Social Work

Faculty

Kenneth M. Stoltzfus, Chair, Associate Professor
Christson Adedoyin, Associate Professor
Jean Roberson, Instructor and Director of Field Education

Graduate Programs and Requirements

Degree/Major

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

Social Work, M.S.W.

The Department of Social Work offers a master of social work (M.S.W.), with a major in social work. The program prepares graduates for advanced social work practice and includes concentrations in clinical social work and global community development. The program may be completed in two years of full-time study or three years of part-time study. An advanced standing option will allow individuals who hold a baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education to complete the M.S.W. program in one year of full-time study or two years of part-time study.

Master of Social Work (MSW) Program Admission Criteria

Individuals who do not possess a bachelor’s degree in social work must meet the following criteria:

Applicants must hold an earned bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by a recognized regional accrediting association. Please note: A completed bachelor’s degree, as evidenced by an official college/university transcript, is required prior to enrollment in the MSW Program. Applicants may receive conditional acceptance into the MSW Program by submitting a transcript that demonstrates that they are enrolled in their final semester of undergraduate coursework. The conditional status is removed upon receipt of an official transcript demonstrating that the baccalaureate degree has been completed.
Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.0 scale or a minimum of a 3.2 GPA during their last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Applicants who have a GPA of at least 2.8 may submit an application for consideration with an MAT or GRE score. Potential applicants who have a GPA lower than 2.8 may request an exception to the GPA requirement. Such requests must be made in writing to the MSW Program Director. All requests will be reviewed by the admission committee. GRE or MAT scores and additional supporting documentation of the applicant’s potential for success as a graduate student must be submitted with the request for an exception to the GPA requirement.
The GRE or MAT is not required; however, an applicant who does not meet the GPA requirement may submit an acceptable GRE or MAT score for admission consideration. Acceptable scores are as follows:
o MAT: 402
o GRE: Verbal: 153; Quantitative: 144; Analytical: 4.0
Candidates who do not meet the GPA requirement (i.e., a 3.0 cumulative GPA or a 3.2 GPA for the final 60 hours of undergraduate coursework) are admitted conditionally and must earn a grade of B or higher in their first semester of MSW Program courses in order to move from conditional status to full acceptance status. Students who earn a grade lower than a B in any of their first semester MSW Program courses will be terminated from the social work program. Students who are terminated from conditional admission status may follow the grievance procedure outlined in the student handbook to appeal their termination.

Individuals who have earned a bachelor’s degree in social work and are applying for Advanced Standing status must meet the following criteria:

Applicants must hold a baccalaureate social work degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), recognized through CSWE’s International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service, or covered under a memorandum of understanding with international social work accreditors. Please note: A completed bachelor’s degree in social work, as evidenced by an official college/university transcript, is required prior to enrollment. Applicants may receive conditional acceptance into the MSW Program by submitting a transcript that demonstrates that they are enrolled in their final semester of undergraduate coursework. The conditional status is removed upon receipt of an official transcript demonstrating that the baccalaureate degree has been completed.
Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.0 scale or a minimum of a 3.2 GPA during their last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework.
Applicants must have received a grade of B- or higher in all required undergraduate social work courses. Please note: Applicants with a grade lower than B- in no more than two social work courses may apply for Advanced Standing. If accepted, these students will be required to complete analogous courses in the Samford University MSW Program with a grade of B or higher. These courses will be required in addition to all courses required for Advanced Standing and may not be substituted for required MSW courses or for required MSW Program electives. Applicants who have more than two courses with grades lower than B- are not eligible for Advanced Standing, but may apply for admission to the full MSW Program if they meet the admission criteria.

All applicants must:

Submit three letters of reference through the online application system. The three required reference letters should be from a current or previous professor, a work supervisor, and a professional colleague.
Complete a LikeLive Video Submission. LikeLive is an online video interview platform that enables applicants to record a video of their responses to standardized interview questions. Applicant videos are reviewed by the admission committee and used to make final decisions regarding admission to the MSW Program. A link to the LikeLive site will be provided upon receipt of the application.
Have completed an undergraduate level statistics class with a grade of C or higher. Applicants who have not completed a statistics course may receive conditional acceptance. Such applicants will be required to submit evidence of completion of a statistics course prior to enrollment in the program.

English Proficiency Requirement

International applicants or American citizens who learned English as a second language must score at least 550 (paper), 213 (computer), or 80 (internet) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Transfer Policy

Students may transfer up to 12 credits of Foundation Sequence coursework from a CSWE-accredited MSW program. Students must submit the course syllabus for the actual course they completed (a syllabus from the same course offered in a different term or format is not acceptable) via an online submission form. The course syllabus and request for transfer credit will be reviewed by the instructor of the analogous Samford MSW Program course and by the MSW Program director, who will make the final decision regarding awarding transfer credit. Students who are requesting transfer credit may make this request during the application process or immediately after they are admitted to the program. Transfer credit may be requested for any course in the Foundation Sequence.

No Credit for Life Experience or Work Experience

The Samford University MSW Program does not award academic credit for life experience or previous work experience.

Programs

Master

Social Work, M.S.W.

Courses

Social Work