Master of Social Work (Advanced Standing)
About This Program
The advanced standing MSW curriculum is for those students who already possess a BSW degree received within the last 6 years and who met the GPA requirements. The advanced standing MSW program allows students to specialize in one of five practice areas through the specialty curriculum. Advanced Standing students select one specialty area: Aging, Children and Families, Community and Administrative Practice, Health, or Mental Health and Substance Misuse.
Competencies
- Upon completion, students will be able to demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
- Upon completion, students will be able to engage diversity and difference in practice.
- Upon completion, students will be able to advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
- Upon completion, students will be able to engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Upon completion, students will be able to engage in policy practice.
- Upon completion, students will be able to engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Upon completion, students will be able to assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Upon completion, students will be able to intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Upon completion, students will be able to evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Admissions Criteria
Please contact the MSW Admissions Office (sswadmissions@uta.edu) to obtain the complete application checklist and information concerning specific application deadlines. Applicants may also visit the MSW Admissions webpage for more information. Students are admitted to the MSW program for Fall or Spring semester with the exception of students that qualify for advanced standing with their undergraduate social work degree. Advanced Standing students can be admitted for a fall, spring or summer semester. The admissions process is the same for all MSW programs, including the Distance Education Cohorts.
*Please note that the School of Social Work’s deadline for application is different from the published deadlines of the Graduate School.
There are two methods for application to the MSW Program: the Quick Admissions Process, and the Traditional Admissions Process.
Quick Admissions
This process awards the bachelor-level applicant who has earned a 3.0 or better GPA in the last 60 hours of her/his undergraduate degree program a head start by requiring only a two-step process. In step 1, the applicant submits the online application. In step 2, the applicant must submit all official transcripts to the Office of Admissions, Records, and Registration. Once all transcripts have been received and evaluated, students whose GPA is 3.0 or better are generally admitted to the Master of Social Work Program.
Advanced Standing students applying for Quick Admission should follow the same process described above and identify themselves as having earned (or will earn by enrollment) the BSW. The BSW degree is verified by the Office of Admissions, Records, and Registration, and included with other application materials. Advanced Standing status is only granted to individuals who have graduated within the past 6 years from a BSW degree program accredited by CSWE with a 3.0 or better GPA in their last 60 hours. The same evaluation criteria are used for applicants seeking admission to the Advanced Standing MSW program.
Traditional Admissions
In the second admission method, applicants deemed ineligible for Quick Admission to the MSW program (based on the 3.0 GPA requirement) will be considered via the Traditional Admission Process for the traditional program only. Traditional Admission includes, but is not limited to the satisfactory presence of the following six qualifications:
- Possession of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or its equivalent, with a satisfactory GPA of 2.7 or higher.
- Submission of three letters of reference indicating professional or academic promise.
- Submission of narrative essay of three double-spaced pages or less that responds to the following prompt: Social work practice is often classified as either micro or macro. Explain what is meant by micro practice and macro practice, and why addressing both micro and macro issues is essential to effective social work practice. Use three outside sources to support your statement and include complete citations for each.
- Submission of GRE test scores.
- For applicants whose native language is not English, submission of a score of at least 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or a minimum TOEFL iBT total score of 79 with sectional scores that meet or exceed the following:
- 22 for the writing section
- 21 for the speaking section
- 20 for the reading section
- 16 for the listening section
Transfer of Credit
Transfer credits for graduate level social work courses may, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Programs, be accepted by the School of Social Work from comparable coursework taken and passed with a grade of ‘B’ or better at another Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program within the last six years. Transfer credits for graduate level course work in related fields may, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Programs, be accepted by the School of Social Work if comparable to required coursework for the MSW; such courses must have been taken and passed with a grade of ‘B’ or better within the last six years. Students will be expected to provide syllabi for review. No credit is given for life or work experience.
Financial Aid
Scholarships are awarded annually and administered by the School of Social Work. For information about scholarships available through the School of Social Work, please visit our website.
A limited number of traineeships are available through the Center for Child Welfare's Title IV-E Program.
Graduate Fellowships
Candidates for fellowship awards must have a GPA of 3.0 in their last 60 undergraduate credit hours and in any graduate credit hours, and must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 hours in both long semesters to retain their fellowships.
