Master of Social Work Advanced Standing

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Total Credit Hours Required

35

Maximum Allowable Transfer Units

For applicants who are seeking admission to the Advanced Standing program, and who are looking to transfer MSW courses in, Applicants will be allowed to transfer credit for completed courses, as outlined by the Master of Social Work Graduate Transfer Credit Policy for the MSW Advanced Standing program (see below):

• Courses must be completed with a grade of B or higher (3.0 on a 4.0 grade scale).
• Credits for courses in which the student earned a grade below B or took a non-letter grade such as a pass/fail or credit/not credit are not transferable.
• Credits applied to meet the requirements of a previously earned degree of any type at another institution are ineligible for use as transfer credit.
• Courses must be completed prior to entry into the Pacific Oaks College graduate program. Courses completed while concurrently enrolled at another institution will not be accepted for transfer credit.
• Students must be in compliance with the current Pacific Oaks College Residency Requirements of 30 credits, for graduate programs.

Program Admissions Requirements

• Admission to the MSW Advanced Standing program is only done in Fall 1 and Spring 1 terms
• Applicants must have had a 3.0 overall grade point average in their BSW degree
• Applicants are required to submit the following:
  • Official (or unofficial) transcripts from their BSW degree granting institution. If admitted into the program, official transcripts are required to be on file within 30 days of admission.  Graduation from CSWE accredited program must be within 5 years of application to Pacific Oaks College MSW Advanced Standing program.
  • Two letters of recommendation.
    • One must be from a field supervisor or manager from prior field education placement site.  This can also be the Final Field Evaluation from BSW Field placement;
    • (2) Second can be from a current employer, professional contact, or previous supervisor at an Internship/field education placement.
      • If a field evaluation is submitted, then the second recommendation must be a narrative letter format.
  • Resume
  • Two writing samples:
    • (1) Academic paper from a BSW capstone or upper division course;
    • (2) Applied work sample, which can include redacted progress notes, program evaluations, etc.  (Please consult with MSW faculty for specific appropriate samples).
  • Interview (May be group or individual)

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and Fees for the College and individual programs can be found here: Financial Aid and Student Accounts Policies

Licensure Disclosures

For information on where Pacific Oaks College’s meets, does not meet, or has not determined if the program meets licensure eligibility requirements for the state in which you wish to be licensed, please visit: https://www.pacificoaks.edu/admissions/admissions-requirements/licensure/

Program Overview and Philosophy

The School of Cultural & Family Psychology’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program has created and launched a MSW Advanced Standing Program (ASP).  This is a full-time accelerated one-year, 8-week online 35- credits program for candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) degree from a CSWE accredited institution. Admission to the ASP allows students to complete their MSW degree in less time than the traditional MSW program by waiving the first-year foundation course requirements. Students applying for this option must have earned a BSW within the last five years and demonstrate readiness to perform at the level of a second-year MSW student via social work experience post-BSW.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)

Identical learning outcomes to our traditional MSW program.

Program Specific Requirements

This program includes the Specialized Generalist Practice coursework, and is considered advanced level of coursework. The Pacific Oaks MSW Advanced Standing Program includes 35 credits of coursework, 720 number of hours of Field Education (Internships) (over the course of two-semesters) and a masters Capstone project.  This program is online, as we are only approved for online instruction at this time.  Some field education (aka Internship) courses will have some synchronous components.

Fieldwork/Practicum Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 720 hours of field internship for the academic year (January through August for fall starts and May through December for spring starts). Students are placed throughout California or their state of residence, and must successfully match with a MSW placement site. The Director of Field Education will work with each student on field education requirements. Students are expected to develop an increased insight and depth of understanding of agency and client systems and social work practice skills and are exposed to a diversity of experiences. The goal of the second-year field placement is to help students develop advanced and more focused social work skills-including clinical interventions with diverse populations, effective treatment strategies on a micro/macro level where appropriate.

Residence Requirement - N/A

Course Length

Please refer to the program course and delivery section found here: Academic Calendar. The length of the program is three semesters, full-time, 8-week terms.  Students will take two courses per term, four courses per semester.

Graduation requirements

Courses must be completed with a grade of B or higher (3.0 on a 4.0 grade scale).

Number of Admit Terms Per Year

Admission to the MSW Advanced Standing program is only done in Fall 1 and Spring 1 terms