Social Work (MSW)

The Advanced-Standing Program is a 42-credit-hour program for only those who hold a CSWE-accredited BSW. It can be completed in three semesters when pursued full-time. One cohort of Advanced-Standing students begins every year in late May for the summer term. Applications are due by February 1, with a priority deadline of November 1 for consideration for SSW scholarships. Advanced-Standing students will complete 500 hours of in-person practicum education with online coursework and skills labs. Courses with an asterisk (*) indicate a skills lab.

Summer Semester (12 hours)

• SW 502 Foundations of Social Welfare Policy
• SW 512 Advanced Generalist Practice I: Components of Social Work Practice*
• SW 571 Social Work Research
• SW 576 Diversity, Oppression and Anti-Racism

Fall Semester (15 hours)

• SW 530 Advanced Generalist Practice II: Psychopathology & Differential Diagnosis*
• SW 531 Advanced Generalist Practice III: Mental Health Intervention Across the Lifespan*
• SW 584 Social Work Leadership and Management
• SW Elective Cluster Area
  
• SW Elective Cluster Area

Spring Semester (15 hours)

• SW 580 Advanced Policy Analysis
  
• SW 582 Practicum
• SW 583 Seminar
• SW Elective Cluster Area

Traditional MSW

The Traditional Program is for those who do not currently hold a CSWE-accredited BSW. It can be completed in two years when pursued full-time. One cohort of Traditional students begins every year in August for the fall term. Applications are due by April 1, with a priority deadline of December 1 for consideration for SSW scholarships. Traditional MSW students will complete 1,000 hours of in-person practicum education with online coursework and skills labs. Courses with an asterisk (*) indicate a skills lab.

Fall Semester (15 hours)

• SW 503 Human Behavior in the Social Environment
• SW 504 Social Work Practice with Groups*
• SW 505 Social Work Practice with Individuals & Families*
• SW 576 Diversity, Oppression and Anti-Racism
• SW 538 Seminar
• SW 592 Practicum

Spring Semester (15 hours)

• SW 502 Foundations of Social Welfare Policy
• SW 543 Social Work Practice with Communities & Organizations*
• SW 571 Social Work Research
• SW 539 Seminar
• SW 593 Practicum

Fall Semester (15 hours)

• SW 530 Advanced Generalist Practice II: Psychopathology & Differential Diagnosis*
• SW 531 Advanced Generalist Practice III: Mental Health Interventions Across the Lifespan*
• SW 584 Social Work Leadership and Management
• SW 574 Seminar
• SW 597 Practicum
• SW Elective Cluster Area

Spring Semester (15 hours)

• SW 580 Advanced Policy Analysis
• SW 575 Seminar
• SW 598 Practicum
• SW Elective Cluster Area
• SW Elective Cluster Area

Elective Cluster Areas

All MSW students receive training in Advanced Generalist Practice and will have the option to complete courses in one of three Elective Cluster areas.

Child Welfare Cluster Area

• SW 508 Social Work Practice in Child Welfare
• SW 509 Child & Adolescent Mental Health
• SW 516 Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice

Clinical and Behavioral Health Cluster Area

• SW 516 Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice
• SW 544 Substance Use and Social Work Practice
• SW 550 Innovations in Clinical and Behavioral Health

Policy and Advocacy Cluster Area

• SW 519 Community-Based Policy Advocacy
• SW 520 Legislative & Policy Advocacy
• SW 521 Juvenile & Criminal Justice Policy: Implications for Social Work Practice

MSW/JD Dual Degree Program

The goal of the dual-degree MSW/JD program is to offer comprehensive preparation to individuals interested in becoming leaders in their communities, their state, or the nation, as well as leaders in promoting and enhancing social justice and individual well-being, through interventions, advocacy, organizational management, and public policy. Students will acquire knowledge of legal and social work strategies that can improve the lives of individuals and groups, by understanding forensic social work, the justice system, domestic violence, child protection, human rights, and more.

Students must be admitted to each program before they will be considered to be students in the joint program.

Admission requirements for the proposed dual-enrollment program are those currently established for both the MSW program and the JD program.

MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program

Social Work and Public Health are perfect partners. This program offers students interested in a career in social work and public health an alternative to the existing course of study for two separate programs. Graduates of the MSW/MPH Dual Degree program will have the skills needed to pursue leadership roles in community healthcare settings, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.

The MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program allows students the opportunity to earn two graduate degrees, a Master of Social Work (MSW) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) in two academic years, including two summers. All MSW students, including advanced standing, may apply for entrance into this program. If both degrees are earned sequentially, the completion period is three and one-half years and may permit some overlapping of transferred MSW/MPH credits.

Students who choose this dual degree plan must first secure admission to the School of Social Work, and then separately apply to the Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, The University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Public Health, for admission to the MPH Program.

The MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program is coordinated between the School of Social Work at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and the School of Public Health/Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, concentration in Maternal and Child Health Policy and Leadership at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.