Social Work MSW
Admission Requirements
Admission to the MSW Program requires admission to the University of Missouri-St. Louis Graduate School and acceptance by the School of Social Work. Applicants to the program must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission:
- Completion of a bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by a recognized regional accrediting organization.
- Completion of a liberal arts education including courses in the humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, and the physical sciences. These courses must include a college level statistics course with a grade of C or better. Students may be admitted provisionally without statistics, but they cannot proceed in the MSW program past the first semester until this requirement is met.
- Attainment of a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (3.0 preferred) for all undergraduate course work. Students may be admitted provisionally if their undergraduate GPA is between 2.5 and 2.75. Students with a cumulative undergraduate GPA below 2.5 will not be admitted.
- Submission of the following documents by the admission deadline:
- A completed application to the UMSL Graduate School and a completed MSW supplemental application.
- Two written essays.
- Three letters of reference. – One from a professor in your major field of study if you have graduated within the past five years, and two others from work or volunteer supervisors or other professional references. Letters from employees/supervisees, friends, and family may not be used.
- Official transcripts from all colleges and university attended.
- Applicable fees.
Application Deadline
The deadline for application to the MSW program is March 1 for admission in the following fall semester and October 15 for admission in the following Spring semester. See School of Social Work's website for more details.
Admissions to the Program with Advanced Standing
Applicants with a BSW, BASW, or BSSW, from an accredited social work program may be given up to 24 credit hours of advanced standing for foundation social work courses. Admission to the advanced standing program is available to applicants who meet the general admission requirements and who:
- Have earned a bachelor's degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within five years of applying to the MSW Program, and
- Have earned a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the social work foundation curriculum, and no less than a B in all courses that are applicable.
See School of Social Work's website for more details.
Course Waivers
A student who does not have a bachelor's degree in social work but who can document successful completion (with at least a B) of foundation courses from an accredited BSW program within the last five years will be given course waivers and be allowed to replace these courses with electives.
Students from non-accredited BSW programs or students who have taken comparable course work in other undergraduate programs, may take test-out examinations for select foundation courses; waivers will be given if students successfully pass test-out examinations. The waiver does not provide graduate credit; it is a mechanism for allowing elective courses to be substituted for required foundation courses.
Academic credit cannot be given for life experience and/or previous work experience, in whole or in part, in lieu of field practicum or other courses.
Degree Requirements
The MSW is a two-year program comprising a foundation year and a concentration year. All students are required to take the foundation year courses or to have advanced standing credit for them. These provide a common base of knowledge across all practice settings and populations. Beyond the general requirements of the Graduate School, the department requires a minimum of 60 semester hours of course work, of which 48 must be at the 5000 or 6000 level and 48 must be in social work or cross-listed with social work, including the following foundation courses:
| SOC WK 5100 | Generalist Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SOC WK 5200 | Social Policy and Social Services | 3 |
| SOC WK 5300 | Community Practice and Social Change | 3 |
| SOC WK 5350 | Social Work and Human Service Organizations | 3 |
| SOC WK 5410 | Critical Thinking and Analysis | 3 |
| SOC WK 5450 | Social Work Research Methods and Analysis | 3 |
| SOC WK 5500 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment | 3 |
| SOC WK 5700 | Diversity and Social Justice for Social Work | 3 |
| SOC WK 5800 | Graduate Field Practicum I | 4 |
| SOC WK 5801 | Foundation Field Practicum Seminar | 2 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Upon completion of the 30 credits of foundation year requirements, students move into a year of advanced study, called the concentration. The concentration year requires 30 hours of course work that includes up to 12 hours of elective graduate-level courses approved by the adviser. Students plan their degree program to reflect their career interests in the following concentration areas:
- Family Practice
- Leadership and Social Change
Additionally, if students choose, they may elect to participate in one of the following areas of emphasis:
- Health & Behavioral Health
- School Social Work
- Social Work with the Military
To remain in good standing, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
The field practicum is an integral part of the concentration year. Students will complete 300 hours (approximately 20 hours per week) of MSW supervised practice in an agency during the second semester of the foundation year, and they will complete 600 hours total hours (approximately 20 hours per week) in the concentration year. A student must receive a grade of B or better in the foundation field practicum seminar course and receive a satisfactory grade in the foundation practicum to be eligible to enter the concentration field practicum. S/U grades are given for both the foundation practicum and the concentration practicum.
Part Time Status
Students who enter the program as part-time students complete the foundation year in two years and the concentration course work in an additional two years.
All students must complete the MSW in four years.
Goals of the Master of Social Work
The goals of the MSW program of the University of Missouri- St. Louis are consistent with the land-grant public service mission of the University, the MSW feasibility study, and the educational policy statement of CSWE and are to:
- Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
- Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
- Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
- Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
- Engage in Policy Practice
- Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities