Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

The Master of Social Work program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States. Graduation from a CSWE accredited program is required for social work licensure in the State of Michigan.

Mission and Objectives

Consistent with the mission of the University and the requirements of the Council on Social Work Education EPAS (2015), the mission of the Social Work department at SVSU is to promote social welfare and well-being for residents of the Great Lakes Bay Region, the state of Michigan, and beyond through generalist education about evidence-based social work practice and advancement of knowledge about social problems. We seek to educate ethical, effective, and diversity-competent generalist social workers who are prepared to provide interprofessional services that promote human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice to the oppressed peoples and institutions that reside in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Graduates from our program will be prepared for leadership in direct and indirect practices that empower individuals, families, groups, and communities.

Graduates of the SVSU Master of Social Work program will be prepared as Advanced Generalist social workers.  The MSW program will equip students to:

1. Work in interprofessional settings utilizing a multi-systemic and diversity-competent approach
2. Contribute to the empowerment of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities through students’ active resistance of societal mechanisms of oppression and discrimination
3. Become ethical producers and consumers of practice-informed research, policy development, and evaluation
4. Utilize relevant knowledge about human behavior in the social environment to serve and shape policy and practice for the pursuit of a socially just society
5. Promote the social welfare and well-being of residents of the Great Lakes Bay Region through experiential and immersive community service, research, and program development

Admission Requirements

Students may be admitted to either the regular Master of Social Work program or to the advanced standing Master of Social Work program.

Regular MSW Admission Requirements

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher in the most recent 60 credits. Students with GPAs lower than 3.0 may submit a statement of petition to be considered for admission. 
3. Submission of the completed application form.
4. Official copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
5.  Personal statement, as outlined in the application packet.
6. Three references from educators or employers.
7. International students whose native language is not English must demonstrate competence in English.  Students must submit either a TOEFL score of 79 or higher or an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher.

Advanced Standing Admission Requirements

1. CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work degree granted in the past 5 years.
2. GPA of 3.25 or higher in the most recent 60 credits.
3. Submission of the completed application form.
4. Official copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
5.  Personal statement, as outlined in the application packet.
6. Three references from educators or employers. At least one of these references must be from a social worker familiar with the applicant’s undergraduate field experience.
7. International students whose native language is not English must demonstrate competence in English.  Students must submit either a TOEFL score of 79 or higher or an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher.

Admissions decisions will be made by a committee designated by the Director of the MSW program. The committee may elect to conduct interviews with applicants, in addition to the requirements above.

Transfer Credit

Up to six transfer credits from a CSWE-accredited MSW program may be used to fulfill the elective requirements in the program. Credits must be evaluated and approved by the Director of the MSW program.

Academic Standing

Students in the MSW program must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher to continue in the program.

Students must achieve a grade of ‘B’ (3. 0) or higher in each program course to count the course toward the MSW degree. In field education courses, students must achieve a grade of ‘B’ (3. 0) or higher to pass the courses. Any student who fails to achieve a ‘B’ or higher in a course in the field sequence must repeat that course and receive the approval of the Director of Field Education before advancing to the next field education course in the sequence. Students may repeat courses no more than once to attain the minimum grade of ‘B’ (3. 0).

In each case where a student receives a grade less than ‘B’ (3. 0) in a program course, the student must participate in an academic review and advising process prior to continuation in the program and must adhere to the alternative educational plan provided at that meeting. The alternative education plan will involve a modified course schedule outlining the semesters when the remaining coursework will be completed, in a manner that is consistent with the sequential nature of coursework in the program. The plan, which will also include an individualized remediation plan, will be designed by the Director of the MSW program, with input from the student’s assigned faculty advisor, program faculty, and the Director of Field Education.

Students who fail to meet these academic standards will be dismissed from the program. Dismissal from the program will preclude a student from acceptance for readmission.

The grade scale for all MSW courses will be:

Percentage earned	Letter grade	Numeric grade
93-100	A	4
90-92. 9	A-	3. 7
87-89. 9	B+	3. 3
83-86. 9	B	3
70-82. 9	C	2
59. 5-69. 9	D	1
0-59. 4	F	0

Advising

Advising will be conducted by members of the MSW faculty and/or the Director of the MSW program.

Program Requirements

The MSW program consists of 59 graduate-level social work credits for regular MSW students or 40 graduate-level social work credits for advanced-standing MSW students.