Programs of Study

“Advanced Standing” means that students who hold a BSW degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education can receive their MSW with only one additional year (11 months) of schooling. In less than five years, students are able to earn their BSW and MSW.

To qualify for advanced standing, the following conditions must be met:

• BSW must be from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
• BSW was earned within five years of beginning the MSW program
• Your GPA is 3.2 or better in undergraduate social work classes

If your undergraduate social work GPA is less than 3.2, or if your BSW was obtained more than five years ago, you may still be eligible for the regular MSW program of study but not to the Advanced Standing program. If you earned your BSW within ten years, but have worked in a social work setting that includes MSW staff and professional learning experiences, you may still be eligible for advanced standing status.

If you earned your BSW within five years but prefer to apply to the regular program, you must specifically request admission to the regular program.

At the Athens campus, the 40- hour credit option allows students to earn the MSW degree in three semesters (Summer, Fall, and Spring).

At the Gwinnett campus, the 40- hour credit option allows students to earn the MSW degree in six semesters (Summer, Fall, and Spring, Summer, Fall, and Spring).

For more information on the application process, contact Michael Robinson, SSW Admissions Coordinator at sswadmin@uga.edu or Yosha Dotson, Graduate Recruitment Coordinator, at y.dotson15@uga.edu.

For the Full-Time MSW program, the Generalist year includes 312 combined hours of professionally supervised field practice experience in conjunction with a field-integrating seminar [72 in the fall (SOWK 7115) and 240 hours in the spring (SOWK 7125)]. In the specialization year, there is a total of 600 hours (SOWK 7225) of supervised field practice. The School of Social Work does not approve academic credit for prior work or life experience. For those interested in using their work place as an internship site, please contact the Field Office for clarifications.

The courses are arranged in specific programs of study. Students choose a program of study at the beginning of their program and are expected to adhere to its timeline. Failure to follow a chosen program of study may lead to delays in matriculation.

The UGA Extended-Time Master of Social Work Program (formerly the MSW Part-Time Program) is located at the UGA Gwinnett Campus in metro Atlanta. Students are admitted only in the fall semester and progress through the program with their cohort for three consecutive years or eight semesters.

All classes are offered after 5:00 p.m. or on Saturday. In their second year, students are required to spend 16 hours/week in field internships, and third-year students must complete a 24-hour/week, two-semester field placement. Field internships are conducted under professional supervision and are primarily held at the field sites during weekday business hours.

The University of Georgia is now accepting applications for its online Master of Social Work program. The online program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and enables greater flexibility and increased access to the many non-traditional students interested in pursuing a career in social work.

Students must be Georgia residents or agree to be placed in a field internship within Georgia. For example, a resident of North Augusta, SC, could apply and agree to be placed in a field site in Augusta, Georgia. The program of study follows the outline for the Gwinnett extended-time program. Students must have a functioning computer with the latest version of a compatible web browser, a web cam, microphone, and a high-speed internet connection.

To fulfill the field practicum requirement, students must complete their required field hours in agency settings at their locations. Technological resources such as Skype, Adobe Meeting, Zoom, and our current Learning Management system will be utilized in conjunction with face-to-face visits as a means for the Field Education Office to complete field visits with students and agency staff.

For more information, visit UGA Online Learning.

The Graduate School of the University of Georgia offers a dual degree program in social work and public health. The primary objective of the MSW-MPH dual degree program is to supplement the professional education of social work students with additional specialization and training in public health, and vice versa. Social work and public health are, by design, service professions that support human well-being. Completion of this program leads to the degrees of MSW and MPH with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavior. For more  information regarding the MSW program, contact Rebecca Wells at (706) 542-3364 or mswmph@uga.edu.

Find out more about the program at https://ssw.uga.edu/academics/dual-degrees/msw-mph/

The MSW/M.Div. dual degree program is the first in the state of Georgia. Students enrolled in this dual degree program will complete a 135-hour curriculum and can be in the Clinical Practice Concentration or the Community Empowerment and Program Development Concentration in the School of Social Work and the Candler College of Theology. This dual degree program integrates the knowledge, values and skills offered by the existing MSW and M.Div. professional degree programs with a unique focus that addresses issues of grief, loss, and bereavement. The graduates of this program will address a critical societal need for social work-based social services that are responsive to faith-based needs of clients served. This unique combined training will prepare the graduates to assist people struggling to identify their ultimate concerns, sense of meaning and purpose, as well as providing them with strategies for coping during times of tragedy and adversity.

For more information, visit the MSW/MDiv webpage or contact Michael Robinson at (706) 542-5425 or marobi01@uga.edu.

The Graduate School of the University of Georgia offers a Dual Degree Program between the School of Social Work and the School of Law. This combines the M.S.W. degree and the JD degree, and is designed to promote the integration of legal as well as social work knowledge and skills at fully professional levels. Similar to other dual degree programs approved by the Graduate School, this program would account for the professional requirements of a master’s level social worker and the professional requirements of a law school graduate. Graduates of this program will be able to account for the legal interventions required by individuals or organizations as clients, while at the same time accounting for the social work services needed by the same individuals or organizations.

Please follow this link to see the program of study. For more information contact Devon Sanger at (706) 542-5466 or dsanger@uga.edu.