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Academics

MSW Full-Time Two-Year Coursework & Fieldwork

Coursework

Here is a sample schedule for each quarter in the MSW Full-Time Two-Year (formerly Day) Program broken down by Specialization Area. Students must complete a total of 75 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.

Autumn

Winter

Spring

All Students Year 1

500 (3cr) | Foundations of Social Work Practice

501 (3cr) | Poverty & Inequality

504 (1cr) | Social Work for Social Justice

510 (3cr) | Micro/Mezzo Practice I: Individuals

524 (2cr) | Generalist Practicum & Seminar

504 (1cr) | Social Work for Social Justice

511 (3cr) | Micro/Mezzo Practice II: Families & Communities

512 (3cr) | Macro Practice I: Communities & Policies

524 (4cr) | Generalist Practicum & Seminar

504 (1cr) | Social Work for Social Justice

505 (3cr) |Foundations of Social Welfare
Research

513 (3cr) | Macro Practice II: Organizations

***571 (3cr) OR Soc W 5XX (3cr) | Elective

524 (4cr) | Generalist Practicum & Seminar

Year 2:

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Administration & Policy Practice

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

560 (3cr) | Policy Processes, Institutions, Influences

5xx Elective (3cr)

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

506 or 574 (3cr) | Specialized Research

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

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

550 (3cr) | Anti-Racist Program Management

5xx Elective (3cr)

5xx Elective (3 cr)

525 (5cr) | Specialized Practicum

Note: By spring you should have 9 elective credits.


Community-Centered Integrative Practice

569 (3cr) | Community-Centered Integrative Practice

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

5xx Elective (3cr)

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

527 (3cr) | Globalization & Transnational Practice

534 (3cr) | Praxis of Intergroup Dialogue

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr)| Specialized Practicum

506 or 574 (3cr) | Specialized Research

5xx Elective (3 cr)

598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar

525 (5cr) | Specialized Practicum


Clinical Social Work

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

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

598 (1cr): | Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr): | Specialized Practicum

571 (if not done yet) or Soc W 5xx Elective (3cr)

598 (1cr) | Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar

525 (6cr) | Specialized Practicum

5xx Elective (3cr)

5xx Elective (3cr)

598 (1cr)| Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar

525 (5cr)| Specialized Practicum

Please note:

  • Enrollment in at least 10 credits to be eligible for full-time financial aid; enrollment in 5-9 credits for part-time aid.
  • Year 1: All students must take 500, 501, 504 (3), 505, 506 or 574, 510, 511, 512 and 513 and 524 practicum (10 cr).
  • Year 2: APP students must take 550, 560, either 551 OR 561, either 506 or 574, 598(3), and 525 practicum (17 cr) for a total of 75 credits. CCIP students must take 569, 534, 527, either 506 or 574, 598(3), and 525 practicum (17 cr) for a total of 75 credits. Clinical students must take 514 or 515, 519 or 521 or 526, 571, either 506 or 574, 598(3), and 525 practicum (17 cr) for a total of 75 credits.
  • Notes about specific courses:
    • * Students need to select either 551 or 561 (or do both, but second course would count as an elective.)
    • # The specialized research requirement options (Soc W 506 or 574), are offered primarily in winter quarters with some options in spring. Strong recommendation for APP students to take 574 for this requirement.
  • Soc W 524 and 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. 9 elective credits are required (generally 3 courses). Recommended electives are Soc W 527, 538, 552, 570, 580, 586.
  • Students must complete the entirety of the Generalist (first year) curriculum, including 524, to move into the Specialized (second year) curriculum. 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