Now offering MSW Application Fee Waivers! Contact Kendra.Garland@nau.edu
Department Chair
MSW Coordinator
Director of Field Education
MSW Academic Success Coordinator
Master of Social Work, 1-Year Advanced Standing
The Northern Arizona University MSW program is committed to a social work practice model with diverse individuals and rural client well-being. The program incorporates theoretical perspectives or approaches that make-up a strengths-based framework which is used to elaborate on the program’s mission and to develop the program’s goals. Developing a strengths-based framework must include knowledge of culturally competent practice. Embracing the need to give voice to marginalized communities, NAU’s MSW curriculum addresses ways for students to learn and practice ways of working with diverse groups of clients that best enable members of those communities to achieve their goals.
Eligibility requirements for MSW, 1-Year Advanced Standing Admission
- The MSW, Advanced Standing program requires:
- A BSW from a CSWE accredited institution within the last 5 years OR
- A BSW from a CSWE accredited institution within the last 10 years, in addition to a minimum of 5 years working for a human services organization.
- An undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 on a 4-point scale. What if my GPA is lower than the requirement?
- Field Evaluation from your BSW field placement is a part of the application process
- Only students with field placements outside of Flagstaff will be considered for admittance in Spring cohort
- Professional readiness
- If you do not meet these requirements, then you may qualify for the MSW, 2-Year Program
MSW Advanced Standing Online Spring Accordion Closed
- Program Overview
- Offered fully online
- No GRE is required for admission
- Field Education:
- Requires one internship for a minimum total of 450 hours
- Internship is 2.5 days a week during summer semester and 2 days a week during fall semester
- Requires full participation in the monthly synchronous (live) field seminar class. Field seminar class is 2 hours.
- Field education internship is completed within the local community
- Agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff or surrounded area placement
- For Spring cohort, only students with field placements outside of Flagstaff will be considered for admittance in Spring cohort
- Students accepted into CWTP will have a Flagstaff placement
- MSW, Advanced Standing, Online Spring Plan of Study
- MSW Behavioral Science Cognates – Students shape their cognate area of focus by selecting two 3-credit hour graduate courses from other disciplines listed. Students identify and explore a specific substantive area of interest of their choice that is related to social work and not already covered under the MSW curriculum and create a cognate area of focus that fits their interest.
- Application deadline is October 1. Deadline extended to November 1.
- Grad Certificates Website
MSW Advanced Standing Online Summer Accordion Closed
- Program Overview
- Offered fully online
- No GRE is required for admission
- Field Education:
- Requires one internship for a minimum total of 450 hours
- Internships are 2 days a week during fall and spring semesters
- Requires full participation in the monthly synchronous (live) field seminar class. Field seminar class is 2 hours.
- Field education internship is completed within the local community
- Agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff or surrounded area placement
- For Summer cohort, agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff placement
- MSW, Advanced Standing, Online Summer Plan of Study
- MSW Behavioral Science Cognates – Students shape their cognate area of focus by selecting two 3-credit hour graduate courses from other disciplines listed. Students identify and explore a specific substantive area of interest of their choice that is related to social work and not already covered under the MSW curriculum and create a cognate area of focus that fits their interest.
- Application deadline is February 15.
- Grad Certificates Website
MSW Advanced Standing In-Person Summer Accordion Closed
- Program Overview
- No GRE is required for admission
- Field Education:
- Requires one internship for a minimum total of 450 hours
- Internships are 2 days a week during fall and spring semesters
- Requires full participation in the monthly synchronous (live) field seminar class. Field seminar class is 2 hours.
- Field education internship is completed within the local community
- Agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff or surrounded area placement
- For Summer cohort, agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff placement.
- MSW, Advanced Standing, In-Person Summer Plan of Study
- MSW Behavioral Science Cognates – Students shape their cognate area of focus by selecting two 3-credit hour graduate courses from other disciplines listed. Students identify and explore a specific substantive area of interest of their choice that is related to social work and not already covered under the MSW curriculum and create a cognate area of focus that fits their interest.
- Application deadline is February 15.
- Grad Certificates Website
MSW Advanced Standing Online Healthcare Emphasis Spring Accordion Closed
- Offered in partnership with OpusVi
- Program Overview
- Healthcare Emphasis Informational Site
- Offered fully online
- No GRE is required for admission
- Field Education:
- Requires one internship for a minimum total of 450 hours
- Internship is 2 days a week during fall and spring semester
- Requires full participation in the monthly synchronous (live) field seminar class. Field seminar class is 2 hours.
- Field education internship is completed within the local community in a healthcare setting
- Agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff or surrounded area placement
- MSW, Advanced Standing, Online Fall Healthcare Emphasis Plan of Study
- Inquire for more information
- Application deadline is December 1.
Part-Time MSW Advanced Standing Accordion Closed
- Program Overview
- Offered fully online
- No GRE is required for admission
- Field Education:
- Requires one internship for a minimum total of 450 hours
- Internships are 2 days a week during fall and spring semesters
- Requires full participation in the monthly synchronous (live) field seminar class. Field seminar class is 2 hours.
- Field education internship is completed within the local community
- Agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff or surrounded area placement
- MSW, Advanced Standing, Part-Time Plan of Study
- MSW Behavioral Science Cognates – Students shape their cognate area of focus by selecting two 3-credit hour graduate courses from other disciplines listed. Students identify and explore a specific substantive area of interest of their choice that is related to social work and not already covered under the MSW curriculum and create a cognate area of focus that fits their interest.
