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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog (Catalog goes into effect at the start of the Fall 2024 semester)
Social Work, MSW
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Colleges > Graduate College of Social Work > Social Work, MSW
Social work practice is concerned with promoting the well-being of all persons, ameliorating the harmful effects of unhealthy social environments, and striving to achieve social and economic justice. The social worker needs maturity, knowledge, and skill to provide direct services or to develop programs that encourage maximum development of human potential. Thus, the purposes of graduate social work education are to encourage a broad based perspective and value system, to provide knowledge for understanding and positively influencing human behavior and social systems, and to develop advanced skills for professional practice.
Our goal is to prepare students for responsible, professional practice. The program:
- Provides a sound base of knowledge and skills for professional practice.
- Socializes students to the social work profession, including its Code of Ethics and values.
- Conveys an understanding of the impact of racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, ethnocentrism, and classism on individuals, groups, social policies, and institutions.
- Contributes to the social work profession through knowledge building and research activities aimed toward improving social work practice, policies, and programs.
We offer two program options:
- Full Program (51 SCH)
- Advanced Standing (34 SCH for students with a BSW)
There are three enrollment model options for the MSW program:
- Face to Face
- Hybrid
- Online
For more information, please see: http://www.uh.edu/socialwork.
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Admission Requirements and Necessary Documentation
To be considered for unconditional admission to the MSW Program, applicants must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. The undergraduate education must reflect a sound liberal arts foundation, including courses in the humanities, arts, and in the social and biological sciences. Scanned copies of official transcripts can be used to make an admissions decision. If admitted, an official transcript showing degree awarded must be sent to the UH Graduate School in order to enroll in classes.
- Have achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or better (4.0 scale) for all undergraduate and graduate course work. We will calculate your GPA based on your transcripts. If your cumulative and last 60 hours GPA are below a 3.0 you may be considered for conditional admission.
- Submit two or three recommendations from persons who can address your ability and potential for graduate education and professional social work practice (i.e., former professors, employment supervisors, professional colleagues). If you are applying for Advanced Standing, the suggestion is that at least one of your two references be from an individual in your BSW program who can speak to your BSW performance, which could include the program director, a faculty member, or your Practicum Instructor or Coordinator.
- Submit a personal narrative statement that describes your interest in social work and your commitment to social and economic justice. Specific instructions for the narrative statement are provided on the MSW Application Checklist page.
Persons who hold a nonimmigrant type visa or who have received their degrees from outside the U.S. have additional application requirements. Please refer to the University of Houston’s information for International Applicants.(https://uh.edu/graduate-school/international-students/)
The Application Fee for the MSW Program is $50.00 for domestic applicants and $80.00 for international applicants. Applicants submit the fee with the online application.
TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo Scores are required from international applicants to satisfy English proficiency requirements. Please see the UH Graduate School’s English Language Proficiency page for more information on the requirement.
To see more information on the university’s English language requirement, visit http://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/admissions/international-students/english-proficiency/.
Degree Requirements
Credit hours required for this degree: 51.0
A minimum of 51 semester credit hours is required for the MSW degree. All students are required to complete the 15 credit hour foundation semester plus 36 credit hours in the student’s concentration and electives. Maximum enrollment for spring and fall is 15 semester credit hours and summer is 6 semester credit hours.
Students are admitted into face to face, hybrid, or online enrollment models. Changing from one enrollment plan to another requires prior approval from the advisor. Shown below are models for the 3 enrollment options.
Advanced Standing students receive a waiver for 17 credit hours. They are required to complete 34 credit hours in the student’s chosen concentration and electives. Maximum enrollment for spring and fall is 15 semester credit hours and summer is 9 semester credit hours.
The full-time MSW program (face-to-face enrollment option) can be completed in two calendar years for full program students and one calendar year for Advanced Standing students.
The part-time MSW program (hybrid and online options) can be completed in three calendar years for full program students and two calendar years for Advanced Standing students.
In the GCSW advanced curriculum, we offer two areas of specialized practice:
Clinical (face-to-face, hybrid, and online)
Macro Practice (face-to-face, hybrid, and online)
We also offer multiple areas of focused learning opportunities (FLOs).
Because faculty mentorship is critical to GCSW’s Focused Learning Opportunities, current FLOs reflect areas of expertise of current faculty. FLOs may be subject to change as the GCSW faculty grows and shifts over time. Below is a list of GCSW’s current FLOs. We anticipate adding new FLOs in the future.
- Trauma Education Program
- Global Leaders of Behavioral Health Education
- Political Social Work
- Mental Health Advanced Practice in Social Work Program
- Nonprofit Leadership Alliance
- Action Research
Course Requirements:
The 51-credit MSW curriculum is built upon the following foundational areas:
Foundation and Generalist Curriculum:
The intensive foundation or generalist practice curriculum is organized around content on the foundation of professional social work, and focuses on social economic, and political justice, emphasizing critical thinking skills. A foundation practicum (200 clock hours) are also required. The foundation totals 15 credit hours. Students must satisfactorily complete 15 credit hours before enrolling in any advanced courses. Full-time, face to face students complete foundation in one semester while part-time students, in hybrid and online enrollment models, take two semesters.
Concentration:
Students admitted to the full program (non-Advanced Standing) select either Clinical Social Work Practice or Macro Practice following the foundation. Twelve credit hours are required for both concentrations. All students complete advanced courses in Social Welfare Policy Analysis and Confronting Oppression and Injustice. Finally, all students in the full program complete 700 clock hours of advanced practicum.
Students admitted to Advanced Standing, are required to participate in the first two days of the foundation (SOCW 6201) and then go straight into the advanced curriculum. Advanced Standing students select Clinical Social Work Practice or Macro Social Work Practice. As in the full program, twelve semester credit hours are required for both concentrations. Advanced Standing students are required to complete Social Welfare Policy Analysis and Confronting Oppression and Injustice, as well as 9 semester credit hours of free choice electives. Lastly, Advanced Standing students complete 500 clock hours of practicum.
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