Accelerated Graduate Pathway to Master of Social Work

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For highly motivated undergraduate students who are already looking ahead to graduate school, USM offers an Accelerated Graduate Pathway from the Sociology and the Social and Behavioral Science majors to the MSW program that allows you to begin graduate study while completing your bachelor’s degree, saving you time and money. This means you’ll be ready for a career that much sooner, with your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in hand.

Program Requirements for Sociology to MSW:

In order to gain full admission to the Master of Social Work program via the Sociology major, a student must do all of the following:

Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in all course work and in the major, and earn a B- or better in all MSW courses.
Declare the accelerated pathway prior to the third year of undergraduate study.
Complete SOC 395 - Internship (minimum of 3 credits) no later than the summer after the third year of study.
Successfully complete SWO 501 or 504 (or both) during the third year of undergraduate study.
Complete SWO 501, 504, and 505 in sequence prior to SWO electives. If electives are selected, choices must be made in consultation with the MSW Program Coordinator.
Complete and submit a graduate application by October 15 of the fourth year of undergraduate study. This includes an essay (criteria can be found on the USM School of Social Work website), three letters of recommendation (one from the internship faculty supervisor; one from Sociology or MSW faculty; and one from someone in a position to assess the applicant’s ability to become a social worker or be successful in graduate academic work).
Follow the additional guidelines for MSW applicants as outlined on the Graduate Admissions website.

In addition to the overlap SOC/MSW courses (SWO 501, 504, 505 and two SWO electives that substitute for two SOC electives), students must also take a minimum of 2 SOC electives for a minimum total of six SOC electives.

Please note: this pathway is NOT equivalent to Advanced Standing. In order to utilize Advanced Standing, a student must have earned a BSW from an accredited program within the last seven years, have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and have completed all BSW degree requirements by May of the year they intend to enter the MSW program.

Program Requirements for SBS to MSW:

In order to gain full admission to the Master of Social Work program via the SBS major, a student must do all of the following:

Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in all course work and in the SBS major; earn at least a B- in SBS 370 , and in all SWO courses.
Complete SBS 447 no later than the summer after the third year of study.
Complete SWO 501, 504, and 505 in sequence prior to SWO electives. If electives are selected, choices must be made in consultation with the MSW Program Coordinator.
Submit a completed application to the MSW program no later than October 15 of the fourth year of study. This includes (but is not limited to) three letters of recommendation: one from the internship supervisor; one from LAC Chair or faculty, or a faculty member from the MSW program; and one from a person who is positioned to the student’s capacity to become a social worker or to undertake graduate study.
Follow the additional guidelines for MS in Social Work applicants as outlined on the Graduate Admissions website.

In addition to the SWO course(s) taken during the third year of study, students may make substitutions for undergraduate SBS major requirements with the graduate courses specified below (totaling up to 12 credits of the graduate program):

SWO 501 - Multicultural Social Work replaces either the SBS counseling concentration diversity course requirement, or count as one of the 6 required SBS electives.
SWO 505 - Social Work Research I replaces SBS 329 Research Methods.
Two SWO 500-level electives replace two of the 6 required SBS electives.

How to Participate in the MSW Pathway:

Meet with your professional advisor or a member of either the Social and Behavioral Science or the Sociology faculty to determine if the accelerated pathway might be a good fit for you. Then meet with the Sociology or SBS Chair, who will review your record to determine eligibility, help you declare the pathway, and guide you in your course of study.