Master of Social Work Courses

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MSW Curriculum

The program’s curriculum is split into a generalist curriculum and a specialized curriculum. The generalist curriculum consists of 30 credits hours, including the completion of a 400-hour practicum experience. Once students have completed the generalist curriculum, they will be allowed to progress to the specialized curriculum, which consists of 30 credit hours of advanced coursework, including a minimum of 500 hours of practicum experience. Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in social work from a CSWE accredited program may be able to begin the program with advanced standing and start directly into the specialized curriculum.

Admissions Criteria

  • Undergraduate Degree (3.0 GPA) from an Accredited College/University with previous coursework in statistics as well as at least 9 credit hours of coursework in the social sciences, to include sociology, psychology, political science, and similar disciplines.
  • Submission of a resume documenting previous volunteer, internship, and/ or work experience.
  • 2 references (1 academic reference from previous faculty member [if possible]).
  • Writing sample formatted in APA style with the use of citations. The sample should demonstrate sufficient writing skill needed for graduate level coursework. The writing sample should be no more than 5 pages of writing with a title page and reference page (no more than 7 pages total). Applicants will be provided with prompts that should guide their response.

Determination of Advanced Standing:

Students who have earned an undergraduate degree in social work degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited educational institution or program recognized through its International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service, or covered under a memorandum of understanding with international social work accreditors, may apply for the Master of Social Work (MSW) program and enter into advanced standing.

Advanced Standing Admissions Criteria:

  • Undergraduate degree in social work from a CSWE Accredited Program (3.0 GPA) from a college/university, accredited by a recognized regional accrediting association with previous coursework in statistics as well as at least 9 credit hours of coursework in the social sciences, to include sociology, psychology, political science, and similar disciplines.
  • For students who have completed an Undergraduate Degree in social work within the last 5 years, a practicum evaluation must be provided.
  • Submission of a resume documenting previous volunteer, internship, and/ or work experience.
  • 2 references (1 academic reference from previous faculty member [if possible]).
  • Writing sample formatted in APA style with the use of citations. The sample should demonstrate sufficient writing skill needed for graduate level coursework. The writing sample should be no more than 5 pages of writing with a title page and reference page (no more than 7 pages total). Applicants will be provided with prompts that should guide their response.

Master of Social Work (M.S.W., 60 hours)*
Generalist Curriculum30 hours
SOCWK 5000 Social Work Purpose, Values and Ethics3 hours
SOCWK 5010 Human Behavior In Social Environment3 hours
SOCWK 5100 Anti-oppressive Socwk Pract3 hours
SOCWK 5110 Social Welfare Policy, Services, and Delivery3 hours
SOCWK 5200 Micro Practice3 hours
SOCWK 5210 Family and Group Practice3 hours
SOCWK 5220 Macro Practice: Comm Org, Plan, Admin3 hours
SOCWK 5230 Research Informed Practice3 hours
SOCWK 5270 Generalist Field Practicum3 hours
SOCWK 5271 Generalist Field Practicum II3 hours
Specialist Curriculum30 hours
SOCWK 5300 Nature of Trauma and Traumatic Experience 3 hours
SOCWK 5310 Clinical Assessment with Individuals and Families 3 hours
SOCWK 5320 Advanced Practice With Groups 3 hours
SOCWK 5330 Clinical Interventions with Individuals and Families 3 hours
SOCWK 5340 Social Advocacy in Social Work 3 hours
SOCWK 5450 Professional Ethics and Leadership in Social Work 3 hours
SOCWK 5460 Trauma Conscious Social Work Admin 3 hours
SOCWK 5570 Advanced Field Practicum 3 hours
SOCWK 5571 Advanced Field Practicum II 3 hours
SOCWK 5580 Advanced Integrative Capstone 3 hours

*Students granted advanced standing only complete the specialized coursework (30 credit hours)

Nebraska Wesleyan University’s MSW Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA).

Accreditation of a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the BOA indicates that it meets or exceeds standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals and the BOA has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all sections of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS).

Accreditation applies to all program options, which includes locations and delivery methods.

Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.

Review our program’s accredited status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.

Council on Social Work Education
1725 Duke Street, Suite 500
Alexandria, VA 22314-3457
info [at] cswe.org (info[at]cswe[dot]org)