MSW Part-Time Program Coursework & Fieldwork
Coursework
Here is a sample schedule for each quarter in the MSW Part-Time (formerly Extended Degree) Program. 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.
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Autumn
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Winter
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Spring
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Summer
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Year 1 |
500 (3cr) | Foundations of Social Work Practice 504 (3cr) | Social Work for Social Justice |
501 (3cr) | Poverty & Inequality 513 (3cr) | Macro Practice II: Communities & Policies |
510 (3cr) | Micro/Mezzo Practice I: Individuals 512 (3cr) | Macro Practice I: Organizations |
511 (3cr) | Micro/Mezzo Practice II: Families & Groups 524 (3cr) | Generalist Practicum |
Year 2 |
505 (3cr) | Foundations of Social Welfare Research 524 (4cr) | Generalist Practicum |
519 or 520 (3cr) | Policy & Services 524 (3cr) | Generalist Practicum |
506 or 574 (3cr) | Specialized 5xx Elective (3cr) OR 524 (4cr) | Generalist Practicum, if needed |
514 or 515 (3cr) | Clinical Social Work 525 (4cr) | Specialized Practicum |
Year 3 |
571 (3cr) | Assessment of Mental Disorders (asynchronous) 598 (1cr) | Integrative Seminar 525 (4cr) | Specialized Practicum |
598 (1cr) | Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar 5xx Elective (3cr) 525 (4cr) | Specialized Practicum |
598 (1cr) | Clinical Social Work Integrative Seminar 5xx Elective (3cr) 525 (5cr) | Specialized Practicum |
Students should end program with 9 credits of electives, typically 3 classes. |
Please note:
- Part-time students must be enrolled in at least 5 credits to be eligible for financial aid.
- Generalist students must take 500, 501, 504 (3), 505, 506 or 574, 510, 511, 512 and 513 and 524 practicum (10 cr).
- Specialized Clinical students must take 514 or 515, 519 or 520 or 521, 571, either 506 or 574, 598(3), and 525
practicum (17 cr) for a total of 75 credits. - Notes about specific courses:
- # The specialized research requirement (Soc W 506 or 574), are offered primarily in spring quarters with some
options in winter.
- # The specialized research requirement (Soc W 506 or 574), are offered primarily in spring quarters with some
- 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). - 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.
General Fieldwork Information
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:
- 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
Online MSW Fieldwork Opportunities
In practicum, you will receive academic credit for 1,080 hours of training completed in the community, under an experienced social worker, and in an area that aligns with your career goals. This is the “signature” of social work education, and can be transformative. It is also logistically challenging, and finding the right placement is a worry for many students. For this reason, you will be assigned a practicum advisor that will work with you individually through your time in the program, to guide you through this process. Our faculty collectively reflect many of the identities held by our students, including neurodivergence and being a first generation college student, so we understand the journey. You got this, and we got you.
You will complete two practica as part of your curriculum, one in generalist social work practice and one in an area of specialization. The generalist is 8-12 hours per week over 9 or 12 months. The specialized is 16-24 hours per week over 9 or 12 months. (The faster you get this done, the more hours per week you will need to complete.) While we have some limited evening and weekend hours available, you should anticipate taking time away from work unless you can complete your hours in your place of employment.
Employment-based practicum is available in some situations, but cannot be guaranteed. You must (1) have the ability to address the required domains of social work learning in the site, (2) have an MSW supervisor who is two years post graduation, and (3) be in a site willing to enter into an Affiliation Agreement with the University of Washington. If this is of interest to you, tell your assigned Field Faculty advisor right away, and they will assist you in completing an application for “Agency of Employment.”
Some placements do offer stipends or options to become employed, and we are working each year to bring more of these sites on board to support financial wellbeing for our student community. The factors are dynamic and complex, so we will work with you around your needs as we get to know you.
It may be possible to engage in a virtual placement, but we require students to have substantive in-person experience to be considered for this option and we cannot guarantee a virtual placement.
As a student in our online program, we will work with you to identify 3-5 current or prospective practicum sites in your area, and provide you with individualized support as you explore and apply to these opportunities. We have relationships with sites across Washington State, but if you don’t see what you need we can work with you to research new opportunities–we just need to follow our vetting procedures to make sure they meet social work accreditation requirements.
Example Practicum Sites:
- Casey Family Programs
- Catholic Charities of Central WA
- Chinese Information Service Center
- Coalition to End Gender Based Violence
- Compass Health
- Consejo
- Crisis Connections
- ESD 105
- Everett School District
- Ferndale School District
- Institute for Family Development
- Kitsap Mental Health Services
- Manos Unidas International
- Okanogan Behavioral Health
- Peace Health
- Seattle Indian Health Board
- Skamania County Community Health
- Snohomish County Public Defenders Association
- Tulalip Tribe
- Transgender Health & Wellness Center of WA
- United Healthcare
- Whatcom County Health and Community Services
- Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic
- Yakima Nation Behavioral Health
- YMCA
- Zane Counseling