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Freeing the Power of the Individual

Thank you for your interest in the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program at The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work. Applying to the MSW program has never been easier. Click here

For more information, contact Tim Rehner, acting director, School of Social Work at tim.rehner@usm.edu or, Sherry Gilkey the recods & advisement coordinator, at sherry.gilkey@usm.edu

About Us
The School of Social Work has provided quality graduate social work education for nearly 30 years. We are fully accredited by Council on Social Work Education and have been continuously accredited since 1976. Professional social workers provide social services to more people in Mississippi and across the United States than any other professional group. Social work professionals use a wide variety of empirically based methods to help individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities solve a broad range of problems. Social work students and graduates strive to enhance the quality of life for vulnerable populations by addressing issues of social justice, economics, physical and mental well-being. Social work professionals are employed in many human service areas, including:

  • Home Health

  • Child and Family Welfare

  • Mental Health

  • Substance Abuse

  • Family Violence

  • Vocational Rehabilitation

  • Public Welfare

  • Corrections and Court Systems

  • Public Health

  • School Systems

  • Early Childhood Centers

  • Youth Services

  • Armed Forces

  • Gerontology

  • Hospitals

  • Employee Assistance

  • Political Action

The master's program at Southern Miss prepares students for advanced generalist social work practice. Our graduates are employed as clinicians, administrators, supervisors, community organizers, policy analysts, advocates, and planners. Advanced generalist practitioners employ a theoretically and pragmatically enriched problem-solving approach to addressing multidimensional challenges faced by individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. Rather than specializing in populations, intervention methods, or service settings, the Advanced generalist remains committed to working with any population in any setting, and using a variety of evidence-based approaches to problem solving.

Unit Description
The primary purpose of the School of Social Work is to provide professional social work education to undergraduate and graduate students. The school offers the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree and the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.

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 in the College of Health section in the Southern Miss Graduate Bulletin.

Offerings for Non majors
A number of courses offered within the School of Social Work do not have prerequisites and may be excellent choices for electives by non majors. These courses include:

SWK 606 - Social Justice and Social Policy
SWK 663 - Consultation and Supervision
SWK 692 - Special Problems (Grant Writing or Grief and Bereavement or Addictions or Social Development and Social Welfare in Jamaica.)

Degree Description Overview
The MSW program, established in 1974 and the oldest graduate social work program in the state of Mississippi, features a 30-credit-hour advanced generalist concentration that builds upon a 30-credit hour generalist foundation. An Advanced Standing MSW degree program exempts qualified and admitted applicants from taking foundation courses.

Field Instruction
Quality hands-on field instruction experiences (practical) are vital to graduate social work education. Students in the 60-credit-hour MSW program complete a minimum of 900 hours of field instruction. Students admitted to the advanced standing program complete a minimum of 450 hours of field instruction. Field placements are available to students in more than 130 social service agencies, located primarily in south Mississippi. While in field placement, students receive direct guidance and supervision from experienced field instructors who hold the MSW degree.

Special Program Requirements
Program Options: The school offers three MSW program models:

1. A full-time, two-year, 60-credit-hour model;

2. An Extended (part-time), three-year, 60 credit-hour model. The Extended (part-time) program is designed primarily for employed practitioners. The following additional MSW Extended Program options are available on the Hattiesburg campus only, and allow students to earn an MSW by attending classes 2 Mondays or 2 Fridays per month:

  • Monday Cohort
  • Friday Cohort
  • Friday Advanced Standing Cohort

3. A full-time, one-year, 30-credit-hour minimum advanced standing model. The Gulf Park Campus offers admission to the Extended (part-time ) program every other year. Further information on Advanced Standing can be found by clicking here.  

Semester of Admission: Regular full-time, two-year students can be admitted in both the fall and the spring semesters with all MSW courses being offered both semesters. Admission to the Gulf Coast campus is every other even year. for fall semesters. Advanced standing students may be admitted in the summer, fall or spring semesters. 

Application Deadline: Applications may be submitted at any time. However, all admission requirements must be completed by March 15 or November 15 to ensure application consideration for the following fall semester.