Social Work - MSW

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College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Social Work

USU’s Social Work programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and consequently meet licensure requirements in all 50 states. States differ in their licensing processes and students are encouraged to become familiar with these processes when pursuing licensure in a particular state.

Degree Requirements

Students are held responsible for meeting requirements as outlined below. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of all requirements and initiate the resolution of apparent inconsistencies.

Degree Verification

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.

GPA Requirement

MSW students are required to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses.
No credit for “C-” grades or lower will be accepted.
Must complete SW 6400, SW 6450, SW 6900, SW 6950, or SW 6475, SW 6925, SW 6975 (if applicable) with a “B” or higher.

Matriculation Start Semester

A master’s degree must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.

USU Residency Requirement

At least 24-semester credits for a master’s degree must be from a committee-approved and a School of Graduate Studies-approved Program of Study from Utah State University.

Coursework Validity

Except in unusual circumstances, only 6 semester credits earned may be transferred into the MSW program at USU. The credits must not have been used for another degree. Credits with grades below “B” cannot be transferred; “P” credit can be transferred from another university, if approved by the Social Work Program and the Graduate Review Committee.
Transfer credits cannot replace required residency credits. Transfer credits are subject to approval of the MSW Supervisory Committee, MSW Program Coordinator and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.
Transfer credits more than eight years old may not be accepted. Transfer credits will be shown on official USU transcripts upon completion of the degree.
Students who wish to transfer credits must submit their request in writing to the MSW Program Coordinator. If the request is approved, the request is then forwarded to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for final approval and processing.
The Social Work program does not grant academic credit for life experience or previous work experience in lieu of the field practicum or any courses.

Required Practicum Hours

The traditional MSW program includes 974 hours of field education. During the foundation component of the program students complete 426 hours of fieldwork plus 24 hours of professional seminar. The number of required field hours increases to 500 during the advanced portion of the program plus 24 hours of professional seminar. Advanced Standing students will complete only the 500 hours of fieldwork required in the advanced portion of the MSW program.

Professional and Ethical Behavior

During academic and field training, students are required to abide by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and demonstrate practice behaviors associated with applicable CSWE EPAS competencies.

Additional requirements regarding expected behavior can be found in the MSW Program and Field Education Manual. Failure to adhere to the behavior expectations outlined as above may result in dismissal from the Social Work program.

Traditional Master of Social Work Degree Requirements (60 credits)

The courses for the traditional MSW degree (2- and 3- year programs) include the following:

SW 6000 - Principles and Philosophy of Social Work 3 credit(s)
SW 6050 - HBSE I: Individuals and Families in Their Environment 3 credit(s)
SW 6100 - Generalist Practice I: SW Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups 3 credit(s)
SW 6150 - Generalist Practice II: SW Practice with Groups, Organizations, and Communities 3 credit(s)
SW 6200 - Social Work Research Methods 3 credit(s)
SW 6300 - Social Policy Analysis 3 credit(s)
SW 6600 - Policy and Administration 3 credit(s)
SW 6650 - Advanced Research Methods 3 credit(s)
SW 6700 - Advanced Generalist Practice I: Individuals and Families 3 credit(s)
SW 6725 - Diagnosis and Intervention in Social Work Practice 3 credit(s)
SW 6750 - Advanced Generalist Practice II: Groups 3 credit(s)
SW 6400 - Field Practicum I 4 credit(s) *
SW 6450 - Field Practicum II 5 credit(s) *
SW 6900 - Field Practicum III 6 credit(s) **
SW 6950 - Field Practicum IV 6 credit(s) **
SW Elective-6 credits required (see approved elective courses below).
*In rare circumstances, and with the pre-approval of the Program Director, students may take SW 6475 - Foundation Block Field Practicum (9 credit(s)) in place of SW 6900 and SW 6950 .

**In rare circumstances, and with the pre-approval of the Program Director, students may take SW 6975 - Advanced Block Field Practicum (12 credit(s)) in place of SW 6900 and SW 6950 .

Advanced Standing Master of Social Work Program (36 credits)

The courses for the advanced standing MSW degree (1-year and 5-semester programs) include the following:

SW 6590 - Advanced Standing Seminar I: Social Work Generalist Practice-Theories and Methods 3 credit(s)
SW 6595 - Advanced Standing Seminar II: Social Work Generalist Practice-Research and Policy 3 credit(s)
SW 6600 - Policy and Administration 3 credit(s)
SW 6650 - Advanced Research Methods 3 credit(s)
SW 6700 - Advanced Generalist Practice I: Individuals and Families 3 credit(s)
SW 6725 - Diagnosis and Intervention in Social Work Practice 3 credit(s)
SW 6750 - Advanced Generalist Practice II: Groups 3 credit(s)
SW 6900 - Field Practicum III 6 credit(s) *
SW 6950 - Field Practicum IV 6 credit(s) *
SW Elective 3 credits required (see approved elective courses below).
*In rare circumstances, and with the pre-approval of the Program Director, students may take SW 6975 - Advanced Block Field Practicum (12 credit(s)) in place of SW 6900 and SW 6950 .

Elective Courses

Electives are offered based on faculty expertise, work load, and needs of the program. Graduate level electives from other departments may or may not be approved as a qualifying elective (referred to as an “alternative elective*”). The following electives may or may not be offered during a student’s enrollment in an MSW program.

SW 3450 - School Social Work 3 credit(s)
SW 5905 - I-System Model and Mind-Body Bridging - Foundation 3 credit(s)
SW 5907 - I-System Model and Mind-Body Bridging - Advanced 3 credit(s)
SW 6010 - Spanish for Social Services 3 credit(s)
SW 6525 - Aging in the 21st Century 3 credit(s)
SW 6530 - Social Work and Community Health 3 credit(s)
SW 6540 - Nonprofit Management for Social Workers 3 credit(s)
SW 6550 - Advanced Practice with Victims and Perpetrators of Family Violence 3 credit(s)
SW 6575 - Social Work Practice with Substance Abusing Clients 3 credit(s)
SW 6580 - Grief and Loss in Social Work Practice 3 credit(s)
SW 6850 - Psychopharmacology in Advanced Social Work Practice 3 credit(s)
SW 6920 - Trauma and Resilience 3 credit(s)
SW 6925 - Advanced Optional Practicum 1-5 credit(s)
SW 6990 - Independent Study 1-3 credit(s)
SW 6995 - Special Topics on Social Work Practice 1-3 credit(s)
* To pursue an alternative elective, students must make a request in writing to the MSW Program Coordinator and Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) assigned to their campus. The request should include the course number and description. Together, the program coordinators will make a determination to accept or deny the request. Classes taken outside of the social work department are subject to standard tuition rates rather than our per-credit hour rate and can result in higher-than-expected costs.