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 (MSW) program at Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a clinical program and is designed to prepare students for entry-level professional practice in social work. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take 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 MSW 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-credit hour 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-credit hour 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. 

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
2. Engage diversity and difference in practice.
3. Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
5. Engage in policy practice.
6. Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

 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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Admissions, Enrollment, and Graduation Criteria

Admissions Criteria

The following are program-specific criteria 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:

• An undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale, as indicated on the official college or university transcript received directly from the degree-granting institution. Coursework 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 awarded more than 5 years ago must apply for the Traditional MSW program.
• One letter of recommendation from a faculty member familiar with the applicant’s academic work (Note: if you cannot locate an academic reference, you may add a professional supervisor-related reference from a current or former employer or field supervisor).
• A writing sample, maximum 6 pages, double-spaced, explicitly addressing the following 5 dimensions. You can use subheadings for each dimension. Identify a current social issue that has caught your attention.
  1. Briefly describe the history of the current social issue, citing relevant sources (research, news media, etc.).
  2. Specifically discuss some key elements of the issue that got your attention (e.g., the number of people impacted; the impact of the issue on specific populations) and why.
  3. Describe how the current issue or specific elements mentioned above align with your personal values.
  4. Discuss how the social issue is perceived from multiple perspectives (e.g., as described in the media, on social media, in a research article, etc.).
  5. Explain how social work as a profession and you as a future social worker would approach resolving the issue.

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 transfer requests are made to the Social Work Program Director and will be handled case-by-case. The courses requested for transfer must match the courses offered within the foundation year curriculum at KSU. 

Enrollment Criteria

The Master of Social Work program consists of three areas - foundation courses, advanced clinical courses, and fieldwork courses. The following is a brief description of each area:

1. Foundation Course Sequence - This sequence is designed to introduce the student to the field of social work and provide a firm foundation for 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 are offered to enrich the student’s understanding of the clinical specialization.
3. Fieldwork Courses - The 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 an 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 “C’s” 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 Criteria

Each student is expected to meet the requirements outlined in Academic Policy 5.0 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS & GRADUATION .

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Program Course Requirements