Program Overview

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Overview of the Online Master of Social Work (MSW) – Advanced Standing – Advanced Generalist Program

The Online Master of Social Work (MSW) – Advanced Standing – Advanced Generalist program is designed for individuals who have earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from a CSWE-accredited program in the last six years. This one-year program allows students to build on the generalist foundation gained in their BSW program and graduate prepared to implement interventions that reflect advanced social work practice.

Program Details

• Total classes: 13
• Weeks per class: 7.5
• Total credit hours: 39
• Next start date: 05/18/2026

What You'll Learn

This program will prepare you to enhance the well-being of vulnerable populations at all stages of life and promote a socially just society. You'll develop advanced cultural awareness and ethical intervention strategies at every level of social work practice, including:

• Advanced case management and counseling with individuals (micro), families, and groups/communities (mezzo)
• Empowering social change in administration, policy development, legislative action, and community practice (macro)

Who's a Good Candidate for This Program?

This advanced standing, advanced generalist specialization is designed for those who've earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from a CSWE-accredited program in the last six years. The program is an ideal fit if you want to work in a growing field that interacts with people in a helping capacity.

Career Paths

A career in social work will allow you to make a difference and help those in need at all ages from before birth to end of life. You can pursue roles providing direct service, developing innovative public and nonprofit programs, and creating more just social and economic policies. Career settings you may work in range from behavioral health organizations and hospitals to child and family service agencies and schools. Career paths include, but aren't limited to:

• Administrator in public and nonprofit human service agencies
• Case manager
• Child and family social worker
• Mental health provider
• Global rights advocate
• Juvenile and adult justice system professional
• Medical social worker
• Military social worker
• School social worker

Faculty

The impressive faculty in the School of Social Work inspires the next generation of social workers through real-world solutions to issues in areas such as child welfare, family violence, health and mental health disparities, human trafficking, and water scarcity. Our faculty are among the most prolific social work researchers in the country, and many of the texts used in social work programs across the country were written by faculty who teach in the school's online social work programs.

Application Requirements

Applicants to the Master of Social Work program must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Applicants must have a minimum of a 3.20 cumulative GPA in the last 60 hours of their BSW program. Alternatively, applicants must have a minimum of a 3.20 cumulative GPA in an applicable master's program.

Additional Admission Information

An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) must provide proof of English proficiency.

Tuition Calculator

Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students receive financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.

Courses

You'll take courses in sequential order over three semesters to broaden your knowledge and then implement what you learn in a practical setting. Topics you may explore include mental health, behavioral health services, policy development and analysis, legal issues in social work, and more.

Core Courses

• Advanced Social Work Practice III: In this course, you'll strengthen your abilities to work at the individual and family system levels by developing advanced practice skills in assessment and intervention.
• Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice IV: In this course, you'll gain knowledge and skills for advanced practice with groups and communities.
• Assessment of Mental Disorders: In this course, you'll examine theories and concepts of mental health and the diagnosis of mental health disorders.
• Policy Practice: In this course, you'll develop advanced knowledge and skills in policy formulation, advocacy, and intervention for large-scale policy change and social welfare policy analysis.
• Professional Experience III (Practicum): In this course, you'll take your first of two consecutive semesters (480 hours total; 240 hours per semester) of supervised social work practice in an approved placement related to your career goals.
• Professional Experience IV (Practicum): In this course, you'll take your second of two consecutive semesters (480 hours total; 240 hours per semester) of supervised social work practice in an approved placement related to your career goals.
• Professional Seminar II: In this course, you'll apply social work's knowledge base to advanced generalist social work while learning how to make sense of theories, frameworks, and approaches to guide your practice.
• Program Evaluation: In this course, you'll cover research design techniques and data collection in human service agencies and communities. You'll learn how to do a needs assessment and program evaluation to understand how to empower change in systems that serve large groups of constituents.