MSW - Frequently Asked Questions
What does an MSW qualify me to do?
An MSW will qualify you to engage in advanced
- Work with individuals, families, and groups
- Work with communities
- Work with organizations
- Policy analysis and development
in a variety of settings such as hospitals, mental health agencies, private practice, schools, child welfare agencies, military installments, community centers, shelters, and prisons, to name a few.
Why should I earn my MSW at SIUE?
- Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Evening courses
- Some courses offered in blended/hybrid formats
- Part-time options available
- Opportunities to learn practice skills through simulated instruction in technology enhanced rooms
- Variety of practicum opportunities
- Strong university and department commitment to teaching excellence
- Strong community ties with social service providers in the Metro East region
- Faculty committed to teaching, scholarship, and local community development
- Affordable tuition
What is the MSW Generalist Curriculum?
The MSW Generalist Curriculum prepares students for entry-level practicum placements by focusing on the knowledge, skills, values, cognitive and affective processes and behaviors that are associated with diverse micro, mezzo, and macro level social work practice. The MSW Generalist Curriculum is required for students who:
• Have a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than social work. -OR-
• Received a Bachelor of Social Work degree longer than seven years ago. -OR-
• Received a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a program that is not accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
The MSW Generalist Curriculum is taken by students who meet one of the requirements above. The MSW Generalist Curriculum is taken during the first year of the two-year full-time MSW Program. For students who meet one of the requirements listed above and choose to go part-time, the Generalist Curriculum is completed during the first two years of the four-year part-time MSW Program.
What is the MSW Advanced Generalist Specialized Curriculum?
The specialized practice curriculum builds on the generalist practice curriculum. The knowledge, skills, values, cognitive and affective processes and behaviors that are learned throughout the generalist curriculum are extended to prepare students for a practice specialization. At SIUE, the specialized curriculum is an Advanced Generalist Specialization which requires students to complete courses that focus on both micro and macro level social work practice, while integrating a variety of elective courses that focus on various fields of social work practice, social problems, and populations.
The Advanced Generalist Specialization Curriculum is required for all students in the MSW program at SIUE. However, students who have obtained a Bachelor of Social Work degree within the last seven years from a program that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and who have a grade of B or better in a statistics and a research methods course and all required social work courses, are classified as ‘Advanced Standing’ students. An advanced standing student only has to complete the Advanced Generalist Specialized Curriculum. These students are granted the option of completing the MSW Program at SIUE in three consecutive semesters (fall, spring, summer) as a full-time student or as a part-time student in two academic years (6 consecutive semesters).
Students who do not meet the requirements stated above will begin the Advanced Generalist Specialized Curriculum after they complete the MSW Generalist Curriculum described in the section above, titled What is the MSW Generalist Curriculum?
What GPA do I need?
- Individuals with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are preferred.
- Individuals with a GPA below 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
What is the MSW Specialized Concentration offered at SIUE?
The MSW Program at SIUE offers one specialized concentration, Advanced Generalist. This specialization prepares students to implement interventions at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels . Students obtain the knowledge, skills, values, cognitive and affective processes, and behaviors necessary for working with individual clients, families, and communities.
The curriculum at SIUE requires students to take courses that focus on micro, mezzo, and macro social work practice, as well as policy analysis and program evaluation. The required course sequence is complemented by the integration of elective courses that focus on a variety of social work fields of practice. The elective course offerings allow students to build a curriculum that caters to their academic and professional interests while preparing them for a variety of masters level social work positions.
How long is the MSW program?
The Generalist and Specialized curriculums equate to a 60-credit hour program. The two curriculums may be completed in two calendar years of full-time study. Thus, a full-time student may complete the program over 6 consecutive semesters over the fall, spring, and summer terms. [3 semesters in year 1; 3 semesters in year 2]
A part-time student may complete the Generalist and Specialized curriculums over four calendar years or twelve consecutive semesters over the fall, spring, and summer terms. [3 semesters in year 1; 3 semesters in year 2; 3 semesters in year 3; 3 semesters in year 4]
The Specialized curriculum is a 30-credit hour program. The Specialized curriculum may be completed in one calendar year of full-time study. Thus, a full-time student may complete the program over 3 consecutive semesters over the fall, spring, and summer terms.
A part-time student may complete the Specialized curriculum over two calendar years or six consecutive semesters over the fall, spring, and summer terms. [3 semesters in year 1; 3 semesters in year 2]
Further information about the course sequence can be found at Curriculum.
What admission materials do I need to submit?
- Application for admission to the SIUE Graduate School
- Application for admission to SIUE Masters of Social Work Program
- 2 letters of recommendation – One letter from a previous faculty member or professor, one letter from a social service supervisor. For BSW graduates, the supervisor letter should be written by your BSW practicum placement supervisor.
