Program Overview

Master of Social Work

The Master of Social Work (MSW) program at San Francisco State University is designed to prepare students for careers in social work practice. The program is committed to enhancing the ability of students to communicate effectively and professionally, both orally and in writing.

Admission to Program

Applicants must first meet the general university requirements pertaining to the admission of graduate students. In addition, applicants must demonstrate an academic and professional commitment to Social Work and the values and philosophical foundations of the School's mission.

Degree Requirements

To qualify for admission to the MSW program, applicants must have attained a GPA of at least 3.0 in a baccalaureate degree or a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 in their last 60 units.

Level One Written English Proficiency Requirement

The University has a requirement for written English proficiency that is to be assessed at two different points in a student's program. The School of Social Work is committed to enhancing all students' ability to communicate in an effective and professional manner, both orally and in writing.

Level Two Written English Proficiency

The culmination of student writing is completed when graduate students write their final culminating experience project for the MSW degree. They choose either a professional practice project or a thesis.

Advancement to Candidacy

Besides meeting all general requirements for advancement to candidacy, the school maintains the following additional requirements:

• Maintenance of a 3.0-grade point average in graduate study.

Program Learning Outcomes

The MSW program at San Francisco State University has the following learning outcomes:

1. Education: Learn from and apply the rigorous SFSU social work education that achieves the nine Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) curricular competencies at the graduate (MSW) level.
2. Application: Use knowledge and skills to affect all practice areas (direct and indirect).
3. Diverse Learners: Expect, accept, and appreciate human differences in all areas.
4. Collaboration and Participation: Respect, value and honor one another's personal and professional experiences, knowledge, skills, and values.
5. Ethical Foundations and Leadership: Engage in professional practices that are ethically sound and appropriate, consistent with the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) Code of Ethics.
6. Progressive Development: Expand and enhance cognitive and affective abilities through continuous development of knowledge, values, skills, and practices.
7. Advocacy and Activism for Progressive Change: Know multiple forms and purposes of advocacy, and engage in change plans and efforts to achieve progressive change at micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
8. Equity and Social Justice: Identify, understand, and evaluate multiple forms of justice (e.g. social, economic, environmental, political, and legal justice) and rights (human and civil).
9. Professional Versatility: Be equipped to work in a variety of settings, in a range of fields and forms of practice, and with diverse persons from multiple backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, ages, genders, experiences, abilities, orientations, classes, religions, and more.
10. Cultural Humility: Appreciate the fact that cultures and values evolve and change, and that one never "arrives" with respect to knowledge, skills, and practices related to diversity.

Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program

The BHWET program is a grant-funded program that provides stipends to second-year MSW students committed to working in the field of integrated behavioral health (IBH).

Title IV–E Child Welfare Training Stipend Program

The Title IV-E program is a grant-funded program that provides stipends to MSW students committed to working in the field of public child welfare.

Pupil Personnel Services Credential: School Social Work Designation

The School offers a Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC) program to graduate social work students who are simultaneously pursuing their MSW degree.

Master of Social Work — 60 Units Minimum

The MSW program requires a minimum of 60 units, including core requirements, electives, and a culminating experience.

Core Requirements (34 units)

The core requirements include:

• S W 700: History and Philosophy of Social Welfare
• S W 701: Social Policy Analysis
• S W 710: Human Behavior and the Social Environment
• S W 720: Research Methods in Social Work
• S W 730: Social Work Practice Methods
• S W 740 and S W 741: Practicum Instruction and Graduate Practicum Seminar
• S W 770: Anti-Racism, Intersectionality, and Social Justice in Social Work
• S W 780: Global Poverty
• S W 855: Social Work Education, Professionalism, and Practice

Individuals, Families, and Groups Program (IFG) - 26 Units

The IFG program requires:

• S W 810: Mental Health Diagnoses in Social Work Practice
• S W 830: Seminar: Social Casework
• S W 832: Seminar: Social Group Work
• S W 831: Seminar: Advanced Social Casework
• 6 units of electives on advisement

Professional Development Programs

The School offers several professional development programs, including the Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program, the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program, and the Pupil Personnel Services Credential: School Social Work Designation.