COURSE CURRICULUM

The Advanced Standing Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program is a streamlined graduate pathway designed for students who already hold a Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W. or B.S.S.W.) from a CSWE-accredited program, allowing them to complete their master’s degree in a shorter and more intensive format. The program requires a minimum of 35 credits focused on advanced professional practice, research, and extensive field experience. It builds on undergraduate social work training by emphasizing higher-level clinical skills, community practice, policy understanding, and evaluation methods. Core coursework includes advanced topics such as Implications of Race, Culture, and Oppression for Social Work Practice, which prepares students to engage in culturally responsive and equitable practice. Students also complete Advanced Standing Practice and Internship Seminar alongside two major practice courses focused on clinical assessment, intervention, and community and administrative practice, strengthening both individual and system-level social work skills. Human Behavior and the Social Environment III expands understanding of complex human development and social systems, while research-focused courses in data analysis and program evaluation prepare students to assess and improve social work services using evidence-based methods. A major component of the program is the intensive internship sequence (Internship III and IV), which combines supervised field experience with academic seminars to support real-world application of advanced social work skills in professional settings. In addition, students choose two elective courses (6 credits total) to specialize further in areas aligned with their interests or career goals. Overall, the program is designed to efficiently prepare B.S.W. graduates for advanced professional roles in clinical practice, community leadership, policy work, and preparation for licensure as clinical social workers, while maintaining strong academic rigor and hands-on experiential learning.