- A personal statement
The guidelines for the letters of recommendation and the personal statement, can all be found in the following sections of the FAQ below: Who should write my letters of recommendation? And What should be in my personal statement? Guidelines for the MSW application may also be found here.
The application can be found here.
All official college transcripts must be sent to SIUE (Office of Graduate Admissions, SIUE, Box 1047, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1047). If you attended SIUE you do not have to request transcripts be sent. Note that all admission materials must be sent to the Graduate School, Office of Graduate Admissions [not the Social Work Department].
What is the admission deadline?
January 15th is the priority deadline. Applications may be accepted up until March 1st if cohort space allows; however, applicants who submit all materials by January 15th will receive earlier decisions.
Do I need to take the GRE?
Who should write my letters of recommendation?
You need two letters of recommendation. One letter should be from a current or past instructor/faculty member. One should be from someone who supervised you, preferably in a social service setting; those with a BSW must submit a recommendation letter from their practicum supervisor. Please contact the MSW Program Director with any questions regarding your letters of recommendation.
What should be in my personal statement?
The personal statement should discuss what has led you to pursue a Master's degree in social work at this time, your understanding of a social justice issue, and how you plan to adjust your life to accommodate graduate work. This should be 4-5 pages typewritten, double-spaced and in 12-point font.
When do graduate courses meet?
During fall and spring semesters, each required MSW course meets once per week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings, from 6:00 pm-8:50 pm.
• Full-time students attend class 3-4 times per week.
• Part-time students attend class 1-2 times per week.
Summer courses are offered on a different schedule than fall and spring semester courses. Please see the section below titled Do you offer summer classes?
Students should note that some elective courses are offered during daytime hours multiple days per week. Students are encouraged to review the schedule of classes posted on Cougarnet to determine which course will meet their scheduling needs.
Some required and elective courses are offered in a blended/hybrid format, which allows for some content to be delivered face-to-face and some content to be delivered online. It is up to the course instructor’s discretion whether or not to use a blended/hybrid format and how that course format is implemented (synchronous vs. asynchronous).
Do you offer summer classes?
Yes, select classes are offered during the summer in 5-week sessions. Some courses required of the MSW Generalist Curriculum as well as the Advanced Generalist Specialized Curriculum are ONLY offered during the summer term; thus, students are required to take summer courses to fulfill these requirements.
During the summer session, most courses meet three nights per week from 6:00 – 9:15 pm over the course of 5 weeks. For more information, please see the course listings.
When can I start the program?
Students typically start the program in fall; however, students who are admitted into the program may take summer classes prior to the fall semester start. For more information on which summer classes are being offered for incoming students, please see course listings or contact the MSW Program Director.
When can I expect to hear from you whether I have been accepted or not?
What is practicum?
A practicum is a social work internship that allows students the opportunity to practice the theory and skills they acquired during their classroom study. In their practica, students work in and with a social service agency or program, under the supervision of an MSW-level social worker, who is approved by SIUE to supervise our students.
How does the practicum work?
Students are required to complete practica in order to graduate from the MSW Program.
Students who are required to complete the MSW Generalist Curriculum complete a two-semester practicum during the generalist year. Each semester (spring and summer) students complete a minimum of 225 hours of social work practice at an agency under the supervision of an MSW supervisor/instructor.
All students complete a two-semester practicum during the Advanced Generalist Specialized Curriculum. Each semester (spring and summer) students complete a minimum of 250 hours of advanced social work practice at an agency under the supervision of an MSW supervisor/instructor.
Alternatively, the MSW Generalist practicum may be completed in its entirety during a summer semester as a 450 hour “block” practicum; likewise, the Advanced Generalist Specialized Curriculum practicum may be completed full-time during a summer semester as a 500 hour “block” practicum.
If admitted, you will be provided with a list of approved practicum sites and provided guidance during the process of finding an appropriate practicum placement. Many agencies require criminal and other background checks and/or drug screens as part of their application procedures for a practicum.
Please be aware that evening and weekend hour practica are extremely limited. Most agencies expect field students to be in attendance during normal daytime working hours. Practica can be completed at the student’s place of employment, but specific criteria must be met.
More information about practica may be found in the MSW Practicum Manual.
Can I work full-time in addition to pursuing my MSW full-time?
This is strongly discouraged. Graduate work is demanding and rigorous. In addition, you will be required to complete a substantial number of practicum hours, and practicum placements with evening and weekend hours being extremely limited (see above).
Do you offer scholarships and fellowships?
The Graduate School offers a number of graduate assistantships each year. Students who earn these awards are expected to engage in 10-20 hours of work with a faculty member or department and are also offered a small stipend and tuition waivers. For more information, please contact the Graduate School. There are also a few small scholarships offered from the social work department, and a number of scholarships are offered through the Graduate School.
What is the Capstone Project?
The Capstone Project is the final graduation requirement for the MSW Program. The project is an integration of social work knowledge and skills across curriculum content areas and practica in regards to a social work practice issue or problem.