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 students without a B.S.W.

Must complete M.S.W. Generalist Curriculum and either the M.S.W. Advanced Generalist Specialization or Clinical Social Work Specialization.

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog. Applicants for the Generalist Curriculum (offered only through the part-time Online Program for students without a BSW from CSWE accredited program) 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 specialization portion of the MSW program (Advanced Generalist or Clinical Social Work).
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 students with a B.S.W

M.S.W. Advanced Generalist Specialization or Clinical Social Work Specialization

Applicants for the Advanced Generalist courses must meet the following standards:

1. BSW or BSSW 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.

Degree Requirements

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.

Students without a B.S.W.

Degree Requirements for Students Completing Both MSW Generalist and Specialization Curriculum:

1. Successful completion of at least 60 credit hours of courses approved by the social work faculty with at least a 3.00 grade point average. The number of electives and/or total hours required is dependent on whether or not a student selects the thesis option.
2. Satisfactory completion of Generalist Curriculum (24 credit hours).

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Generalist 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 or Clinical Social Work Specialization (36 credit hours).
4. For the Advanced Generalist Specialization, completion of the research capstone, SWK 997 Independent Study (2 credits), or SWK 998 Thesis (4 credits).  For the Clinical Social Work specialization, the thesis option requires SWK 998 Thesis (4 credits) and the non-thesis option does not have additional requirements.
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 specialization courses, or the second semester in which the part-time student enrolls in specialization courses.

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.
2. For the Advanced Generalist Specialization, students who select the non-thesis option must complete SWK 997 Independent Study and 5 elective credit hours; students who choose the thesis option must complete SWK 998 Thesis and 3 elective credit hours.  For the Clinical Social Work specialization, the thesis option requires SWK 998 Thesis (4 credits) and the non-thesis option does not have additional requirements.
3. Satisfactory completion of the Advanced Generalist or Clinical Social Work Specialization.
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 specialization courses, or the second semester in which the part-time student enrolls in specialization courses.
   
    

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Advanced Generalist Courses
   SWK 525	Advanced Generalist Human Behavior in the Social Environment (Advanced Generalist HBSE)	2
   SWK 526	Diversity in Advanced Generalist Social Work (Diversity in Advanced Generalist Social Work)	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

    

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Clinical Social Work Specialization Courses
   SWK 540	Clinical Diagnosis I	3
   SWK 541	Clinical Diagnosis II	3
   SWK 542	Advanced Policy	3
   SWK 543	Research in Clinical Practice	3
   SWK 544	Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families	3
   SWK 545	Clinical Practice with Groups	3
   SWK 546	Clinical Practice in Macro Settings	3
   SWK 584	Clinical Social Work Practice Field Education I	5
   SWK 585	Clinical Social Work Practice Field Education Seminar I	1
   SWK 586	Clinical Social Work Practice Field Education II	5
   SWK 587	Clinical Social Work Practice Field Education Seminar II	1
   Electives		3
   Total Credits		36

Thesis Option

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

Non-Thesis Option (Advanced Generalist Specialization)

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