Program Overview
The 大象传媒 Master of Social Work program is more than just a graduate degree. In this program you will learn through a trauma-informed, applied-learning framework that ensures all individuals, families and communities can achieve justice and improved well-being. The program is committed to the guiding principles of competency and addressing health disparities.
Within this program, you will be introduced to Social Work鈥檚where you will be taught to practice with a strength-based integrity, competence and client-centered care within a framework of trauma responsiveness.
This program is held in person on 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 campus. Classes will meet once per week with an online component. You can apply for the advanced standing plan of study If you already have your Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE-accredited university with a 2.75 or above GPA, or the traditional plan of study if you have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a 2.75 or above GPA.
Click for a list of course requirements for the Master of Social Work program.
Admissions
Using a strengths-based focus, the Social Work Admissions Committee (composed of all full-time program faculty members) reviews the following student information for evaluating admissions into the social work program:
- Completed online application
- Verifying by digitally signing that the student has read and understands:
- Code of Ethics
- Social Work Student Handbook
- Substance Use Policy
- Personal statement
- Updated background check
- Academic and professional performance consideration
- Please provide two professional references.
Each committee member makes one of three possible recommendations:
- Accepted unconditionally into the program
- Conditional acceptance into the program*
- Denied acceptance into the program
*Conditional acceptance: incomplete prerequisites or GPA below 2.75
Deadlines for submission is as follows:
- Summer – April 15
- Fall – July 15
- Spring – December 1
If you already have your Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE-accredited university with a 2.75 or above GPA, then you should apply to the advanced standing plan of study.
Application Requirements
- Statement of Purpose: A one-page narrative which describes your purpose for seeking admission to a graduate program, as well as what you hope to gain from the experience.
- Transcripts of all previously completed university level work 鈥 both undergraduate and graduate.
- Criminal background checks will be required. An applicant who has been found guilty of a Class A or B felony will not be admitted.
If your GPA was below a 2.75 you may be conditionally admitted and must earn a 3.0 GPA after the first nine graduate hours for full admission.
Upon admission, all social work students will be provided with and are expected to read the MWSU Student Code of Conduct, the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and the Substance Use Policy. Students will then be asked to electronically sign an acknowledgment that they: (1) have read these documents, (2) are aware of their contents, and (3) will abide by the standards elaborated in the documents. The form will be kept in students鈥 files.
Part-time Social Work Students–Both Advance Standing and Tradition plans of study may be completed as a part-time student. The MSW must be completed in 4 calendar years, and student鈥檚 plans of study may be individualized with the assistance of their graduate advisor and or the MSW Program Director.
In accordance with CSWE Accreditation Standards, 大象传媒’s Social Work Program does not grant academic credit, course waivers, or field practicum credit for life experiences or previous coursework.
If you have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a 2.75 or above GPA, then you should apply to the traditional Master of Social Work plan of study.
If your undergraduate degree was not a Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE-accredited university, then it is expected that your undergraduate studies must include the successful completion of an equivalent Biology 101 (principles of biology with a lab) and a class equivalent to statistics.
Application Requirements
- Statement of Purpose: A one-page narrative which describes your purpose for seeking admission to a graduate program, as well as what you hope to gain from the experience.
- Provide transcripts of all previously completed university level work 鈥 both Undergraduate and Graduate.
- Criminal background checks will be required. An applicant who has been found guilty of a Class A or B felony will not be admitted.
If your GPA was below a 2.75 or you have not successfully completed either or both required classes 鈥 biology 101 and statistics 鈥 then you may be considered conditionally admitted, and must complete those classes with a B or higher within one year of conditional admittance before being fully admitted.
Upon admission, all social work students will be provided with and are expected to read the MWSU Student Code of Conduct, the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and the Substance Use Policy. Students will then be asked to electronically sign an acknowledgment that they: (1) have read these documents, (2) are aware of their contents, and (3) will abide by the standards elaborated in the documents. The form will be kept in students鈥 files.
Part-time Social Work Students–Both Advance Standing and Tradition plans of study may be completed as a part-time student. The MSW must be completed in 4 calendar years, and student鈥檚 plans of study may be individualized with the assistance of their graduate advisor and or the MSW Program Director.
In accordance with CSWE Accreditation Standards, 大象传媒’s Social Work Program does not grant academic credit, course waivers, or field practicum credit for life experiences or previous coursework.
The Social Work Program follows 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 policies for admission and credit transfer. All potential transfer students must send an official transcript from each college and university attended.
大象传媒 Western adheres to the guidelines of the 大象传媒 Articulation Agreement. Transfer course work is evaluated and awarded on the same basis as credit awarded at MWSU. Consequently, a criterion used to evaluate currently enrolled 大象传媒 Western students is equally applicable to transfer students. Transfer Guidelines are reviewed annually and updated on a regular basis.
大象传媒 Western鈥檚 social work program will accept social work courses from other CSWE-accredited Master of Social Work programs, only if they are considered equivalent to the 大象传媒 Western social work program鈥檚 major requirements.
The student’s social work advisor or the program director will determine whether courses transferred from another university will be considered equivalent to the required classes in the Social Work major. The advisor will consult with faculty members from other departments as necessary to make this decision. Courses accepted for transfer must be similar in content and credit value to those they replace. 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 social work program will only accept social work courses transferred from CSWE-accredited social work programs.
All transfer credits must be approved by the graduate program director and the Graduate Dean, and will be counted in the calculation of the graduate GPA.
Exceptions to these rules, including the possibility of allowance of up to twelve total transfer credits, or other modifications must receive approval by the graduate program director and Graduate Dean.
Since this program was granted candidacy status in the academic year of 2023-2024, students admitted to the master鈥檚 social work program in the fall of 2023 (and graduated in cohorts 1, 2 & 3) are considered graduates from an accredited social work program.
