Four plans of study are available to choose from: two-year (six-term) three-year (nine-term) option or the four-year option (twelve-term) option. The final campus program option is the Advanced Standing option, available to students who have completed a B.S.W. degree accredited by the Council on Social Work, by summer of 2003. Details for each option are located below.

Day and evening sections of all required foundation courses and many advanced elective courses are available.

Two-year (Full Time) Option (PDF)

The two-year (six-term) M.S.W. program option with its required courses and electives (see Bulletins for course information) is designed so that an academic load of 14 credit hours per term enables students to complete the 78-credit hour minimum required for graduation.

The first year of study is the same for all two-year (six-term) students. Students should plan to enroll for a minimum of 14 credit hours each term, including field education. First-year students in the two-year option enroll in two or three courses plus practicum each term. On-campus courses are scheduled on Mondays, Tuesday evenings, and Wednesdays. Practicum is usually completed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In the second year of study, students concentrate in Direct Human Services, Community-Based Practice, or Social Service Administration and Leadership. The advanced practice course sequences provide concentrated course work in a specialized field. Students may view the second year grid for the corresponding concentration as listed below.

In addition to a practice option, students may elect to focus on a particular field of service such as:

Health care services
Services to children, youth, and their families
Mental health services
Services to the elderly (See Graduate Certificate in Gerontology)
Services to homeless people
Service in the juvenile justice or adult correctional systems

By choosing an area of specialization for the second year, the student is able to focus practicum and elective courses and deepen knowledge and skills in a particular field.

To enhance their concentrated study, advanced elective courses are taken in Policy-Practice, Human Behavior in the Social Environment, and their Practice Concentration, as well as an unrestricted elective course.

Finally, students complete an Advanced Research sequence of courses. For second year students, on-campus courses are scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as well as Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings. Practicum is usually completed on Mondays and Thursdays.

Three-year Option (PDF)

The School offers an organized extended degree option in which students complete course work and practica over a three-year period. The degree requirements and electives (see Bulletins for course information) are the same as in the two-year program; the difference is the length and plan of the course of study.

Applicants usually select the three-year option because they need to be employed at least part-time. Students find this option attractive because it permits them to add the demands of graduate study to already existing family and work responsibilities. We have found, however, that it is particularly important for students enrolled in the three-year option to anticipate, as much as possible, the substantial increase in demands on their time.

To illustrate, the first-year is truly part-time; students enroll in two courses (6-7 credit hours) each term, completing a number of the required core courses and some of the electives. The second and third years are virtually full-time. The practicum requires two days of field work each week. Additionally students enroll in one required practice course or a practice-related advanced elective each term. During the last two years, they must also complete the Advanced Research sequence and additional elective coursework. Therefore, during the final two years, students will be taking 10-14 credits per term. Because of the increased demands of the program, it is necessary for most students to reduce employment to no more than half-time in the second and third years.

The design of the three-year option and the scheduling of classes make planning for graduate school easier. Classes meet once per week and some sections are available in evening time periods. However, not all core courses are available in evening time periods and evening sections may fill early. Students are encouraged to plan to be on campus more than one day a week.

The School will not guarantee that a student can schedule all classes in one day.

Four-year Option (PDF)

The four-year option is restricted to students who are employed full-time and students whose outside demands (children, family) do not make it possible to complete the full-time or three-year options. Only a limited number of students are admitted to the four-year option each year. Students apply for the option at the time they make application to the M.S.W. program.

The degree requirements and electives (see Bulletins for course information) are the same as in the two-year program; the difference is the length and plan of the course of study. While the four-year option allows students to extend the M.S.W. program over four years, adjustments must be made in work schedules to accommodate course requirements. In the second and third years of the program, students must have two days each week available for Field Placement. Field Placements are usually completed during daytime hours. In addition to Field Placement, students must enroll in a practice course or elective course each term. During the second and third years of the program, students will pay full-time tuition rate.

The design of the four-year option and the scheduling of classes make planning for graduate school easier. Classes meet once per week, and some sections are available in evening time periods. The School is unable to guarantee that a student can schedule all classes in one day. .

Advanced Standing Option is available to students who have completed a B.S.W. degree accredited by the Council on Social Work Advanced Standing students take 7 credits of Summer term bridge courses at PSU and the foundation SW 539 Diversity and Social Justice course in Fall term in addition to meeting the other Advanced requirements of the M.S.W.Program. See Advanced Standing Grid (PDF).

MSW - Distance Option is a three-year program offered in selected cities in Oregon. In Fall 2007 new cohorts of distance students from Bend and Eugene will begin their three-year program of study. Cohorts in Ashland and Salem will enter their second year of the three-year program. New cohorts of distance students will be admitted from Salem and Ashland in fall 2008.

A Certificate in Gerontology may be obtained through the Institute on Aging while the student completes requirements for the M.S.W. degree. The School also participates in the Graduate Certificate Program in Infant and Toddler Mental Health.Day and evening sections of all required foundation courses and many advanced elective courses are available. The School is unable to guarantee that a student can schedule all classes in one day.

Karla Diaz (MSW '03) works at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador. more

Study Options M.S.W. Portland Campus Program

Study Options
M.S.W. Portland Campus Program