Study Options
M.S.W. Program - Portland

We offer a number of options for completing the M.S.W. program on the Portland Campus. Depending on your life circumstances, you can select the one that will work best for you. Students may choose to complete their M.S.W. degree in two years or three years; a small number of students are also admitted each year to a four year option. We advise that students who are admitted to the three or four year options plan ahead for the two years when they will be in field placement two days per week, in addition to attending classes. All links below are to PDF documents.

• Two-year Option: Three classes each term plus a 2 day a week field placement. With this option we encourage you to limit outside employment to part time. See details on M.S.W. Two-Year Option (PDF).
• Three-year Option: Two classes each term in the first year of the program, followed by two years of with two classes each term and a field placement 2 days a week or 16 hours. We do not offer week-end or evening placements. See details on M.S.W. Three-Year Option (PDF).
• Four-year Option: Two classes per term in the first year and two or three classes per term in the third year. Students take field practicum and one class per term in the second and fourth years. See details on M.S.W. Four-Year Option (PDF).
• Advanced Standing Option for students who have completed a BSW degree from a CSWE accredited program in the past five years. See details on Advanced Standing Option (PDF).

In addition, to these variants of the M.S.W. Program, students may study simultaneously in another graduate program to attain one of the following:

• Graduate Certificate in Gerontlogy. Students may complete the interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Gerontology offered in cooperation with PSU’s Institute on Aging with only a few credits more than the 78 credits needed for the M.S.W. Program. See details on Combined M.S.W. and Graduate Certificate in Gerontology (PDF).
• M.S.W./Master in Public Health Dual Degree. Beginning in Fall 2008, students will be able to complete an M.S.W./M.P.H. Dual Degree in three years of full-time study. This option gives students the opportunity to graduate with both Master in Social Work and Master in Public Health degrees. The M.S.W./M.P.H. Dual Degree has two program tracks:
  • The Health Management and Policy track (through PSU's Hatfield School of Government). See details on Combined M.S.W. and M.P.H. Health Management and Policy Track (PDF).
  • The Health Promotion track (administered through PSU's School of Community Health). See details on Combined M.S.W. and M.P.H. Health Promotion Track (PDF).
  PSU requirements state that students in dual degree programs may reduce their total credit hour requirements by one-third of the credits of the smaller degree program. Consequently, students will need 119-124 credits (depending on M.P.H. Program track) to graduate with M.S.W. and M.P.H. degrees. Depending on whether the student begins one program first or begins both programs simultaneously, the sequencing of coursework may vary. Students will need to work closely with an advisor in each program to ensure that they meet the requirements for both degrees. The dual degree program is expected to take three years of full-time study.
• M.S.W./Ph.D. Combined Degree. Students who have a master’s degree in a field related to Social Work may complete a 136 credit combined M.S.W. and Ph.D. Program. To be eligible for the combined program, applicants must meet the admission requirements and be accepted in both programs. Typically, the M.S.W. degree is awarded after three years of study in the combined program. Most students take an additional one to two years to complete Ph.D. Program requirements. In the combined program, several Ph.D. courses are counted in place of M.S.W. requirements. See Combined M.S.W./Ph.D (PDF).