Program Overview
Master of Social Work Program
The Master of Social Work (MSW) program at the University of Mississippi offers a clinical concentration, allowing students to gain advanced knowledge, values, and skills to work in various clinical settings, such as health, mental health, aging, child welfare, and administrative fields of practice.
Program Overview
The MSW degree has two tracks:
- A two-year 60-hour track (Regular Standing Program)
- A one-year 36-hour track (Advance Standing Program) The Advance Standing Program is designed for highly qualified BSW students.
Program Information
- Degree: Master of Social Work
- Emphases: N/A
- Required Credit Hours: 36-60
- Program Type: Master's Program
- Program Location: Oxford
- School: School of Applied Sciences
- Duration: 1-2 years
Program Requirements and Application Procedures
Choosing the right graduate program can be challenging, and the application process should not add to the stress. The following information is provided to help prospective students apply and begin working towards their Master's in Social Work.
Curriculum
The M.S.W. is a professional degree that prepares students to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in clinical settings.
- Depending on the educational background, students can choose from a regular track or an advanced standing track.
- No academic credit is given for life experience or previous social work experience.
Course of Study Example Schedule
There are two standing programs students can choose from, depending on their undergraduate degree and academic standing:
- A two-year 60-hour track (Regular Standing Program)
- A one-year 36-hour track (Advance Standing Program)
Regular Standing Program
- Fall Year 1:
- SW 601: Human Behavior and the Social Environment
- SW 602: Social Work Practice with Individuals
- SW 604: Social Work Welfare Policies and Programs
- SW 621: Field Instruction I
- Spring Year 1:
- SW 603: Social Work Research Methods
- SW 615: Practice with Families and Groups
- SW 620: Practice with Organizations & Communities
- SW 622: Field Instruction II
- Summer Year 1:
- SW Elective (3 hrs)
- SW Elective (3 hrs)
- Fall Year 2:
- SW 630: Theories & Methods of Family Intervention
- SW 683: Theories of Psychotherapy
- SW 650: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
- SW 660: Clinical Practice and Supervision
- Spring Year 2:
- SW 680: Evaluation Research
- SW 640: Advance Practice with Groups
- SW 686: Traumatic Stress and Crisis Intervention
- SW 687: Substance Abuse and Addiction
- Summer Year 2:
- SW 623: Field Instruction III
- SW 624: Field Instruction IV
Advance Standing Program
- Summer:
- SW Elective (3 hrs)
- SW Elective (3 hrs)
- Fall:
- SW 630: Theories & Methods of Family Intervention
- SW 683: Theories of Psychotherapy
- SW 650: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
- SW 660: Clinical Practice and Supervision
- Spring:
- SW 680: Evaluation Research
- SW 640: Advance Practice with Groups
- SW 686: Traumatic Stress and Crisis Intervention
- SW 687: Substance Abuse and Addiction
- Summer:
- SW 623: Field Instruction III
- SW 624: Field Instruction IV
Admission Requirements and Application Deadline
Prospective students should understand that admission to the Master of Social Work Program is competitive, limited in number, and dependent upon the availability of faculty. Meeting the requirements below does not guarantee admission.
Admission Requirements
Students seeking admission to the MSW program must complete a Graduate School application online, which requires:
- Resume
- Statement of Purpose
- Essay/Writing Sample
- Three letters of recommendation
Admission Requirements for Advanced Standing
In addition to the requirements above, students seeking admission to the Advanced Standing Program must meet the following requirements:
- 3.0 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework or 3.0 Overall GPA
- Completion of Bachelor of Social Work degree from a CSWE-accredited program within the last five years
Application Deadline
The application deadline for both Regular and Advanced Standing programs is April 1.
Program Mission and Goals
The mission of the Master of Social Work is to prepare competent and ethical clinical social workers for careers guided by scientific inquiry. The program works diligently to educate social workers committed to diversity, social and economic justice, and the enrichment of the quality of life, with systems of all sizes and at every level of society.
Program Goals
The program aims to prepare clinical social workers who:
- Continue to develop knowledge for competent, effective, and ethical autonomous social work practice and the development of service delivery systems.
- Practice social work through the study of its history, purposes, philosophy, and theoretical and practice frameworks.
- Provide leadership in the effective and ethical clinical social work practice with diverse populations and systems of all sizes, striving to alleviate poverty and oppression, and to provide social and economic justice for all citizens at the local, national, and global levels.
- Understand the social contexts of clinical social work practice, the changing nature of those contexts, the behaviors found in systems, and the dynamics of change.
- Demonstrate a commitment to continue life-long learning and professional growth.
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Core Competencies
The CSWE requires social work programs to ensure that all social work students demonstrate the following competencies by graduation:
Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant laws and regulations that may impact practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
Social workers understand how diversity and difference characterize and shape the human experience and are critical to the formation of identity.
Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
Social workers understand that every person has fundamental human rights, such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, healthcare, and education.
Competency 4: Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
Social workers understand quantitative and qualitative research methods and their respective roles in advancing a science of social work and in evaluating their practice.
Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice
Social workers understand that human rights and social justice, as well as social welfare and services, are mediated by policy and its implementation at the federal, state, and local levels.
Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Licensure and Public Disclosure
The Masters of Social Work program at The University of Mississippi is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Individuals must meet state regulations, determined by occupational settings, for the state in which they wish to practice. Compliance with state regulatory requirements is mandatory and the only avenue towards legal practice.
Job Market
The median income for MSW graduates varies by profession:
- Behavioral Health Care Managers: $74,000 (2023)
- Forensic Social Workers: $78,000 (2023)
- Corporate Social Responsibility Manager: $112,000 (2023)
- People Operations Coordinator: $60,000 (2023)