Social Work
			Description Degree Offered Admission Master of Social Work Contact Info

Description

The master’s degree program in Social Work (MSW) prepares students for advanced social work practice. The program educates students for community-based clinical social work practice with individuals, families, and groups. The curriculum draws from a generalist perspective and emphasizes critical thinking skills, empirically based and accountable practice, and ethical services for clients experiencing a wide range of problems. Students learn preventive and therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing human functioning and quality of life. Graduates of the program have the ability to work with diverse clients in a variety of agency settings.

The MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Degrees Offered

Master of Social Work

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

Master of Social Work

The Master of Social Work Program offers several options to students: full-time study, and advanced standing admission, and part-time study. Each option is described below.

Admission Requirements

Students begin course work in social work in the fall semester only. Potential students may apply online or through UCF Graduate Studies. UCF requires the following of all applicants to the MSW program:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Good standing with institution last attended.
• A 3.0 or better grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate studies or at least 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the required GRE. Applicants must take all three sections of the GRE.
• One official transcript of all undergraduate and graduate course work attempted and/or completed.
• A resume that outlines work experience.
• Three references (one academic, one employment, and one of the applicant’s choice other than a family member). If an employment reference is not available, then a personal reference may be submitted in support of graduate study. If a person graduated more than five years ago, that applicant may substitute work or personal references in place of academic references.
• One college-level course in each of the following six areas: biology with human content, English or communication, diversity, statistics, psychology, and sociology.
• A medical history report on the UCF health form.
• A typed Personal Statement. Directions for completing this statement can be obtained from the School of Social Work. In the statement the applicant describes reasons and experiences leading to the choice of social work as a profession, professional goals and interests, and strengths and limitations related to the practice of social work. Applicants also discuss an issue facing social work from the perspective of the role and responsibility of the profession in relation to that issue.
• If you are an international student, a confidential financial statement on the form provided by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services and score of 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

To be accepted into and retained in the program, students are expected to demonstrate initiative, dependability, social concern, self awareness, appreciation for diversity in others, problem solving ability, ease in relating with others, skill in writing and speaking, and professional ethics.

Full-time Study

The full-time program includes two years of full-time study in residence. The first year of study includes 24 credit hours in class work and 6 credit hours in field education. The second year of study includes 22 credit hours in class work and 8 credit hours in the field.

Advanced Standing

If the criteria for admission are met, applicants with baccalaureate degrees in social work from a CSWE-accredited school/program are invited to submit an application for Advanced Standing admission to the Master of Social Work program. Admission with advanced standing is limited to those who demonstrate the academic and professional potential to meet the demands of the program and who will have adequate preparation for MSW practice with only one year of graduate study. Previous course work is reviewed to assure content equivalency. In advanced standing admission, a maximum of 30 undergraduate credits may be accepted as transfer credits to the MSW program. These credits can be accepted to meet foundation year MSW requirements, which consist of courses in human behavior and the social environment, policy, research, social work practice, and social work field placement.

To be considered for advanced standing admission, the bachelor’s degree must have been completed within six years of the time of initial enrollment in the master’s program.

Part-time Study

For students who do not have a BSW degree, part-time education in the foundation curriculum is available at UCF Downtown and UCF Daytona Beach campuses. For students who have received a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited college or university within six years prior to enrollment, there is also a part-time program at the main campus in the advanced clinical curriculum. A part-time, regular standing program at UCF Daytona Beach will commence in Fall 2003.

Transfer Credit

Students who have completed course work in an MSW program in an accredited program may transfer up to 30 credit hours toward the 60 credit hours of the degree. Students must have received at least a “B” in these courses. Courses must be evaluated on a course-by-course basis by the graduate program coordinator. For more information about transferring credit, contact the MSW program coordinator.

Field Education

Field instruction is an integral part of graduate social work education. It provides the student with an opportunity to test classroom knowledge as well as to develop and refine foundation and advanced practice skills. Decisions regarding field assignment are determined by the Field Coordinator. Only agency sites approved by the School of Social Work may be used for field instruction. First-year MSW students complete a minimum of 448 hours in the field; advanced students complete a minimum of 608 clock hours in the agency. Field education includes a field seminar.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

	Program(s)		Fall Priority		Fall		Spring		Summer
	Master of Social Work  Feb 1  June 5

International Applicants

	Program(s)		Fall Priority		Fall		Spring		Summer
	Master of Social Work  Feb 1  Feb 1

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

Prerequisites—18 Credit Hours

Introductory college-level courses in the following areas or equivalents are required before admission into the program.

Biology with human content, English or Communication, Psychology, Statistics, Sociology, Diversity

Minimum Hours Required for MSW—60 Credit Hours

Foundation Curriculum: Generalist Social Work Practice—30 Credit Hours

• SOW 5305 Social Work Practice I: Generalist Practice (3 credit hours)
• SOW 5306 Social Work Practice II: Intervention Approaches (3 credit hours)
• SOW 5105 Human Behavior and Social Environment I: Individual (3 credit hours)
• SOW 5106 Human Behavior and Social Environment II: Social Systems (3 credit hours)
• SOW 5132 Diverse Client Populations (3 credit hours)
• SOW 5235 Social Welfare Policies and Services (3 credit hours)
• SOW 5404 Social Work Research (3 credit hours)
• SOW 5532 Generalist Field Education I (224 clock hours) (2 credit hours)
• SOW 5534 Generalist Field Education Integrative Seminar I (1 credit hour)
• SOW 5533 Generalist Field Education II (224 clock hours) (2 credit hours)
• SOW 5537 Generalist Field Education Integrative Seminar II (1 credit hour)
• Practice Elective (3 credit hours)

Advanced Curriculum: Clinical Specialist—30 Credit Hours

• SOW 6348 Clinical Practice with Individuals (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6324 Clinical Practice with Groups (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6612 Clinical Practice with Families (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6123 Psychosocial Pathology (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6246 Policy Analysis and Social Change (2 credit hours)
• SOW 6914 Integrative Research Project in Clinical Practice (2 credit hours)
• SOW 6535 Clinical Field Education I (304 clock hours) (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6548 Clinical Field Integrative Seminar I (1 credit hour)
• SOW 6536 Clinical Field Education II (304 clock hours) (3 credit hours)
• SOW 6549 Clinical Field Integrative Seminar II (1 credit hour)
• Practice Elective (3 credit hours)
• Practice or Approved General Elective (3 credit hours). Select an approved general elective in consultation with student’s adviser and MSW graduate program coordinator.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you’re interested in financial assistance, you’re strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application).
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.

Contact Info

George Jacinto, M.Ed., M.S.W.
Phone Number: 407-823-2114
socialwk@mail.ucf.edu