the research project but is optional. The research project is developed in SW 613 and is carried out in the field setting. It must be on a social work practice topic, must use objective analysis and will be presented to faculty and field personnel orally and in writing.
Please refer to the University catalog at http://catalog.csusb.edu for official information.