Curriculum
| Specialty (Choose one) | ||
| Aging | 6 | |
| DIRECT PRACTICE WITH AGING (Aging) | ||
| AGING AND SOCIAL POLICY | ||
| Health | 6 | |
| DIRECT PRACTICE IN HEALTH CARE | ||
| HEALTH POLICY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE | ||
| Children & Families | 6 | |
| DIRECT PRACTICE WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES | ||
| SOCIAL POLICY FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH | ||
| Mental Health & Substance Misuse | 9 | |
| DIRECT PRACTICE IN MENTAL HEALTH | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT | ||
| SOCIAL POLICY AND MENTAL HEALTH | ||
| Community & Administrative Practice | 18 | |
| COMMUNITY AND ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICE | ||
| HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN MACRO ENVIRONMENTS | ||
| ADVANCED COMMUNITY PRACTICE | ||
| ADVANCED ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICE | ||
| PROGRAM EVALUATION | ||
| ADVOCACY AND SOCIAL POLICY | ||
| Integrated Theory and Practice Courses | ||
| For Aging, Children & Families, Health, and Mental Health & Substance Misuse specialties, select two of the following: | 6 | |
| INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE | ||
| BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| STRESS, CRISIS, AND COPING | ||
| PALLIATIVE CARE | ||
| DEATH & DYING | ||
| SUICIDE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, & POSTVENTION | ||
| Electives by Speciality | ||
| For Aging or Health select three of the following (thesis students select two): | 9 | |
| FAMILY CAREGIVING & AGING | ||
| AGING IN AMERICAN SOCIETY | ||
| HEALTH INSURANCE AND ACCESS TO CARE | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN HEALTH EQUITY | ||
| For Children & Families select three of the following (thesis students select two): | 9 | |
| CLINICAL ASSESSMENT OF CHILD MALTREATMENT | ||
| SEMINAR IN WOMEN'S ISSUES | ||
| TREATING PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS | ||
| SEMINAR IN DIRECT METHODS IN COUPLES COUNSELING | ||
| SEMINAR IN FAMILY THERAPY | ||
| SOCIAL WORK IN SCHOOLS | ||
| INEQUITIES AND INCARCERATION | ||
| For Mental Health & Substance Misuse select two of the following (thesis students select one): | 6 | |
| MILITARY SOCIAL WORK | ||
| SEMINAR IN COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION STRATEGIES | ||
| GROUP DYNAMICS AND SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE | ||
| TREATMENT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS | ||
| MILITARY FAMILIES | ||
| TREATMENT OF MILITARY POPULATIONS | ||
| MILITARY TRAUMA | ||
| For Community & Administrative Practice select three of the following (thesis students select two): | 9 | |
| ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & GREEN SOCIAL WORK | ||
| SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISION | ||
| BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT | ||
| GRANT PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR | ||
| SELECTED TOPICS IN SOCIAL WELFARE | ||
| Field (All Specialties) | ||
| SOCW 5482 | ADVANCED PRACTICUM SPLIT I (or SOCW 5485 Advanced Block Field I) | 4 |
| SOCW 5483 | ADVANCED PRACTICUM SPLIT II (or SOCW 5486 Advanced Field Block II) | 4 |
| Capstone or Thesis (All Specialities) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR | ||
| THESIS (and SOCW 5396 as an elective) | ||
| Total Hours | 38 | |
Program Completion
In addition to the general graduate admission requirements of the University, each graduate student in the social work program must:
- maintain at least a B (3.0) overall GPA in all coursework;
- demonstrate suitability for professional social work practice; and,
- demonstrate knowledge of and adherence to the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers and the Code of Conduct published by the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners.
The Professional Standards Committee will monitor and examine potential violations of ethical violations or lack of professional behavior.
Advising Resources
Please read all student emails carefully and review the frequently asked questions. These resources are intended to provide help when you need it. If you want to meet with your advisor, please sign up for an appointment as early in the semester as possible.
Location:
SWSH 131, 501 W. Mitchell St., Arlington, TX 76019
Email:
ssw-oass@uta.edu
Phone:
817-272-3687