Master of Social Work — 2-Year Program

The Master of Social Work program offers a 62-semester-hour course of study, and 450+ hours of field internship work per year. The College of Social Work seeks to integrate Christian scholarship within the discipline of social work. Upon completion of the prescribed curriculum, the student should be able to demonstrate mastery of the theories, methods, techniques, and values of the social work profession as prescribed by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The student should be able to integrate their personal faith within the program’s curriculum and understand how this impacts them both personally and professionally. It is the program’s goal that students graduate with the ability to differentiate personal belief systems from their client’s beliefs and conduct themselves ethically as advanced practice social workers, working with diverse and vulnerable populations in a variety of settings.

Within the context of a Christian university, this program is dedicated to providing a community environment where each individual is viewed as unique and valuable with varied gifts and abilities to use in service to others.

Students completing the MSW program will be able at an advanced level to:

• Exhibit competence in generalist and advanced social work practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills in applying knowledge and ethical principles to social work practice and in evaluating scientific inquiry including practice-based research.
• Consider and apply the values and ethics of the profession in every aspect of practice and understand the ethical integration of Christian faith in practice, including nondiscrimination in the areas of age, class, culture, color, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.
• Enhance the well-being of people and communities locally, regionally, nationally, and around the world.
• Apply an ecological systems perspective, empirically supported theoretical frameworks, and evidence-based social work practice methods to all levels of practice.

Admission to the GFU College of Social Work graduate program (MSW)

Admission to the GFU College of Social Work graduate program is conducted by formal application. Qualified students will be admitted regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, age, or disability. The applicant's packet will be considered complete when the following parts have been received:

1. A completed online application and application fee; An official transcript from each junior college, college, or university in which baccalaureate coursework was taken.
2. A written response to questions related to the applicant’s reason for applying, professional goals and interest, work and/or volunteer experiences, and reflection on case-related materials.
3. Recommendations: Three strong professional references who can attest to the applicant’s ability in these areas: intellectual competence; potential for academic success; the ability to work with people around sensitive issues, including people from diverse backgrounds; possession of critical thinking and communication skills; a sense of values and ethics; and potential as a professional social worker. At least one of the recommenders must be an academic reference having been the instructor of the applicant in a classroom setting. Recommenders must submit these directly to the College of Social Work graduate program using the online link provided. If a letter is included, the letters must be written on institutional or business letterhead.
4. Current resume.
5. Sample of scholarly writing from your undergraduate program. Examples include an academic research paper, literature review, report, etc. If scholarly writing is not available, please contact the admissions counselor for an alternate option.

Admission Requirements

The graduate program requires that all applicants have either a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the United States or proof of equivalent education at an international institution of higher learning.

The Admissions Committee will only review an application that is missing no more than one prerequisite course. The applicant will be expected to complete all undergraduate prerequisites prior to enrolling in the program.

Applicants are expected to have a record of undergraduate study and experience that is predictive of success in graduate study. A minimum admissible grade point average is 3.0.

A satisfactory grade point average in and of itself does not guarantee admission to a graduate program. Approval for admission is provided after consideration of the assessment and review processes conducted by the graduate admissions committee.

Applicants are evaluated based on the admissions criteria specified in the Admissions Criteria section of the MSW Student Handbook.

The graduate program‘s letter of admission constitutes the University‘s official notification of the admission decision. Admitted students will have a maximum of one year from the date of admission within which to enroll. Attempts to enroll after the one-year period will require completion of another application. The University reserves the right to refuse admission to any applicant whose previous academic record and/or readiness for graduate study in social work is deemed unsatisfactory (MSW Student Handbook).

For matriculating students who wish to transfer from another CSWE accredited graduate social work program, the MSW program has a written policy stipulating the transfer of credits as follows.

The Director of the Master of Social Work program may approve up to 15 hours of coursework for inclusion into the MSW standard two-year degree requirements or up to 9 hours of coursework in the advanced standing program. Students may only transfer a maximum of 15 semester credits for the 2-year program or 9 semester credits for the advanced standing program in order to preserve the integrity of his/her education at the degree granting institution; field practicum credits will not be transferred.

The Director, in consultation with MSW faculty, will make decisions about acceptance of transfer of credit.

No credit will be given toward required MSW courses unless the following conditions apply:

• The courses were taken in a graduate program accredited by the Council on Social work Education.
• A course description and syllabus is available and the Director judges the courses to be an appropriate substitution for a specific course in the graduate program.
• Once the Director has advised the student concerning which courses are approved for transfer credit, the student prepares a letter of petition specifying how the courses will be applied to the degree plan.

A petition for transfer credit must fulfill the conditions listed below:

• Students who wish to transfer credits must make the request and present relevant syllabi and transcripts six (6) weeks prior to the beginning of the first semester of matriculation.
• The work must have been done while the student was enrolled in good standing as a graduate student.
• The work must have been done within five years prior to the award of the master‘s degree from George Fox University.
• The school from which the credits are transferred must be accredited by a regional accreditation agency.
• No earned grade for transfer credit is less than a B.
• None of the transfer coursework consists of extension or workshop courses.
• Petition for transfer of credit occurs after enrollment in the College of Social Work graduate program.

Of the 62 credit hours required for the Master of Social Work program, a minimum of 47 credit hours must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the degree must meet the requirements stated in the program transfer policy.

If a student must take a leave of absence from the program due to an illness, accident, or other substantial reason that impair their ability to continue coursework or field internship they must submit a written request explaining reasons for requesting a leave. All incomplete coursework or fieldwork must be completed within two years from the date of his or her original start. If they are unable to complete the program in that time frame, they will be dismissed from the program.

The director of the School of Social Work must approve leaves of absence for the Master of Social Work program.

In order to graduate with the Master of Social Work degree students must:

• Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 62 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
• Maintenance of a minimum average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all academic courses taken and a minimum grade of C (73) for all academic courses taken.
• Earn a grade of B (83) or higher in all Field Internship courses.
• Earn no more than two "C" grades (73-79) in the program.
• Complete a 480-hour supervised internship in the foundation-year and a 600-hour supervised internship in the concentration-year in an agency setting approved by the College of Social Work.
• Completion of all degree requirements within four (4) years of matriculation.