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Academics

MSW Advanced Standing Coursework & Field Work

Coursework

All Advanced Standing students must complete a total of 48 credits, all with at least a 2.7 GPA. These credits will come from a mix of required courses, electives, and practicum/fieldwork. For more information, see MSW Course Descriptions.

Please note: This is a sample schedule and is subject to change.

Full-Time Advanced Standing

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Spring


Administration and Policy
Practice

507 (5cr) | Social Welfare Research and Evaluation

522 (5cr) | Advanced Standing Integrative Seminar

523 (3cr) | Preparation for Specialized Professional Practice

551 (3cr) | HR Management in Human Resources (3) Need to take this class OR 561(Winter) OR elective

560 (3cr) | Policy Processes, Institutions, and Influence

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

561 (3cr) | Concepts and Methods of Policy Analysis (3) OR elective - Need to take 561 if didn’t take 551(Fall)

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

550 (3cr) | Anti-Racist Program Management

5xx Elective (3cr)

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (5cr) | Specialized Practicum

Note: By spring you should have 6 elective credits.


Community-Centered
Integrative
Practice

507 (5cr) | Advanced Standing Research and Evaluation

522 (5cr) | Advanced Standing Integrative Seminar

523 (3cr) | Prep for Prof Practice/Practicum for Advanced Standing Students

569 (3cr) | Comm Centered Integrative Practice

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

534 (3cr) | Praxis of Intergroup Dialogue

527 (3cr) | Globalization & Transnational Practice

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

5xx Elective (3cr)

5xx Elective (3cr)

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

(5cr) | Specialized Practicum

Note: By spring you should have 6 elective credits.


Clinical Social Work

507 (5cr) | Advanced Standing Research and Evaluation

522 (5cr) | Advanced Standing Integrative Seminar

523 (3cr) | Prep for Prof Practice/Practicum for Advanced Standing Students

514 or 515 (3cr) | Clinical Social Work Practice

519, 521, or 526 (3cr) | Policy & Services

598 (1cr) | Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

571 (3cr) | Assessment of Mental Disorders

598 (1 cr) | Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

598 (1 cr) | Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar

5xx Elective (3cr)

5xx Elective (3cr)

525 (5cr) | Specialized Practicum


Please note:

  • Enrollment in at least 10 credits to be eligible for full-time financial aid; 5-9 credits for part-time aid.
  • APP students must take 507, 522, 523, 550, 560, either 551 OR 561, 598(3), and 525 practicum (17 cr), which is a total of 48 credits.
  • CCIP students must take 507, 522, 523, 527, 534, 569, 598(3), and
    525 practicum (17 cr), which is 48 total credits.
  • Clinical students must take 514 or 515, 519 or 521 or 526, 571, 598(3), and 525 practicum (17 cr) for a total of 48 credits.
  • Notes about specific courses:
    • Soc W 525 practicum plans are determined with sites and assigned field faculty.
    • Students should plan to complete practicum hours during weekday, daytime hours.
    • Electives are shown in recommended quarters for the optimal spread of credits, though they can be taken in any quarter. 6 elective credits are required (generally 2 courses).
  • Students not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress may be warned or paused in the program.
  • Students can track their progress at any time by running a degree audit.
  • To revise your program of study and for other questions, please email mswadvising@uw.edu.

 


 

*Electives vary year to year and address a wide range of social work topics. Electives are aimed at developing knowledge and skills to work with diverse populations and within different settings, allowing students to supplement their core social work curriculum with courses focused on their interests.

Example Electives: DBT, Embodied Healing, Community Inclusion & Equity in Public Health, Clinical Practice with Non-Cis Clients, Financial Management in Human Services, Play-Based Approaches with Young Children, Clinical Supervision & Leadership, Grant Writing and Fund Development, Mindfulness-Based Approaches, Body-Based Trauma Interventions, Critical Empowerment Practice with Multi-ethnic Communities, Attachment Theory & Practice, Psychology of Aging, Confronting Mental Health Challenges & Substance Use, Anti-racist Organizing for Social and Economic Change, Outdoor-Based Therapy, Biological Aspects of Aging

Students may count 3 credits of coursework from other UW departments towards their MSW elective requirement as long as the course is graduate level (500 or above) and related to social work.


Fieldwork

Field education is an integral component of your social work education. It provides a ‘practicum’ experience, which prepares you for independent social work practice and professional leadership. Experiential learning – learning by doing – is how social work students learn the skills they need to succeed as social workers. For details, see Field Education.

The School of Social Work offers more than 600 practicum sites. We place students in a variety of settings, including behavioral health agencies, hospitals, schools, community nonprofits, courts, legislatures, and research institutes. The placement is tailored to a student’s chosen specialization and offers complex skill development.

Example Practicum Sites:

Clinical (Individuals & Families)

Community-Centered Integrative Practice (Communities)

Administration & Policy Practice (Systems)

  • Sound Mental Health 
  • Asian Counseling and Referral Service
  • Harborview Medical Center
  • Facing Homelessness
  • Transgender Health & Wellness Center of WA
  • Tiny Homes Villages Program
  • Bellevue Fire Dept.
  • Seattle Indian Health Board

  • NW Immigrants Rights Project
  • Seattle Public Schools
  • United Way of King County 
  • King County Superior Court 
  • Green River College
  • LifeWire: Together Against Domestic Violence 
  • WA Low Income Housing Alliance

  • Social Justice Fund Northwest 
  • Advocates for Youth
  • Center for Women’s Welfare
  • Statewide Poverty Action Network 
  • King County Public Health 
  • WA State House of Representatives
  • Indigenous Wellness and Research Institute