Master of Social Work
Advanced Standing Program
What is Advanced Standing?
Qualified applicants to the Master of Social Work may be exempted from up to 30 credit hours of foundation courses. Advanced Standing students usually complete the degree in three semesters of study.
How Do I Qualify?
To qualify for Advanced Standing, you must, first, have either:
- Completed a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree in an accredited program; preferably within the last 5 years
Or
- Completed Master of Social Work(MSW) foundation course work in another accredited program within the last three years.
In addition, applicants holding the BSW degree must:
- Demonstrate a minimum 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) for the last 60 hours of baccalaureate education;
- Demonstrate a minimum 3.5 GPA in the BSW program overall;
- Demonstrate a grade of “B” in required social work courses;
- Take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE);
- Pass an advanced study qualifying exam based on generalist foundation social work curriculum content.
Applications based on MSW course work completed in another program must be evaluated individually. While as much as 30 credit hours of course work may be exempted, a lesser amount is likely. In addition, students admitted under this Advanced Standing option must pass the advanced study qualifying exam before proceeding beyond 30 credit hours of graduate work.
For more information, contact Sherry Gilkey, Admissions Coordinator at sherry.gilkey@usm.edu, or 601-266-4168.