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Advanced Standing
If you hold a bachelor of social work from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, our Advanced Standing MSW Program allows you to complete your master's degree in only three semesters.
Select either Clinical or Macro as your specialized practice, and further customize your degree with one of four or five fields of practice—Children, Youth, & Families; Global Practice; Health; Mental Health; and Older Adults and Families—and more than 50 electives. You may also complete up to two certificates.
When should I start?
JANUARY
Apply for the January start if:
- You want to complete the program in 16 months.
- You are interested in Clinical or Macro Specialized Practice.
- You will choose one of the following fields of practice: Children, Youth, and Families; Global Practice; Health; and Mental Health.
MAY
Apply for the May start if:
- You want to complete the program in 12 months.
- You are interested in the Clinical Specialized Practice only.
- You will choose one of the following fields of practice: Children, Youth, and Families; Health; and Mental Health.
General Requirements
To be granted Advanced Standing, you must have finished an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within five years of enrollment in our program.
Preference will be given to students with GPAs of at least 3.3 during the final two years of Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) study.
As part of your application, one of your three letters of recommendation should be from your BSW program director or advisor, and one should be from your undergraduate field supervisor or current social work supervisor.
Advanced Standing waivers will be considered for the following BCSSW courses: Human Behavior and Social Environment, Rethinking Diversity: Systems of Oppression and Privilege, Basic Skills in Clinical Social Work Practice, Basic Skills in Macro Practice, The Social Welfare System, Research Methods in Social Work Practice, and Field Education I.
The application deadline for both advanced standing programs is January 15. For a complete list of application requirements and to apply, visit MSW Admission & Aid.
January Start Advanced Standing Curriculum Plan
Starting the program in January allows you to earn your MSW degree in 16 months. You will take courses and have field placements over three semesters. Summer classes are optional to lighten your course load in the fall and spring semesters. This option is available for students interested in Clinical or Macro Specializations.
| FIRST YEAR | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | CR | Spring | CR | Summer (optional***) |
CR |
SCWK 7722 Psychosocial Pathology (Clinical) OR SCWK 8833 Leadership & Social Transformation (Macro) |
3 | Elective | 3 | ||
SCWK 8855 Clinical Practice with Children & Families: Assessment, Intervention & Evidence-Based Practice (Clinical) OR SCWK 8886 Financial Management and Resource Development (Macro) |
3 | Elective | 3 | ||
| SCWK 8856 Clinical Practice with Adults: Assessment, Intervention & Evidence-Based Practice (Clinical) OR SCWK 8889 Social Innovation (Macro) | 3 | ||||
| SCWK 9932 Field Education II-CSW* OR SCWK 9942 Field Education II-Macro* | 3 | ||||
| SECOND YEAR | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | CR | Spring | CR | Summer | CR |
Elective |
3 | SCWK 8841 Program Evaluation |
3 | ||
Advanced Practice Course in Field of Practice |
3 | Advanced Policy Course |
3 | ||
Elective |
3 | Elective |
3 | ||
| Elective (if not taken during summer) | 3 | Elective (if not taken during summer) | 3 | ||
| SCWK 9933 Field Education III-CSW** OR SCWK 9943 Field Education III-Macro** | 4 | SCWK 9934 Field Education IV-CSW** OR SCWK 9944 Field Education IV-Macro** | 4 | ||
*Field placement 2 days per week (16 hours) in first year.
**Field placement 3 days per week (24 hours) in final year.
***Global Practice students should see Global Practice Curriculum Plan.
May Start Advanced Standing Curriculum Plan
Starting the program in May allows you to earn your MSW degree in 12 months. You will take courses and have field placements over three semesters. This option is only available to students interested in the Clinical Specialization.
| FIRST YEAR | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | CR | Fall | CR | Spring | CR |
SCWK 7722 Psychosocial Pathology |
3 | Advanced Practice Course in Field of Practice |
3 | Advanced Policy Course | 3 |
SCWK 8855 Clinical Practice with Children & Families: Assessment, Intervention & Evaluation Research |
3 | Elective |
3 | SCWK 8841 Program Evaluation | 3 |
SCWK 8856 Clinical Practice with Adults: Assessment, Intervention & Evaluation Research |
3 | Elective |
3 | Elective | 3 |
| SCWK 9932 Field Education II-CSW* | 3 | Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| SCWK 9933 Field Education III-CSW** | 4 | SCWK 9934 Field Education IV-CSW** | 4 | ||
*Field placement 3 days per week (24 hours) from June to August.
**Field placement 3 days per week (24 hours) in final year.
Our Faculty
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Curricula Informed by Expertise
Members of our faculty are leading researchers, scholars, clinicians, and practitioners with expertise in a spectrum of disciplines within and outside of social work. They inform classroom teaching with expert knowledge from their research, clinical, and community practice.
Our Students
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Meet Advanced Standing Alumna Carla Monteiro
Carla Monteiro, MSW ’19, winner of the 2019 National Association of Social Workers’ Future of Social Work Award, relects on her experience at BCSSW as a June Start Advanced Standing Student and shares her post-graduation plans.
Carla Monteiro (center) with her fellow June Start cohort. Photo courtesy of Carla Monteiro.
