Millersville and Shippensburg universities are jointly offering a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program to prepare students to work in a variety of human service programs and agencies in an advanced clinical and/or administrative capacity. The flexibility of the social work degree provides graduates with many options as they pursue their careers in helping fields.
All required courses will be offered in the evening only. Elective courses will be primarily offered in the evening and occasionally on Saturdays. Elective courses may require occasional meetings at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.
Mission and Goals
The mission of the MU-SU MSW program is to provide accessible social work graduate education to prepare students for advanced generalist practice and to provide professional leadership and contribute to the development and dissemination of social work practice knowledge.
The MSW program seeks to:
1. Prepare graduate students for advanced generalist social work practice serving primarily rural populations in the region.
2. Provide curricula and co-curricular opportunities for students enabling them to integrate the knowledge, values, and skills required for competent practice.
3. Provide leadership and service to the regional social service community and the social work profession.
4. Foster commitment to professional development and the creation and dissemination of knowledge.
Accreditation
The joint MSW program was designed according to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation guidelines. The program is in candidacy and final approval of accreditation, which is anticipated in spring 2010. It will be retroactive to the program as of fall 2006.
Admissions Classifications
The program is designed both for students who have no previous social work education and for those who want to build upon their baccalaureate social work education. Students will be admitted full- or part-time.
Applicants may apply for regular standing admission or for advanced standing admission. Regular standing admission is for students who completed a baccalaureate degree with a major from other than a CSWE accredited social work program and for students who graduated from a CSWE accredited social work program but do not meet the GPA requirements for advanced standing. Applicants may apply for advanced standing admission if they have graduated from a CSWE accredited social work program and meet the GPA requirements as described in the admission guidelines.
Admission Guidelines
Candidates may choose to apply through either Millersville or Shippensburg University. If all seats are full at one campus, successful applicants will be given the option to enroll through the other campus, if seats are available. Applicants desiring admission to a specific campus may also be placed on a waiting list if all seats are full.
Applicants for regular standing admission must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale from a regionally accredited undergraduate institution. In exceptional cases, applicants who lack the required grade point average but whose other qualifications are outstanding may be admitted on a probational basis. Applicants admitted on probation must earn Bs or higher in the first 12 credits.
Applicants for advanced standing admission must have earned a baccalaureate degree in the last eight years from a CSWE accredited social work program with an overall GPA of 3.0 and a major GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Students who graduated with a baccalaureate degree from a CSWE-accredited social work program who are not eligible for advanced standing may be eligible for exemptions from first-year foundation courses other than practice and field instruction in which they have earned a grade of B or higher within the past eight years. Exemptions will reduce the total number of credits a student must earn to graduate. The Admissions Committee will send a letter notifying the applicant of the exemptions.
Students may apply for waivers from courses when they have already demonstrated proficiency in the course content at a graduate level with a grade of a B or higher. When requesting consideration for a waiver, a student must submit a Request for Waiver form and course syllabi to the course instructor. A waiver will not reduce the number of required credits for graduation but will allow a student to take a more advanced course or an elective course.
All applicants must submit an official Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or General Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score report completed within the past five years as part of the admissions process. Applicants must evidence a combination of professional and personal experiences, qualities, and values that are considered essential for the practice of social work. A current resume is required. Three professional references are required with a minimum of one from faculty and one from a current or recent agency employer or supervisor. Applicants will complete a written personal statement. Application forms are available on the gradate studies website (www.millersville.edu/~graduate) or from the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. The program may request a personal interview or additional information about an applicant when necessary to make a fully informed admissions decision.
Persons who have a criminal record are not eligible to work in many human service fields. Applicants with criminal records should contact the MSW program director for additional information.
Students must demonstrate that they have successfully completed course work or equivalency with significant content in each of the following areas: Human Biology, Economics, Government/Political Science, Psychology, Sociology/Anthropology, and Statistics. Applicants can be admitted with up to two course deficiencies. These course deficiencies must be completed by the end of the foundation year (30 credits) of the MSW program or before SOWK 630 Field Practicum.
Students may receive up to 9 credit hours earned at other regionally accredited institutions prior to admission. Graduate credits earned more than five years prior to admission do not qualify for transfer. Students may only transfer credits provided they are in good standing in those schools. Courses must be listed on an official transcript with a B or higher. Condensed one-week graduate courses do not qualify for transfer.
With advance permission of faculty adviser, program co-coordinator and dean of graduate studies and research and as part of a planned program, a student may transfer credits from other graduate programs at MU or SU. Forms for the approval process of transfer of credits are available in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.
The program does not grant academic credit for life or work experience.
Degree Requirements
Students with regular standing admission must complete 60 credits of graduate study including: 42 credit hours of required course work, 12 credit hours of field practicum, and 6 credit hours of electives. BSW graduates with regular admission status may receive exemption for some course work, as per admission guidelines.
Students with advanced standing admission must complete 36 credits of graduate study including: 21 credit hours of required course work including a summer “bridge” course, 6 credit hours of field practicum, and 9 credit hours of electives.
All courses must be taken in sequence. The 60- credit program can be completed in two years full time (four courses a semester) or four years part time (two courses a semester). The 36- credit program can be completed in one year full-time or two years part-time. Both programs are year round.
Degree Candidacy
A formal admission to degree candidacy process takes place after a minimum of 12 credits have been completed. MU-SU MSW faculty members evaluate students to determine if they have the potential for completing the requirements of the social work program. Qualifications are based on academic performance in line with University standards and demonstrated ethical behavior; values, and commitment to social work as a career. The social work faculty has the right to dismiss from the program at any time students found not qualified for social work practice.
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