Master of Social Work Advanced Standing

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Educational preparation and commitment to the holistic profession of Social Work are essential qualities to considering the admission and development of students for professional social work practice. The Master of Social Work program at Pacific Oaks College promotes the social work education continuum, offering multiple pathways for admission to the MSW Advanced Standing Program. The criteria for admission to the master’s program include an earned baccalaureate degree in social work from a college or university accredited by a recognized regional accrediting association.  

Baccalaureate social work graduates entering master’s social work programs are not to repeat what has been achieved in their baccalaureate social work programs across all program options. Applicants holding baccalaureate social work degrees do not repeat undergraduate / generalist achievements. Applicants who have earned a BSW from a regionally accredited institution in the past five years are admitted into the MSW Advanced Standing program, in which the student takes courses in solely upper division and advanced practice coursework (Specialized Generalist Practice), bypassing the foundational baccalaureate courses they have already taken.   

If an applicant received their BSW over five years ago from a regionally accredited institution, they are admitted into the traditional MSW program and are not admitted to the Advanced Standing Program. This is our process/mechanism for ensuring compliance in this area and to avoid repetition of prior achievements. We do not accept graduates from unaccredited baccalaureate social work programs. 

The MSW program elects to admit students simultaneously into both the institution and the program. Our MSW program may admit international students as long as the program follows their institution’s, state-based higher education authorities, and/or regional accreditor’s policies and procedures for admitting international students.

Total Credits Required

35

Total field hours required for advanced standing (with a BSW degree) 550 field hours - (per the Council of Social Work Education)

Maximum Allowable Transfer Credits

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 of 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 of 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 done in Fall I, Spring I, and Summer I 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. Official transcripts must be on file within 30 days of admission. Graduation from the CSWE accredited program must be within 5 years of application to the Pacific Oaks College MSW Advanced Standing program.
  • Two letters of recommendation.
    • One must be from a field supervisor or manager from a 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/

Number of Admit Terms Per Year

Admission to the MSW Advanced Standing program is done in Summer I, Fall I, and Spring 1 terms.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)

Identical learning outcomes align with our traditional MSW program PLO’s.

Program-Specific Requirements

This program includes Generalist Practice coursework and is considered advanced-level coursework. The Pacific Oaks MSW Advanced Standing Program includes 35 credits of coursework, 550 hours of Field Education (Internships) over the course of two semesters, and a master’s capstone project. This program is online, although some field education (Internship) courses will have some synchronous components.

Fieldwork/Practicum Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 550 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 MSW Field Education Team 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.

Residency 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, and 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).