Consistent with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) guidelines, content for the MSW degree may be completed in two ways. The regular program is for learners entering without an undergraduate degree in social work from an accredited school. Learners attend full-time for two years or part-time for three years, earning 58 semester hours.
Applicants who have already successfully completed a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited program and achieved a suitable grade point average may be admitted to the MSW program with Advanced Standing. These learners complete 34 credit hours.
A full- or part-time program is available. The part-time option is available only n the Concentration Year of study. The part-time option consists of a predetermined series of classes designed to facilitate the building of knowledge. Students must meet with the MSW Director to be considered for part-time status.
The curriculum is offered on alternate weekends, with overnight accommodations available nearby. Most courses are offered in twelve 3.5 hour sessions, meeting over six weekends during a semester. A few courses are intensive seminars (IS), which meet one or two weekends during a semester, from Friday through Sunday. Approximately monthly, Field Seminar and Exit Colloquium Seminar are held on Friday afternoons.
Practica Agencies
MSW students complete a field placement during the first and second years of the curriculum. Field placements are arranged at social service agencies in the learner's home community. These placements require the supervision of an approved MSW field agency supervisor. A faculty field liaison facilitates a required seminar to ensure that students integrate practice experience with classroom learning. Neither prior life experience nor employment may count for practicum credit.
Admission Requirements
Application procedures are obtained from the University's Admissions Office or the School of Social Work office. With the exception of electives, acceptance into the MSW program is required before any student may enroll in social work practice courses.
MSW Admissions
Admissions decisions are based on a constellation of criteria, including completed application forms and three professional/academic references. Also, applicants submit a personal essay, which is assessed for both content and writing ability. It is strongly preferred that applicants to the regular program have a cumulative GPA of 2.80 or higher on a 4.00 scale. Those with a GPA below a 2.80 may be considered, given extenuating circumstances (e.g., significant improvement is shown in upper level grades). Applicants for the advanced standing program must have a 3.00 GPA in social work courses and an overall GPA of 2.80. BSW applicants who do not meet those standards may be considered for a modified course of study. As a final step in the application process, applicants interview with a MSW faculty member. Meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
Transfer of Credits
Graduate students from other accredited two-year MSW programs may transfer to Spalding's advanced standing program if they have completed the foundation content with a 3.20 GPA and have positive recommendations from the first year practicum instructor. Also, up to 5 graduate credits earned in other graduate programs may be accepted in place of Spalding MSW electives. A student in the Master of Social Work program who has completed social work foundation courses in another accredited social work program may transfer up to 18 credit hours of course work plus practicum hours. Academic credit is not awarded for previous work or life experiences in lieu of any course-work in the social work program.
Assessment
Student learning is assessed through a variety of measures, including self-assessment and peer assessment by the students. Typical techniques include both small and large system role plays, critical analysis of practice situations and ethical dilemmas, written narratives, videotaped skill demonstrations, research papers, and examinations. MSW students in both years of their program are in a field practicum enabling them to integrate theory and practice in a learning environment. In practicum, assessment is a mutually supportive process between the agency field instructor, the faculty field liaison, and the student. During the Concentration Year of the curriculum, MSW Learners develop a culminating project, consisting of a comprehensive paper and a public presentation. The culminating paper is graded by a faculty member. The presentation is assessed by a panel of social work practitioners during the Exit Colloquium.
Degree Requirements
(see program sheets for specifics of the MSW degree)
Regular MSW students complete 58 credit hours of graduate course work.
Advanced Standing MSW students complete 34 credit hours of graduate course work.