Part-Time Master of Social Work Program (MSW)

Part-Time students pay $800 per credit tuition, segregated fees, and a $110.00 lab fee for each semester in field. Segregated fees are not included in chart below. Please see Bursar’s Office Tuition rates for semester specific rates.

There are two important policies we would like to briefly summarize for students in the Part-Time MSW Program:

• Graduate Assistantship Policy: Per university policy, 131 students (which includes the Part-Time Program) are permitted to hold TA/RA/PA positions (including those above 33%) but will not receive the tuition remission that is typically part of the compensation package for a graduate assistantship. Limited School funding may be available to support Part-Time MSW students working as a TA for the School. 
• Program/Course Enrollment Policy: Students in this program cannot enroll in other graduate programs. All MSW requirements must be met by taking courses in the Part-Time MSW Program. You must consult with an advisor prior to taking any coursework outside of the Part-Time MSW Program.

Financial Aid

All students interested in applying for financial aid must contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students should make sure they have enough financial aid to cover summer classes. We strongly recommend students talk to the Office of Student Financial Aid to create a financial aid plan that will meet your needs.

The Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work offers a number of Awards and Scholarships. Part-Time students in Child, Youth, and Family Welfare are also encouraged to apply for Public Child Welfare Training funding once they have been accepted.

Returning Adult Student Scholarships, Financial Assistance information can be found through the UW-Madison Continuing Studies Adult & Student Services Center.

For students without a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree, the focus of the curriculum for the first two years of study in the Part-Time MSW Program is on Generalist Practice. The first two years’ curriculum is designed to provide you with foundational social work knowledge, values and skills and to prepare you for the Advanced Generalist Specialization. Please see the “Advanced Practice Specialization Years” tab for the last two years of study in the Part-Time MSW Program (total of 4 years for those without a BSW).

Learn more about the Generalist Field Unit in the PTP by watching this video from the Field Education Office!

*Current students please see the plans of study in your Program Guide for 2024-25 course offerings and graduation requirements. 

Generalist Practice Plan of Study

In a broad social justice framework, advanced practice (students continuing from the Generalist years) or advanced standing (students entering the Program with a recent BSW) MSW students complete a generalist advanced practice specialization in one of two social problem focus areas. Students may also choose to have no focus area.

Students can elect to pursue a more specialized area (sub-focus) if they choose an area of focus in the advanced generalist specialization.

Child, Youth, and Family Welfare

Mental Health

*Current students please see the plans of study in your Program Guide for 2024-25 course offerings and graduation requirements. 

Child, Youth, and Family Welfare Focus Area

The Child, Youth, and Family Welfare focus area in the Part-Time MSW Program is intended for students with an interest in school social work, child welfare, or advanced generalist social work practice with children, youth, and families in other contexts and systems (e.g., juvenile justice, community-based services). The focus area exposes students to the policies and practice philosophies of multiple service systems, the ways in which these varied systems intersect, and models of coordinated service delivery for families involved in multiple systems. Students are exposed to innovative prevention and intervention strategies designed to reduce risk and promote resilience in children, youth, and families from diverse backgrounds and family structures.

Sub-focus areas available: Child Welfare, School Social Work, or Health and Aging (please scroll further for video on the Health and Aging sub-focus area).

Students who are accepted into the Title IV-E Stipend Program take electives in child welfare, complete a specialized field placement in child welfare, and attend additional learning activities that help prepare for work in public child welfare. Students pursuing school social work licensure take electives that prepare them for school social work licensure, including a school social work practice course and a school social work field placement. Students pursuing the Health and Aging sub-focus take a health and aging elective and have a health and aging field placement.

Learn more about the CYFW field unit in the PTP by watching this video from the Field Education Office. 

Focus Area Chair

Ellen Smith, MSSW

Plan of Study

Mental Health Focus Area

The Mental Health focus area prepares social workers for advanced practice roles in a variety of mental health settings, including those that address the needs of the most marginalized and underserved members of our communities.Although the focus area embraces a life course perspective, it primarily focuses on clinical social work practice with children, youth, and adults who are living with, or at risk for, serious mental health and substance use problems. Students in this focus area learn advanced practice skills in mental health assessment, diagnosis, treatment, client-centered advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evaluation of practice and client outcomes from an intersectional approach. They develop knowledge of conceptual and theoretical frameworks for understanding the nature, etiology, course, and consequences of major mental health conditions, as well as evidence-based and emerging models of clinical social work practice. Students also learn about current social policies, funding mechanisms and service delivery systems that affect mental health consumers and their families. A recovery orientation, consumer empowerment, and cultural humility are woven into the mental health focus area curriculum.Students who graduate with this focus area are prepared for clinical mental health positions in hospitals, outpatient clinics, community mental health programs and more.

Sub-focus areas available: Substance Use Disorders or Health and Aging

Students pursuing the Substance Use Disorders sub-focus take a substance use disorders elective and have a substance use field placement. Students pursuing the Health and Aging sub-focus take a health and aging elective and have a health and aging field placement.

Learn more about the MH field unit in the PTP by watching this video from the Field Education Office. 

Focus Area Chairs

Tally Moses, MSW, PhD
Angela Willits, MSW, LCSW

Plan of Study

The Part-Time MSW Program (PTP) follows a different schedule than the UW-Madison academic calendar. All classes held in-person occur on Saturdays unless otherwise listed.

Fall 2024

Spring 2025