Dual Degree Programs
Advanced Standing Option
The School of Social Work offers an advanced standing option for students who have graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CWSE)-accredited BSW program within the past five years. To be eligible for the advanced standing option, students must have successfully completed their BSW with a minimum GPA of 3.25 for the last 60/90 units of undergraduate work. A cumulative 3.5 GPA for all social work courses with a grade of B or better is required for admission. Students admitted to advanced standing must successfully complete three 2-unit intensive courses (SOWK 600 Assessment in Social Work Practice, SOWK 606 Neuropsychological Development and SOWK 604 The Role of Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work) in one six-week session prior to their first academic semester. Students who successfully complete these courses will be given credit for foundation year requirements (31 units) and advance
into the concentration year or second year of study to complete the additional 29 units required for graduation. Students who do not pass the bridge courses will not be given the 31 units of credit, but may opt for the 60-unit MSW program and enter the foundation year or first year of the program. Advanced standing allows students to bypass the foundation year and enter the concentration year of studies. The concentration curriculum builds on the generic social work knowledge, which they obtained through their BSW experience, by offering a choice of five advanced practice concentrations: (1) community organization, planning and administration (COPA); (2) families and children; (3) health; (4) mental health; and (5) work and life. Students in all concentrations are required to enroll in SOWK 611 Leadership in the Social Work Profession and Organizations: Theory and Practice. Advanced standing students may also complete one of the following five sub-concentrations at the University Park
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Campus: (1) social work practice with older adults; (2) systems of mental illness recovery; (3) school social work, which meets the academic requirements for the Pupil Personnel Services Credential necessary for social work practice in the public schools of California; (4) public child welfare; and (5) military social work and veteran services. Please note, some academic centers do not offer all concentration and/or sub-concentration areas of studies. The advanced standing option consists of 35 units (27 units of course work and 8 units of field practicum). The option is available at these locations: University Park Campus, Orange County Academic Center in Irvine, San Diego Academic Center in Rancho Bernardo and Virtual Academic Center via the Internet and can be completed in three semesters. In addition, some classes are offered at City Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Dual Degree Programs The School of Social Work currently offers dual degree programs with a number of other USC professional schools. In addition, the school maintains a dual degree program at Hebrew Union College located adjacent to the USC campus. The goal of these programs is to encourage graduate students to gain a recognized competence in another discipline which has direct relevance to the roles filled by social workers in society. Dual degree programs are based on the premise that some topics covered in the school are also addressed in the curricula of other departments, so that some credit toward an MSW degree may be given for specific courses in the cooperating department. Similarly, these departments have recognized that some credit toward their corresponding degree may be awarded for work completed in the School of Social Work. For this reason, students enrolled in dual degree programs can obtain both degrees with a reduced number of total units. Students wishing to enroll in dual degree programs must apply for and be admitted to both schools.
Master of Social Work/Doctor of Philosophy, Social Work (MSW/Ph.D.)
The MSW/Ph.D. dual degree program is a course of study leading to both a graduate degree (Master of Social Work) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in social work. This course of study is offered to exemplary students seeking advanced research based study in social work to become professional leaders who will make significant contributions to the knowledge base of the profession in the social work academic world. Prospective students must meet both the MSW and Ph.D. standing admission requirements. Requirements A total of at least 90 units is required for the dual degree with at least 42 units in the MSW program and at least 48 units in the Ph.D. program (exclusive of SOWK 794 Doctoral Dissertation). Students who select the mental health concentration will be required to complete at least 93 units (at least 45 MSW units and at least 48 Ph.D. units). The program can be completed within four years.
REQUIRED MSW COURSES
UNITS
SOWK 505 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II, or a graduate-level course in developmental psychology in Department of Psychology or another department 3 SOWK 543 Social Work Practice with Individuals 3 SOWK 545 Social Work Practice with Families, Groups and Complex Cases 3 SOWK 562 Social Work Research 3 SOWK 586ab Field Practicum 3-3 SOWK 587ab Integrative Learning for Social Work Practice 2-2 SOWK 611 Leadership in the Social Work Profession and Organizations 3 SOWK 686ab Field Practicum II 4-4
Students in the COPA, Families and Children, Health, and Work and Life concentrations will be required to complete an additional 9 units of MSW core concentration specific courses, while students in the Mental Health concentration will be required to complete an additional 12 units of MSW core concentration specific courses.