Program Description

Overview and Goals

The Virginia State University MSW program is committed to the development of culturally competent, ethical, empathetic and skilled professionals who identifies with the social work profession, recognize, support, and build on the strengths and resiliency of all human beings, and dedicated to advanced social work practice and leadership roles within social service agencies, educational, health and behavioral health agencies, organizations and institutions. The program has a major focus of preparing its graduates to address, systematically and strategically, the well-being of traumatized individuals and the promotion of human rights, social and economic justice through community engagement, advocacy, and collaborative scientific inquiry and the impact on professional practice locally, nationally and globally.”

The Virginia State University MSW Program mission is linked to the liberal arts perspective, the person-in-environment framework, and the professional core competencies curriculum areas and themes that comprise the social work advanced degree program.  Our mission recognizes the complex nature of societal problems and require all MSW students to understand how individuals, families and communities are affected, within the political and economic contexts they face. As stated in our mission statement:

• The program's mission is committed to the development of cultural competent, ethical, empathetic and skilled professionals who identifies with the social work profession, recognize, support, and build on the strengths and resiliency of all human beings, and dedicated to clinical social work practice and leadership roles within social service agencies, educational, health and behavioral health agencies, organizations and communities. This focal point is consistent with the generalist practice definition concept that generalist practitioners engages in diversity in their practice and they recognize, support, and build on the strengths of all human beings.
• The MSW program mission is committed to the development of skilled professionals dedicated to advanced social work practice and leadership roles within social service agencies, educational, health and behavioral health agencies, organizations and institutions. This focal point is consistent with the generalist practice definition which states that generalist practitioners use a range of prevention and intervention methods in their practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities based on scientific inquiry and best practices.

The major focus of the MSW program mission is to prepare its graduates to apply critical thinking skills systematically and strategically to address the well-being of traumatized individuals and the promotion of social and economic justice through community engagement, advocacy and scientific inquiry is consistent with the generalist practice definition for generalist practitioners to engage diversity in their practice and advocate for human rights, social and economic justice.

Admission Requirements

Admission Criteria Applicants to the Traditional MSW Program (2- Years / 60 credit hours)

Applicants must have:

1. A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
2. A liberal arts background with a minimum of 30 credit hours including one course in psychology, sociology and introductory statistics. These undergraduate requirements may be taken at any accredited college or university, including community colleges. All prerequisites for admission must be completed by the end of the first semester in the program. All offers of admission are conditional upon the successful completion, a grade of C or better, of the undergraduate coursework.
3. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on the last 60 upper division credits on the last 120 credits leading to the bachelors’ degree. Both GPAs are used in consideration for admission. Applicants with a GPA between 2.5 to 3.0 on the 120 credits leading to the bachelors’ degree, but an otherwise strong application will be considered for provisional admission (3.0 will be required on the 60 upper divisions credits). Graduate credits will be considered in assessing an applicant’s qualifications.
4. Three Letters of Recommendation from:
   1. One recommendation from a higher education academic source.
   2. One recommendation from an employer.
   3. One recommendation from another professional source or community associate. 
5. Submit a current resume.
6. Complete a criminal background check and drug test.
7. Professional Statement of Intent – Applicants must demonstrate their understanding of the social work profession and their suitability for this program.

Application Writing Prompts: Applicants are to prepare and submit a statement covering the questions below. Applicants’ personal statements should be a minimum of two (2) pages, no more than three (3) pages, typed, double-spaced, and in 12-point font. Please use the number and its associated topic area (in bold and underlined) as headings when completing personal statement.

Applicants to the Advanced Standing Program (1 – Year / 45 credit hours)

Applicants must have:

1. A baccalaureate degree from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within the last three years. Applicants who graduated from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within the last five years and have two years of human service work during those five years, will be considered for the Advanced Standing program.
2. A broad liberal arts background with a minimum of 30 hours including at least one course in: sociology, psychology, and an introductory course in statistics. These undergraduate requirements may be taken at any accredited college or university, including community colleges. All prerequisites for admission must be completed prior to beginning the second semester in the program. All offers of admission are conditional upon the successful completion of the undergraduate coursework.
3. A minimum grade point average of 3.5 on the last 60 upper division credits (including all Social Work courses and the three prerequisites) and a 3.0 GPA on the last 120 credits leading to the bachelor’s degree. Both GPA’s will be used to consider admission. If the applicant has a 2.8 to 3.0 GPA on the last 120 credits leading to the bachelor’s degree, but an otherwise strong application, consideration will be given for provisional admission (3.2 is needed on the 60 upper division GPA). Graduate credits will be considered in assessing an applicant’s qualifications.
4. Applicants must submit a criminal background check and drug test.
5. Four Letters of Recommendation from
   1. One recommendation from the Field Education Liaison who taught the applicant’s most recent Field Education Seminar course
   2. One recommendation from the Field Supervisor from the applicant’s undergraduate Field Education Placement/Agency.
   3. One recommendation from a higher education program academic source. d. One recommendation from either an employer or professional or community associate.
6. Submit final field evaluation from undergraduate field education experience.
7. Complete a criminal background check and drug test.
8. Submit a current resume.
9. Professional Statement of Intent – Applicants must demonstrate their understanding of the social work profession and their suitability for this program.

Application Writing Prompts: Applicants are to prepare and submit a statement covering the questions below. Applicants’ personal statements should be a minimum of three (3) pages, no more than four (43) pages, typed, double-spaced, and in 12-point font. Please use the number and its associated topic area (in bold and underlined) as headings when completing personal statement.

The VSU MSW Program is in Pre-Candidacy Status for CSWE Accreditation

Pre-Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation indicates that it has submitted an application to be reviewed for Candidacy and had its Benchmark I approved in draft form to move forward with Candidacy review within one year.  A program that has attained Pre-Candidacy has not yet been reviewed by the Commission on Accreditation or been verified to be in compliance with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.

Students who enter programs in Pre-Candidacy that attain Candidacy in the academic year in which they begin their program of study will be retroactively recognized as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program attains Initial Accreditation.  The Candidacy Process is typically a three-year process and there is no guarantee that a program in Pre-Candidacy will eventually attain Candidacy or Initial Accreditation.

Candidacy by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation applies to all locations and delivery methods of an accredited program.  Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.

For more information about social work accreditation, please visit the CSWE Accreditation page.

 60 – Credit Full-Time Curriculum - Bachelor Degree not in Social Work

Advanced Standing Full-Time Curriculum – Bachelor Degree in Social Work