Social Work

The MSW program offers a social problem and social issues focus to the education and preparation of students as advanced practitioners and leaders across fields of social work practice. Students find that the teaching of practice knowledge, values, and skills with an analytic approach fosters the ability to acquire and translate knowledge into sound professional social work practice with individuals, families, groups, communities, and/or organizations.

FULL-TIME PROGRAM-AT-A-GLANCE:

Year I – Professional Foundation
Semester I	Credits
SW 440 Practice I: Foundations of Generalist Practice	2
SW 441 Practice II: Generalist Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups	3
SW 605 Field of Social Work	2
SW 711 Human Behavior and the Environment	2
SW 400 Field and Integrative Seminar I	4
Total	13
Semester II
SW 442 Practice III: Generalist Practice with Communities and Organizations	2
SW 606 Social Policy	2
SW 640 Social Work with Ethnic and Racial Groups	2
SW 650 Social Work Research Methods	3
SW 401 Field and Integrative Seminar II	4
Total	13
Year II – Advanced Practice in a Concentration Area
Semester I
Concentration Advanced Practice	2
Concentration Policies and Services	2
Elective or Macro Practice Elective	2-3
SW 800 Field and Integrative Seminar (Concentration Focused)	5
Total	11-12
Semester II
Concentration Elective	2
Elective or Macro Practice Elective	2
Elective	2-3
SW 801 Field and Integrative Seminar IV (Concentration Focused)	5
Total	11-12
Concentration Areas Child, Youth, and Family Welfare Health, Aging, and Disability Mental Health

☞ Courses are taken sequentially. As students plan their course of study, it is important to be aware that many courses are prerequisites to others. The professional foundation courses must be completed before the advanced practice concentration courses are taken. Some courses are offered only once per academic year. 

MSW Program Prerequisites:

The following are eligibility requirements for admission to the MSW program:

• Applicants are required to have completed 30 credits of Social Science courses, such as courses in American government, anthropology, behavioral disabilities, economics, human development, political science, psychology, sociology, social work,and women's studies. Applicants who do not meet this criterion cannot be considered for admission.

• Applicants are required to have completed, with a grade of C or better, an approved statistics course taken within seven years from date of graduation. A list of approved statistics courses offered throughout the state is available through the School of Social Work. Applicants who have not completed an approved course may be considered for admission to the MSW program, but must complete an approved stats course by the end of the first semester in the program. 

TIME IN PROGRAM:

The length of the graduate program will vary according to the student’s prior preparation and the number of credits completed each semester. Typically, for students without a BSW, completion of the MSW program requires four full-time semesters of study. For students who do have a BSW and meet criteria, minimum time for completion of the MSW program is two full-time semesters if admitted with full advanced standing. 

FIELD PRACTICE:

Student field placements are available in all the major areas in which social workers practice. The School has approximately 15 field units offering students placement and practice opportunities in over 100 agencies throughout Dane and its contiguous counties. The foundation year placement is approximately 16 hours per week for two semesters, and the advanced practice concentration placement is 20 hours per week for two semesters. Students are placed in the same agency for an entire academic year. 

PART-TIME LOAD:

Students may enroll in the full-time program on a part-time basis (less than 8 credits) but must carry a load of a minimum of two courses each semester and must complete one full-time semester of 8 credits or more. In these circumstances, students need to carefully plan their course of study with a Social Work advisor, and enroll in courses according to prerequisites and sequences (e.g., professional foundation courses must be completed prior to concentration courses).