Social Work, MSW

Program Description

The vision for the Department of Social Work and Human Services is to be a world leader in educating, training, and empowering clinical social work practitioners to support human potential and promote social justice, diversity, and inclusion 

The Master of Social Work program at Kennesaw State University is a clinical program and is designed to prepare students for entry-level professional practice in social work. Upon graduation, students are eligible for taking the Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) exam and they may also pursue further clinical supervision requirements to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).. The KSU Master of Social Work program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). 

The Master of Social Work program offers two program options:

• Traditional MSW Program - The Traditional MSW is a 60-hour, full-time program that accepts students with a baccalaureate degree that reflects a broad liberal arts base in the social, behavioral or psychological sciences, human biology, the humanities or statistics.
• Advanced Standing Program - The Advanced Standing MSW is a 36-hour, full-time program that accepts students with a baccalaureate degree in Social Work (BSW) from a CSWE accredited baccalaureate program. There are no equivalent degrees for this program. 

 This program is a part of the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services . 

Accreditation Information 

The Master of Social Work Program at Kennesaw State University is accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE):https://www.cswe.org/Accreditation/Directory-of-Accredited-Programs.aspx  

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Admission, Enrollment, and Graduation Policies

Admissions Requirements

The following are program-specific requirements beyond the general Graduate Admissions  requirements. To be considered for admission to this program, the following application materials must be submitted to the KSU Graduate Admissions Office:

• A GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale over the last 60 hours of undergraduate study, as indicated on official college or university transcript received directly from the degree-granting institution. Course work from all two- and four-year institutions should be submitted directly by the institutions. . 

• Traditional MSW: Hold a baccalaureate degree that reflects a broad liberal arts base in the social, behavioral or psychological sciences, human biology, the humanities or statistics. The baccalaureate degree should be from an institution accredited in a manner accepted by Kennesaw State University. 

  Advanced Standing MSW: Hold a baccalaureate degree in Social Work (BSW) from a CSWE accredited program. The BSW degree must be conferred within the last 5 years. Applicants holding the BSW degree that was awarded more than 5 years ago must apply for the Traditional MSW program.

• Two letters of recommendation 
  • At least one from a faculty member familiar with the applicant’s academic work (Note: if you are unable to locate an academic reference, you may add a professional supervisor-related reference from a current or former employer or field supervisor. 
  • A professional reference from a current or former employer or field supervisor.  
• An autobiographical statement, maximum 1500 words, double-spaced, that includes the following: 
  • Your experience in social work, including volunteer experience. 
  • Life experiences that impacted your interest in social work. 
  • Your personal qualities that will be useful in serving others as a social work professional. 
  • Your values that will be useful in serving others as a social worker. 
  • Your career goals and how social work education will help you realize these goals. 

Admissions Criteria for Unique Cases

Students classified as non-degree students are not permitted to enroll in the Master of Social Work program. They may however, register for individual courses with approved overrides. 

Transfer Credit

Students enrolled in the Master of Social Work program may be given credit for up to 6 semester hours taken at other CSWE-accredited programs. All requests for transfer are made to the Social Work Program Director and will be handled on a case-by-case basis. The courses requested for transfer must match the courses offered within the foundation year curriculum at KSU. 

Enrollment Requirements

The full-time MSW program is completed in two years (4 semesters)-foundation year and concentration year. There is no part-time study plan for the MSW degree. The Master of Social Work program consists of three areas - foundation courses; advanced clinical courses; and the fieldwork courses. The following is a brief description of each area:

1. Foundation Course Sequence - designed to introduce the student to the field of social work and provide a firm foundation to professional training.
2. Advanced Clinical Course Sequence - this sequence of courses assumes mastery of foundation courses and moves the student into more complex and advanced clinical specialization.
   • Elective courses - advanced clinical elective courses are offered to enrich the student’s understanding of the clinical specialization.
3. Fieldwork Courses - internship site placements are an integral aspect of the MSW program. Under the supervision of experienced master’s level social workers, fieldwork/internships offer students direct practice experiences in agency setting during the foundation year, and it focuses on clinical work in the second clinical specialization year.

• A student must receive an overall grade of “B” or above to successfully pass the MSW field seminar courses.
• Students who receive an overall grade of “C” in a field seminar course will be placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) for the following semester to stay enrolled in the MSW Program.
• Students who receive an overall grade of “C” in two field seminar courses will automatically be terminated from the MSW Program.
• Students who receive an overall grade of “D” or below in any field seminar course will automatically be terminated from the MSW Program.
• Performance improvement plan (PIP) does NOT APPLY when a student receives two “Cs” a “D” or an “F” in field seminar courses.
• For appeal and reinstatement policies, see the Graduate Catalog and/or contact the Graduate College.

Graduation Requirements

Each candidate must petition to graduate at least one semester prior to completion of program requirements. For more information, please view the corresponding section of Academic Policies: 5.0 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS & GRADUATION . 

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Program Course Requirements