MSW Advanced Standing Program

You may apply for advanced standing in NWU’s MSW program if you earned your Bachelor of Social Work from an CSWE-accredited school within the last five years. Students who earned their BSW more than five years ago will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In addition, you may need to complete added courses to fulfill generalist requirements.

This advanced 34-credit-hour program includes 500 practicum hours. Hybrid classes are held in eight-week sessions, combining online coursework with in-person classes in Lincoln on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. If you’re a full-time student, you’ll take two classes each session and complete your degree in one year. If you’re a part-time student, you’ll take one class each session and graduate in two years.

Admission deadlines

When you apply for the advanced standing MSW program by October 15, you will receive an admission decision by December 1. When you apply for the advanced standing MSW program by January 15, you will receive an admission decision by March 1. If you apply after January 15, you’ll be accepted on a rolling basis until the cohort is full. If you are currently completing a bachelor’s degree, you will receive a contingent admission offer pending successful completion of your degree and demonstration of competency as evaluated by your field instructor.

Advanced standing admission criteria

Nebraska Wesleyan University uses a holistic process to review all applications and select students with a variety of skills, views and experiences. NWU’s Master of Social Work program requires the following for admittance.

• Undergraduate degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program (3.0 GPA) from an accredited college/university with previous coursework in statistics as well as at least nine credit hours of coursework in the social sciences, to include sociology, psychology, political science and similar disciplines.

Transcripts 

Contact your most recent degree-granting institution and request that they send official transcripts to the address below. If you graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan, you do not need to request transcripts from NWU.

Nebraska Wesleyan University
Graduate Admissions
5000 St. Paul Avenue
Lincoln, NE 68504

• Resume documenting previous volunteer, internship and/or work experience.
• Two references
  • One academic reference from previous faculty member, if possible.
  • Professional references should speak to the student’s readiness for graduate school.
• 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 five pages plus a title page and reference page (no more than seven pages total). Applicants will be provided with a prompt to guide their response.