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.

Master of Social Work, 1-Year Advanced Standing Overview

• • The MSW, 1-Year Advanced Standing requires a BSW from a CSWE accredited institution within the last 5 years. If this does not apply, then you may qualify for the MSW, 2-Year Program.
  • Program Overview
  • Cohorts begin each Spring and Summer semester
  • Program offered fully online for Spring & Summer start. Program is offered in-person at the Flagstaff Mountain Campus for Summer start.
  • No GRE is required for admission
  • Field Education:
    • Requires one internship for a total of 450 hours field education internship
    • Field education internship is completed within the local community
    • Students are required to be available for field placement during normal business hours of Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. All field placement hours must be completed on site.
    • For Spring cohort, only students with field placements outside of Flagstaff will be considered for admittance in Spring cohort.
    • For Summer cohort, agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff placement.

• Program Details:
  • MSW, Advanced Standing, Spring Plan of Study: View the course layout & timeline for the MSW Spring Advanced Standing program
  • MSW, Advanced Standing, Summer Online Plan of Study: View the course layout & timeline for the MSW Summer Advanced Standing program
  • MSW, Advanced Standing, Summer In-Person Plan of Study: View the course layout & timeline for the MSW Summer Advanced Standing program
  • MSW Behavioral Science Cognates: Listing of course options to fulfill the program requirements listed on Plan of Study
  • Grad Certificates Website

Eligibility requirements for MSW, 1-Year Advanced Standing Admission

• a BSW from a CSWE-accredited institution earned during the preceding five years
• 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, student specific skills

Submit an application to NAU’s Graduate College

A complete application will include:

• Professional Resume
• Personal Statement 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.  What interests you in the social work profession?  How do you plan to apply the skill sets acquired in the MSW program into your future practice setting?
  • Discuss your understanding of the term social justice.  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. Please share your current geographical location, including the city and state 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 Social Work 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.
• Email address for three references
  • References should be related to faculty/field placement during BSW
  • 3 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.
• Transcripts, unofficial, are to be uploaded for the MSW application. Official transcripts are to be submitted to the NAU Grad College directly.
• BSW Field Evaluation – Final or Midpoint

MSW, 1-Year Advanced Standing Application Deadlines

1-Year Online Spring 

• Only students with field placements outside of Flagstaff will be considered for admittance
• Application deadline is October 1
• Apply Now

1-Year Online Summer 

• Agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff placement
• Application deadline is February 15
• Apply Now

1-Year In-Person Summer at Flagstaff Mountain Campus

• Agency placements are limited for students desiring Flagstaff placement
• Application deadline is February 15
• Apply Now

MSW, 1-Year Advanced Standing Application Process

• 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.
• $600 MSW program fee assessed each semester in the program

MSW Student Success

MSW Student Success

Graduation

A Guide to 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

The Social Work Field Education is your opportunity to gain real-world experience in a supported context and build your resume working with local agencies. You will apply what you learn in the classroom and move one big step closer to a career in social work. This firsthand experience will help you discover, develop, and enhance your social work skills.

Social Work Field Education 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. Students are required to be present at their field placement site during the during normal business hours of Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm when the professional staff are working and available to the student. All field placement hours must be completed on site.