Master of Social Work
Enhance your social work education and make a bigger difference in the lives of those you work with by earning your Master of Social Work degree through UofM Global.
Please note: Online students will be required to attend some synchronous remote meetings in practice courses.
The Master of Social Work (MSW) program is a 60 credit hour program that may be completed in 2 years. New students are accepted in the Fall semester. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required. An undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 and professional experience related to social work are preferred.
Students in the MSW program are required to complete two field placements that total 900 contact hours. This is a commitment of 16 to 20 hours per week of internship hours over a two-year period in addition to traditional classroom courses.
MSW degree students must have daytime availability in their respective time zone (generally M-F 8:00 am – 5:00 pm) to complete field placement.
Advanced Standing MSW Program
Please note: Online students will be required to attend some synchronous remote meetings in practice courses.
Advanced Standing MSW programs allow outstanding graduates of undergraduate social work education programs to complete the MSW in a 37 credit hour accelerated program. Students seeking admission into the Advanced Standing MSW Program at UofM Global must: 1) meet all admissions requirements for the 60 credit hour program; 2) have obtained a BA/BSW degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) within five years of making application to the MSW or be a Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW); 3) have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher; 4) have a GPA of 3.3 or higher in their undergraduate social work courses; 5) submit test scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Writing Exam or submit a writing sample that demonstrates graduate level proficiency in writing. An acceptable writing sample would be a research paper or something similar that was completed in the student's undergraduate work that demonstrates their best academic writing abilities. This is an individual paper, preferably written in APA format.
New admissions for Advanced Standing students occur for summer session only. Deadline for application is March 1st, for scholarship/assistantship consideration and April 15th for regular admissions.
Students in the Advanced Standing Program complete seven credit hours of foundation content and all concentration content. Required coursework is as follows:
All of the following foundation courses:
- SWRK 7005 - Assessment, Diag, Psychopath
- 7030 – Social Welfare Policy (students may choose to test out of this course by credit by examination. Details can be found on the School of Social Work webpage.)
- 7050 - Advanced Standing Field
A field placement of 560 hours is required as part of the concentration. Online students must have daytime availability in their respective time zone to complete that field placement.
Many educational programs offered by the University of Memphis lead to professional licensure within the State of Tennessee and in other states. Students should be aware that licensure and certification requirements vary from state to state and are subject to change. Licensing agencies or boards also may have requirements in addition to an earned degree.
The University of Memphis has not made a determination whether University of Memphis’s Master of Social Work programs will meet all of the licensure and certification requirements in each US state or territory. The University of Memphis recommends that students who are not Tennessee residents or who plan to seek licensure or certification outside the state of Tennessee contact the appropriate licensing agency or board prior to enrollment in an academic program designed to lead to licensure or certification and discuss their plans with an advisor.
Learn more about the Master of Social Work program from UofM Global: