Master of Social Work

Program Overview

Master of Social Work (MSW) practitioners are employed in a variety of settings. These may include private practices, family and mental health counseling centers, schools, military and veteran centers, substance abuse and rehabilitation treatment programs, employee assistance programs, or child welfare agencies. Social workers are also integral members of healthcare organizations such as hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes.  Our MSW faculty use creative teaching modalities, including experiential, hands-on activities and collaborative discussions, which encourage active learning. The MSW program at Southeastern University has a clinical specialization, so you will gain the counseling and psychotherapy skills to intervene with diverse clients, including individuals, families, and groups. To better equip you for future leadership positions, the program also includes content in social work administration. Courses are offered two evenings per week in 8-week sessions, enabling you to focus on two courses at a time. You will also complete a supervised internship, to strengthen your integration of content as you apply the skills you are learning in practice. Our Field Education Coordinator coordinates each internship experience to align with your professional goals.

Career Options

Master of Social Work (MSW) practitioners are employed in a variety of settings. These may include private practices, family and mental health counseling centers, schools, military and veteran centers, substance abuse and rehabilitation treatment programs, employee assistance programs, or child welfare agencies. Social workers are also integral members of healthcare organizations such as hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes.  

 

Career roles include but are not limited to:

• Mental Health Providers & Counselors and Therapists (in various agencies and settings as listed above)
• Case Managers
• Program Directors
• Educators
• Healthcare and Treatment Team members

 

The Master in Social Work degree is a prerequisite requirement for those who wish to become Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs).  In order to obtain such licensure, candidates must apply and meet full requirements of the Board of Licensed Clinical Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy of the state of Florida.

 

Program Summaries

Traditional MSW 

*For those with an undergraduate degree in any field.

Total Credits – 65 credit hours

• Core and Elective Courses - 49 credit hours
• Field Experience - 16 credit hours (with 900 hours of supervised internship experience)

Program Length – 21-months (5 semesters)
    
Program Delivery – Each semester includes 4 courses offered in two consecutive 8-week sessions

• in face-to-face format
• on 2 evenings per week
• one course session each evening

 

Entrance Requirements

Traditional MSW

To be considered for admission into the Traditional MSW program at Southeastern University, applicants must have the following minimum qualifications:

• A baccalaureate degree in any field from a regionally accredited liberal arts institution.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate coursework.
• Completion of the following required prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better:

1. Introduction to Psychology
2. English Composition

• Three recommendation forms/letters

1. One academic reference (may be replaced by a professional work reference if undergraduate degree was completed more than five years ago
2. One professional/volunteer/work-related reference
3. One Christian character/personal reference (must be a non-family member)

• A 3-4 page (typewritten, 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced) personal statement addressing EACH of the following points:

1. Professional Social Work Goals
   • Discuss your specific professional goals. How will attending the MSW program at Southeastern University help you accomplish those professional goals?
   • Discuss how you plan to meet all MSW program expectations including your ability to balance the required academic coursework and field placement hours with your other personal and professional commitments.
2. Strengths and Limitations
   • Discuss your personal and professional strengths and limitations (areas in which you need to grow or change).
3. Diversity and Values
   • Discuss a time you interacted with someone who was very different from you and/or who shared viewpoints that were very different from your own. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?
   • Describe your understanding of the core values of the social work profession. How have you incorporated those values into your interactions with others (personally and/or professionally)?
4. Social Work Experience
   • Discuss any experiences (paid or voluntary) you have had working with people in a helping capacity. Discuss the length of time, practice setting, population served, and professional insight gained from the experience.

• A notarized Florida Department of Children and Families “Affidavit of Good Moral Character” form.
• While past convictions do not necessarily preclude admission to the MSW Program, they may affect availability of internship placements and future employability. Individuals with felony convictions might not be eligible for licensure as a clinical social worker (LCSW) in the State of Florida.
• Official transcripts from all academic institutions attended.

 

Other Policies

Transfer Credits

Incoming transfer students discuss transfer credits with both the Registrar and the MSW Program Director. The Social Work Program’s policy concerning transfer credits also includes the policy on credit for life experience. This policy is intended to:

1. Avoid academic redundancy by recognizing prior achievement.
2. Promote the integrity of the MSW Program by assuring transfer students meet or exceed the Southeastern Program standards.

The MSW program provides students an opportunity to transfer certain course work credit completed at another CSWE- accredited institution. The Program does NOT accept the transfer of MSW courses from social work programs not accredited by the CSWE. Credit for life experience is NOT given in part or in whole in lieu of the Field Experience/ Seminar or any other core social work courses. Field Experience and/or Field Seminar courses cannot be transferred from either accredited or non-accredited programs.

Provisional Status

Applicants who score within a lower “provisional” range on the rubric for various reasons, which may include an undergraduate GPA below 3.0, may be accepted on a provisional basis if program faculty finds that students provide or display evidence suggesting that they will be successful in graduate work by virtue of their performance in the entire evaluation process.

Additional Degree Requirements

In addition to successful completion of the coursework requirements, students are required to successfully complete the required hours of field experience while concurrently enrolled in the appropriate course/seminar (Advanced standing – 500 hours; Traditional – 400 hours).

 

The minimum GPA requirement is 3.0. Grades of less than C- will not be counted toward degree completion.

 

“Southeastern University’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The MSW program meets educational requirements to obtain an applicable level of professional licensure or certification in most states. Levels/types of licensure or certification vary. Additional general requirements may apply including practice experience, state-specific coursework and exams, applications, fees, background checks, etc. 

**Each state board, agency, and or department has the ultimate authority and discretion to determine whether professional licensure or certification will be issued. Students who are interested in practicing in this state should contact the state board before enrolling in a program. For state-specific information on social work click here.”