College of Health & Human Services

Masters Of Social Work Update 12/5/2005 In October 2005 the Commission on Accreditation of the Council On Social Work Education (CSWE) approved the program for admission into candidacy. MSW degrees granted by KSU during our candidacy period would be considered as a degree from an institution fully accredited by CSWE. Opening. The MSW program will begin in August 2006 with our first student cohort of 25 students. Beginning in June 2007, the size of the cohort will increase to 35 with the addition of 10 advanced standing students. We will begin taking applications in November 2005 and the deadline for applying for the first cohort is February 15, 2006. The Curriculum Courses. The curriculum will provide both foundation and advanced clinical training. Foundation level courses will include human behavior, interviewing and assessment, group dynamics, practice focused research and social welfare policy. The advanced clinical curriculum will include psychopathology, intervention models, treatment monitoring, and professional ethics. Advanced Standing. The KSU MSW program will admit 10 students into the advanced standing program. Students who have earned a BSW degree from a CSWE accredited undergraduate social work program are eligible for this program. These students will complete the MSW in one calendar year (June-May) with 3 semesters of study (39 semester hours). Applicants with a BSW who are not selected to the advanced standing program will be considered for admission to the full (60 semester hours) program. Graduates from KSU Human Services and students with degrees other than the BSW are not eligible for advanced standing and must complete the 60-hour program. Clinical Internship. Both the foundation and advanced curriculum is supported by a concurrent (2-3 days per week) clinical internship. The student will be placed in a human service agency under the direct supervision/mentorship of a professional social worker. The student will be placed in this agency for 2 semesters (1 year). Students enrolled in the full (60-hour) program will be placed in 2 different agencies (one each year). Clinical Specialization. Our MSW program is designed to offer intensive clinical training. Students will be allowed to elect advanced training in one of two areas of specialization: Family and Children Services or Addictions/Substance Abuse Services . Each specialization will include advanced coursework and placement in an internship that provides clinical training in the specialty. Part-time Study. The program will not offer part-time study at least for the first 2 years. Our initial cohorts will be required to maintain 15 hours of study per semester that includes the clinical internship. Faculty. The Human Services Department has been adding to our full-time faculty to prepare for this program. When the first student cohort begins their study, we will have at least 3 faculty members dedicated solely to the MSW program. Within 2 years of opening, we will have 6, full-time faculty dedicated to the MSW program. CSWE accreditation standards require that faculty members teaching practice course have extensive full-time practice experience as a professional clinical social worker. Financial Assistance. We will be awarding both stipends and assistantships based on merit. At this time, the number and amount of awards will be based on available funding and availability of stipend programs. Awards will be in 3 categories: KSU Teaching/Research Assistantships. Students will be assigned to a faculty member to assist in a variety of areas. There will be no service commitment following graduation. Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipends . These stipends are funded by the federal government to ensure a supply a highly qualified professionals work in the child welfare arena. They pay well but require a 1 for 1 commitment to work in a public child welfare agency. Students receiving these stipends must be in the child welfare/advocacy specialization track. Other Agency Stipends. Local agencies that provide internship training to MSW students often provide stipends to MSW trainees. The amount and number of these stipends will not be known until we get closer to opening.