The MSW Program offered by SJSU’s School of Social Work , offers graduate professional education in advanced generalist social work practice from a transcultural multi-systems perspective. It prepares graduates for advanced practice and leadership in areas of interest such as: health and aging; children, youth, and families; and mental health. The curriculum emphasizes the application of skills in those areas of practice where the need for social workers in the next decade will be the greatest in the State of California. The graduate program has been fully accredited by the National Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education since 1973.
Additional information is available on the School’s website: www.sjsu.edu/socialwork.
On-Campus Program
The On-Campus MSW Program offers a Two-Year, Three-Year plan of study, and an Advanced Standing option. The Two-Year Plan requires a full-time commitment to the program. The Three-Year plan is designed for working professionals. It includes two years of field practicum and coursework spread over three academic years, with courses taught primarily in the evening but with daytime commitments for internship and some curricular programming. Both plans have similar course requirements for completing the degree.
To assist matriculated students in progressing more rapidly toward their MSW degree and to increase accessibility to the course curriculum for both Two-Year and Three-Year students, the MSW Program sometimes offers courses during the summer and winter terms when the budget allows for this. The number and type of courses are dependent upon student interest and faculty resources.
For detailed information on the program, see the School of Social Work Master of Social Work (MSW) webpage.
Hybrid Program (Special Session)
The Hybrid MSW Program offers a two-year continuous enrollment program and an Advanced Standing option. The two-year program requires continuous enrollment (i.e., two to three academic courses and a field education course concurrently through the calendar year). In the Hybrid program, academic courses are completed online (with asynchronous sessions and synchronous sessions usually on weekday evenings), and field education internships are completed in-person. Note that the three areas of interest are also offered in the Hybrid MSW Program (children, youth, and families; mental health; and health and aging). The Hybrid MSW Program degree requirements and the social work competencies covered are the same as those of the On-Campus MSW Program.
Special Session Information
Academic Programs offered through Special Session are operated by the Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE). Registration and enrollment in a Special Session must use the special session application form and will follow special session fees and course schedules. Note that regular session students seeking to enroll simultaneously in a special session course or the program will trigger a separate and additional set of fees.
University Admissions Requirements
All graduate applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system. Candidates must meet all university-level admissions requirements .
Department Requirements
In addition to these general requirements established by the university, applicants for admission for the Master’s of Social Work degree must demonstrate a commitment to social work goals either by having completed undergraduate social work education, or by holding a baccalaureate in a related field and having significant experience, and/or personal involvement with social issues as they relate to various marginalized groups and communities.
Applicant must submit a separate application to the MSW program which includes:
- A personal statement describing the applicant’s interest in the field and professional goals.
- Three recommendations from professionals in the field or former professors who can testify to the applicant’s ability to succeed in a graduate-level academic program and his or her suitability to meet the challenges of the profession.
- A description of all social work-related experience (paid, internship, and/or volunteer).
- A sample of the applicant’s best writing, i.e., a paper written for an upper-division or graduate-level class, technical report, or other example of academic or professional written work.
Applications to the Master’s in Social Work program and all supporting materials must be sent directly to the School of Social Work for review and recommendation by the MSW Program Admissions Committee.
Applicants from countries in which the native language is not English must achieve a minimum English-language proficiency test score as indicated on the Graduate Program Test Requirement webpage.
Advanced Standing Option
The Advanced Standing option allows qualified candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from an accredited program to complete the Master’s program in one summer and one academic year. Admission to Advanced Standing (AS) in the MSW Program at SJSU is competitive. The following are areas of evaluation for admission to AS. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission into AS. Please also note our ability to offer AS and thus admission to AS is dependent on program level resources.
- Bachelor’s degree in social work from a program accredited by CSWE at the time of admission or within the last 7 years;
- GPA (minimum of 3.5);
- Minimum grade of A- in all BSW/BASW (social work major) courses;
- At least 400 hours of recent social work-related experience (cumulative internship, paid, or volunteer experience) in addition to the 400-hours requirement for the BSW degree;
- Three letters of recommendation specific to qualifications for Advanced Standing, in addition to the usual scored recommender forms;
- Evaluations from BSW/BASW field internships;
- Personal statement; and,
- Personal interview.
Admission to Graduate Standing - Conditionally Classified
An applicant who does not meet all requirements for admission in classified standing for the Master’s in Social Work may be admitted into the program on a conditionally classified basis. The MSW Program Admissions Committee may consider applicants who possess strong or considerable work experience and who can by additional preparation remedy minor academic deficiencies. Such admissions will be conditional upon completion of specific courses listed by the graduate advisor on the admission notification.
Advancement to Candidacy
The university requirements for advancement to candidacy for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies and Procedures section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.
The student will consult with the MSW graduate advisor to complete a petition for advancement to candidacy. The petition includes an official plan of study listing all courses needed to complete the requirements for the degree. The plan of study must be approved by the MSW Graduate Advisor and then by the Office of Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations (GAPE), which notifies the student of advancement to candidacy.
The student must also demonstrate an aptitude for advanced study in social work, as measured by successful completion of the Foundation Year of study, instructor appraisals, and/or evaluation of previous academic work (i.e., applicable transfer units or course substitutions).
Program of Study Requirements
Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures .
Culminating Experience
Plan B: Project
Candidates for the degree complete a capstone project as part of their 37-unit for Advanced Standing or 60-unit regular degree requirement. This project is a complete research study on a social work-related topic.
Course Requirements
All students in the Master’s of Social Work program must complete a total of 60 semester units of study in social work with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 overall. This includes two years (1,200 hours) of field internship in a social agency or community setting selected and approved by the MSW Field Education Committee. Students must pass all letter-graded classes with a “C” or better grade, and pass all field practicum courses with a credit “CR” grade.
Students admitted in the Advanced Standing Option are required to take and clear two bridge courses and the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) during the summer before the start of the Fall semester. Once students in this program option complete these courses they enter their final year of the MSW program.
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