M.S.W. Degree Requirements

M.S.W Admission Requirements

• 3-5 page Personal Statement that explains your:
  • Motivation for being a social worker
  • Values and beliefs regarding social work
  • Experience with diversity
  • Qualities the applicant brings to the profession
  • Personal qualities in leadership and creativity
  • Professional goals
• Resume

Admission Requirements for the M.S.W. Foundation Program

(For students without a B.S.W.)

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog. Applicants for the Foundation courses (offered only through the part-time Distance Program for students without a BSW) must meet the following standards:

1. Satisfactory completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
2. At least 30 credit hours of liberal arts courses in such fields as biology, music, languages, anthropology, economics, political science, history, literature, sociology, psychology, and philosophy.
3. A grade of C or higher in a statistics course prior to entering the Advanced Generalist Concentration portion of the MSW program.
4. Willingness to abide by the National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics and the University of North Dakota Code of Student Life.
5. An undergraduate GPA of 3.00 overall or a GPA of 3.00 in the last two years of the undergraduate program.
6. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Admission Requirements for the M.S.W. Concentration Program

(For students with a B.S.W.)

Applicants for the Concentration courses must meet the following standards:

1. BSW from a CSWE accredited program.
2. An undergraduate GPA of 3.00 overall or a GPA of 3.00 in the last two years of the undergraduate program.
3. A grade of C or higher in a statistics course.
4. Willingness to abide by the National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics and the University of North Dakota Code of Student Conduct.
5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
6. Students who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher from the United States or English-speaking Canada are not required to submit the TOEFL.

Admission Schedule

• Campus Program: Annual application deadline is January 15. Classes begin the following Fall Semester (August).
• Online MSW Foundation Courses: Applicants without a BSW must apply for Foundation courses. Annual application deadline is June 15. Classes begin the following Spring Semester (January).
• Online MSW Concentration Courses: Applicants with a BSW are considered “Advanced Standing” applicants and apply for Concentration courses. Annual application deadline is October 15. Classes begin the following Summer Semester (May).

The Department of Social Work will continue to accept applications after the deadline if the cohort is not full.

Degree Requirements

(For students without a B.S.W.)

Students seeking the Master degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Social Work Department. Credit is not granted for life or work experience.

Degree Requirements for Students Completing Both Foundation and Concentration Courses:

1. Successful completion of 60 credit hours of courses approved by the social work faculty with at least a 3.00 grade point average. The number of electives required is dependent on whether a student selects the independent study or the thesis option.
2. Satisfactory completion of Foundation courses (24 credit hours).

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Foundation Courses
   SWK 501	Human Behavior in the Social Environment I	2
   SWK 502	Human Behavior in the Social Environment II	2
   SWK 503	Generalist Practice with Individuals and Families	2
   SWK 504	Generalist Practice with Treatment and Task Groups	2
   SWK 505	Generalist Practice with Communities and Organizations	2
   SWK 506	Social Policy	2
   SWK 507	Generalist Research Methods and Analysis	2
   SWK 515	Generalist Practice Field Education I	3
   SWK 516	Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar I	1
   SWK 517	Generalist Practice Field Education II	5
   SWK 518	Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar II	1
   Total Credits		24

3. Satisfactory completion of the Advanced Generalist Concentration courses (36 credit hours).
4. Completion of the research capstone, SWK 997 Independent Study (2 credits), or SWK 998 Thesis (4 credits).
5. Completion of at least 52 semester credits at UND. A maximum of 8 credits will be allowed for transfer.
6. The development of a program of study in the semester in which the full-time student first enrolls in Concentration courses, or the second semester in which the part-time student enrolls in Concentration courses.

Degree Requirements

(For Students with a B.S.W.)

1. Successful completion of 36 credit hours of courses approved by the social work faculty with at least a 3.00 grade point average. Students who complete SWK 997 Independent Study must complete 5 elective credit hours; students who choose to complete SWK 998 Thesis must take 3 elective credit hours.
2. Satisfactory completion of the Advanced Generalist Concentration core courses listed below:

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Concentration Courses
   SWK 527	Advanced Generalist Human Behavior and the Social Environment I	2
   SWK 528	Advanced Generalist Human Behavior and the Social Environment II	2
   SWK 529	Advanced Generalist Research Methods and Analysis	2
   SWK 530	Advanced Generalist Practice with Individuals	2
   SWK 533	Advanced Generalist Practice with Families	2
   SWK 534	Advanced Generalist Practice with Treatment Groups	2
   SWK 535	Advanced Generalist Practice with Communities	2
   SWK 536	Advanced Generalist Practice with Organizations	2
   SWK 537	Advanced Generalist Tools for Policy	1
   SWK 580	Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education I	5
   SWK 581	Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar I	1
   SWK 582	Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education II	5
   SWK 583	Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar II	1
   Electives		3-5
   Total Credits		32-34

3. Completion of the research capstone, SWK 997 Independent Study (2 credits), or SWK 998 Thesis (4 credits).
4. Completion of at least 28 semester credits at UND. A maximum of 8 credits will be allowed for transfer.
5. The development of a program of study in the semester in which the full-time student first enrolls in concentration courses, or the second semester in which the part-time student enrolls in concentration courses.

Thesis Option:

1. Full-time students select a Faculty Advisory Committee by the end of the first semester of enrollment in Concentration courses. Part-time students select a Faculty Advisory Committee during the second semester of enrollment in Concentration courses.
2. A proposal must be submitted no later than the semester prior to the student’s final semester.

Non-Thesis Option:

1. Full-time students select a faculty adviser by the end of the first semester in Concentration courses. Part-time students select a faculty adviser by the second semester they are enrolled in Concentration courses.
2. A proposal must be submitted no later than the semester prior to the student’s final semester.