- Grad Certificates Website
Submit an application to NAU’s Office of Graduate and Professional Studies
Application Information Accordion Closed
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Required Documents Tab Open
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Personal Statement Tab Closed
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Email address for two references Tab Closed
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MSW, 1-Year Advanced Standing Application Process Tab Closed
Required Documents Accordion Open
- Professional Resume
- Transcripts, unofficial, are to be uploaded for the MSW application. Official transcripts are to be submitted to the NAU Office of Graduate and Professional Studies directly.
- BSW Field Evaluation – Final or Midpoint
Personal Statement Accordion Closed
Must be typed, double-spaced, and 5-6 pages in length. Address the following five questions:
- Describe any experiences, professional and/or personal, that influenced your selection of social work as your professional career. How did your BSW field experience prepare you for the profession of social work? How do you plan to apply the skill sets acquired in the MSW program into your future practice setting?
- Identify NASW values and ethics that will guide your role as an advocate for marginalized populations. What role do you anticipate engaging in to promote social justice to advocate for the needs of marginalized populations? Reflecting on your experiences serving vulnerable populations, discuss how these experiences impacted your understanding of the role power and privilege play in your own life.
- Explain your rationale for selecting the NAU MSW Program. What skills and attributes can you contribute to the profession of social work? What challenges may arise for you within the role of a graduate level student (i.e. professional writing, time management, communication, self-care, etc).? What informal and formal supports will you employ to overcome these challenges?
- The MSW Program’s Field Education requirement includes being available for the 15 hours of Field Placement (internship) during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Discuss your time management and organizational strategies to balance the demands of the academic coursework, field education, and personal obligations to be successful in the MSW Program. What did you gain from your BSW field experience that you will apply into a future internship setting? Please share your current geographical location, including the city and state in which you prefer to complete your Field Placement (internship).
- Upload the Field Placement Evaluation. Applicants must submit a copy of their Field Evaluation from their BSW field experience, documenting satisfactory generalist practice experience and skills from their previous internship. If the mid-point or final field evaluation have not been completed due to a spring block placement, please indicate that in the personal statement.
- If you do not meet the outlined GPA: Include rationale for low GPA and identify strategies to be successful at the graduate level.
Email address for two references Accordion Closed
- References should be related to faculty/field placement during BSW.
- 2 professional references must be provided from supervisors, professors, professional colleagues or other community associates. References provided from friends, family members, or significant others are not appropriate references to include in this application process not appropriate references to include in this application process.
MSW, 1-Year Advanced Standing Application Process Accordion Closed
- The review process for applications consists of two independent reviewers completing ratings on Likert scales to assess for overall academic standing from undergraduate coursework, quality responses to the prompts provided, and evaluations provided by references.
- Provisional acceptance may be considered for applicants to the MSW Program who have a GPA below 3.3 on their bachelor’s degree transcript if the application demonstrates the potential for success in a graduate program. Progressive experience within the helping profession will be considered as another component of the review process. Applicants will provide an explanation of the circumstances that created a lower GPA in their undergraduate degree and tactics to achieve good academic standing in a graduate-level program. Applicants with a grade point average of less than 3.3 will be required to interview with NAU’s MSW Admission personnel.
Tuition & Fees
- The MSW program is a professional graduate degree program where each semester students take, most often, 15 credit hours. NAU charges online tuition per credit hour, therefore the more credits you take in a semester the greater your tuition cost. Graduate tuition rates at NAU for an online program do not change if a student has in-state or out-of-state residency status. This link provides the most up-to-date rates to assess the tuition and NAU fees for each semester Current Tuition Rates. To navigate this sight, first choose the correct term; Spring, Summer or Fall. Then scroll down to Graduate and choose Online. This page provides tuition and NAU fee rates depending on the total number of credit hours a student is enrolled in.
- For more details about tuition/payments/due dates and your account, visit Student & Departmental Accounts
- Here is a link to a per credit breakdown of NAU online graduate tuition: Current Tuition Rates Also this link is the best way moving forward to determine your semester tuition costs.
- $630 MSW program fee assessed each semester in the program
MSW Student Success
Graduation
Child Welfare Training Project
General facts about Child Welfare Training Project:
- A competitive field placement for students pursuing a Master or Bachelor of Social Work.
- You should apply if you want a career protecting children and families.
- Those who are an accepted BSW student or BSW applicant, with a GPA of 2.5 or better, or accepted MSW student or MSW applicant, with a GPA of 3.0 or better, attending NAU’s Flagstaff Mountain Campus.
- Successful applicants are awarded up to two years of in-state tuition, and any required program/course fees.
- In addition MSW students receiving a monthly stipend of $500 in addition.
- On successful completion, CWTP graduates receive immediate, full-time, professional placement with Arizona Department of Child Safety, as Child Safety Specialists. In exchange for tuition support, students commit to work for DCS.
- Application deadlines are October 1 and February 1
Field Education for Master of Social Work
Supported professional experience for NAU students earning degrees in Social Work
Social Work Field Education is your opportunity to gain real-world experience in a supported environment and build your resume working with local organizations. You will apply what you learn in the classroom and move one step closer to a career in social work. This firsthand experience will help you discover, develop, and enhance your social work skills. The Social Work Field Education experience and training involves participating in the life of the agency, attending regularly scheduled meetings, and other activities involving or sponsored by the field placement site.
To learn more about the requirements visit Field Education.
