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Master of Social Work
Social Work

Social Work
Master of Social Work
AT A GLANCE
  • 62 credits
  • Transfer up to 6 credits
  • All courses are available online
  • Select on-site and hybrid courses available
TUITION
  • $350 per credit hour (Europe)

See our Tuition Rates page for details.

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Prepare yourself for professional social work in your community, as you learn the benefits of empowering individuals and affecting social change.

The Master of Social Work (MSW) prepares social work practitioners for advanced, direct practice with individuals, families, groups, and organizations. The program is designed to help you achieve your maximum potential with a dynamic curriculum of generalist and specialized courses. Offered by Salisbury University and administered by UMGC Europe, the Master of Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

The goal of this comprehensive program is to provide you with the knowledge, skill-sets, and values necessary to propel you into the private or public sectors of social work. Through a combination of hands-on practice in the community and theoretical study in the classroom, you will gain the knowledge required to enter the social work field. 

If you are interested in a bachelor's degree, you can major in social work and earn a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) through the UMGC Europe partnership program.

Please note: This program is only available to students located in Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. For assistance or further details, please contact socialwork-europe@umgc.edu or CIV +49-(0)631-5600-1737.

The degree program requires 62 credit hours, with 50 credits of classroom work and 12 credits of supervised field practicum. The regular program length for full time students is generally 12 sessions. 

Total Credits Required: 62

  • Required Core Courses: 30
  • Required Specialization Courses: 29
  • Elective Courses: 3

Generalist Practice

  • (3 Credits, SOWK 607)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 610)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 616)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 617)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 620)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 622)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 623)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 630)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 640)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 645)

Specialized Practice

  • (2 Credits, SOWK 602)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 652)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 654)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 655)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 656)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 658)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 663)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 669)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 691)

Elective Courses

  • (2 Credits, SOWK 602)
  • SOWK 650
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 654)
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 655)
  • SOWK 660
  • (3 Credits, SOWK 663)
  • SOWK 665
  • SOWK 680
  • SOWK 685

Electives Courses

  • (3 Credits, SOWK 653) or
    (3 Credits, SOWK 677)

Advanced Standing

If you have completed a bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited undergraduate social work program, you may be eligible for the MSW advanced standing program. Advanced standing is a 32 credit program, rather than 62 credit program.

Applicants for advanced standing must meet additional requirements, including having graduated from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within the last three years. However, applicants with two years of human service work who graduated within the last five years with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree will be considered. Applicants for advanced standing must have earned a minimum 3.0 grade point average on the last 120 credits that appear on their bachelor's degree transcript, as well as a 3.2 on the last 60 graded upper-division credits (including all social work courses). Students without an accredited undergraduate degree in social work are admitted to the regular 62 credit program that may be completed in 10 sessions.

When applying for advanced standing, you must submit the following material in addition to the usual application requirements:

  • Transcripts documenting eligibility for advanced standing.
  • Recommendation from the field liaison and field instructor.
  • A detailed evaluation of your field instruction experience and performance by the agency supervisor or an evaluation of your employment performance. You may submit evaluations of field performance conducted at the end of each undergraduate term.

To be admitted to the MSW program, you must also complete the additional admission requirements.

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Additional Program Information

Students seeking admission to the MSW program must demonstrate that they:

  • Hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
  • Have completed a broad liberal arts background with a minimum of 24 credit hours, including at least one course in sociology, psychology, and statistics. These undergraduate requirements may be taken at any accredited college or university, including community colleges. All prerequisites for admission must be completed prior to admission, except statistics, which must be completed by the end of the first semester in the program. All offers of admission are conditional upon the successful completion of the undergraduate coursework.
  • Have earned a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average on the last 120 graded credits that appear on their bachelor's degree transcript, as well as a 3.0 grade point average on the last 60 graded upper-division credits.
  • Have submitted transcripts of any completed graduate courses.
  • Submit three professional letters of recommendation, usually from persons such as professors, employers, supervisors, professional colleagues, and community associates. Applicants who have been employed in a social service agency should request a recommendation from a recent employer or supervisor. You should provide a recommendation from a faculty advisor or instructor.

To be admitted to the MSW program, you must also complete the additional admission requirements.

Provisional admission to the MSW program may be granted if you have a GPA of 2.5 to 2.99 (2.8 to 2.99 for advanced standing applicants) on the last 120 graded credits that appear on your bachelor's degree transcript and have an otherwise strong application. Provisionally admitted applicants must complete one semester of graduate courses (at least two courses) with a GPA of 3.0.

If you have completed a bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited undergraduate social work program, you may be eligible for the MSW advanced standing program. Advanced standing is a 32 credit program, rather than 62 credit program.

Applicants for advanced standing must meet additional requirements, including having graduated from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within the last three years. However, applicants with two years of human service work who graduated within the last five years with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree will be considered. Applicants for advanced standing must have earned a minimum 3.0 grade point average on the last 120 credits that appear on their bachelor's degree transcript, as well as a 3.2 on the last 60 graded upper-division credits (including all social work courses). Students without an accredited undergraduate degree in social work are admitted to the regular 62 credit program that may be completed in 10 sessions.

When applying for advanced standing, you must submit the following material in addition to the usual application requirements:

  • Transcripts documenting eligibility for advanced standing.
  • Recommendation from the field liaison and field instructor.
  • A detailed evaluation of your field instruction experience and performance by the agency supervisor or an evaluation of your employment performance. You may submit evaluations of field performance conducted at the end of each undergraduate term.

Under certain circumstances, you may receive a maximum of 29 credits for work completed not more than five years prior to first registration from a CSWE-accredited graduate school of social work and for which a grade of at least a B was received. No course, including any transfer course, may be counted toward a degree if it was completed more than seven full calendar years prior to the date of graduation.

You must complete a minimum of 32 credits in the Salisbury University Department of Social Work to be eligible for the MSW.

If you are currently or were previously enrolled in another accredited master's level social work degree program and are seeking admission as a transfer student, you are required to submit the following additional materials:

  1. A brief written statement describing the reasons why you are requesting a transfer.
  2. A copy of practicum/field work evaluations, if applicable.
  3. One of the three letters of recommendation must be from a faculty member or field supervisor affiliated with the program.

Students from non-MSW programs may receive a maximum of six transfer credits for courses in which he/she has earned a grade of B or above. Each course will be individually assessed for program equivalency. Credits used as part of a previous master's degree will not transfer. Official determination of allowable credit for work completed elsewhere will be made at the time of admission.

If you are registered in the program and want to take a course at another university and transfer credit toward the Salisbury University Department of Social Work MSW (i.e., a summer course), you must receive approval from the chair of the Department of Social Work.

Salisbury University, a member of the University System of Maryland, is an accredited university of national distinction. Home to more than 8,700 students from across the U.S. and around the world, Salisbury University has a reputation for excellence in public higher education. SU continuously ranks among the nation’s top colleges and values according to The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger’s, Money, Forbes, and others.

Located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, this four-year university has 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. SU prides itself on being an institution where individual talents are celebrated while big ideas are encouraged and nurtured.

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