Program Overview

MSW Class Schedules

The Department of Social Work at California State University Northridge offers two programs for students pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.

Two-Year Program

Enrollment for the two-year program begins in the fall semester only. Students complete 60 graduate credits, including 16 hours per week of practicum placement internship in the first year and 20 hours per week of practicum placement internship in the second year. Students attend classes two weekdays.

Three-Year Program

Enrollment for the three-year program begins in the fall semester only. Students throughout the program attend classes year-round. Classes are held two evenings per week and occasional Saturdays. Students complete 60-63 graduate credits, including 16 hours per week of practicum placement starting in fall of the first year through the second academic year. Most placements are Monday – Friday during regular business hours.

Accreditation

The CSUN Department of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). Accreditation of a baccalaureate or master's Social Work program by the BOA indicates that it meets or exceeds standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals and the BOA has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all sections of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS).

Admission Criteria for the On-Campus Two-Year and Three-Year Programs

Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college. A liberal arts background with some coursework in the social, behavioral, and biological sciences is strongly preferred.

• Applicants must present evidence of the ability to complete graduate study. Ideally, applicants will have attained a GPA of 3.0.
• Individuals applying should demonstrate evidence of personal maturity, including the ability to withstand difficult emotional challenges, a commitment to interpersonal processing within the parameters of cultural expectations, respect for others and for their life decisions, a readiness to learn advanced clinical and macro practice and research skills, a commitment to social justice and to the profession's Code of Ethics, and a capacity for flexibility and creativity.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have had post-baccalaureate work experience. Academic credit, however, cannot be given for prior life and work experience.