Masters of Social Work

The School of Social Work at Southern Miss is the State of Mississippi’s oldest, largest and arguably finest social work program.  Our mission is to develop and transmit social work knowledge and skills consistent with the values of the profession, informed by the culture and history of Mississippi, and guided by best evidenced based research. 

As the states premiere social work program, we are inspired by a vision of social justice and advocacy for the health and well-being of all people in Mississippi, the Gulf South and our world.   

 

Information Regarding the Masters Degree in Social Work

Admission

Admission to the School of Social Work at the University of Southern Mississippi is competitive.  Every semester the school has more applicants than available spaces.  Applicants must ensure that all application materials are complete.  The admissions review committee will ONLY review completed applications.  Applicants can see when their application materials are complete and submitted to the School of Social Work by visiting the Graduate School Admissions page. 

 

Application Deadlines

Applications submitted prior to the application deadline will receive priority consideration.  Applications received after the deadline will be reviewed only if space remains in the MSW program.  For admission to the Fall Semester cohort, the application deadline is March 15th of the preceding semester.  For admission to the Spring Semester cohort, the application deadline is October 15th of the preceding semester.

 

Academic Course Offerings for Non- Social Work Majors

A small number of course offerings within the School of Social Work at the University of Southern Mississippi are open to non-majors.  These courses have no pre-requisites and may be excellent choices for electives by non-majors or those persons interested in exploring some aspects of professional social work.  These courses include:

 

  • SWK 605 Social Policy and Context
  • SWK 692 Grant Writing
  • SWK 621 Introduction to Disaster Studies
  • SWK 695 Human Rights and Social Development in Jamaica (4 credit hours).
  • SWK 692 Special Problems/Topics:  select courses may be available for non-majors.

 

Interdisciplinary Minor in Gerontology

The School of Social Work participates in the interdisciplinary minor in Gerontology and the Graduate Certificate in Gerontology  Specific requirements and courses available for the minor and the certificate can be found under the “Interdisciplinary Minor and Graduate Certificate in Gerontology” headings of the Southern Miss Graduate Bulletin.

 

For more information, contact Dr. Jerome Kolbo, Interim MSW Program Coordinator at jerome.kolbo@usm.edu  or, Sherry Gilkey, Graduate Records and Advisement Specialist at sherry.gilkey@usm.edu

 

More information on the Bachelor of Social Work, including required coursework, may be found on the School of Social Work's primay website: Social Work (this link will take you away from the Southern Miss Gulf Coast website).

 

For more information on the School of Social Work on the Gulf Park campus, contact Tom Osowski at tom.osowski@usm.edu.