Admission Requirements | Program Requirements | Faculty
MSW Field Manual | Additional Information
Master's Degree in Social Work

Cleveland State University and the University of Akron present an innovative Master's program in Social Work exclusively taught through distance learning via two-way interactive television.

The Program

The mission of the Joint Master's Degree in Social Work program is to prepare students for specialized, advanced-level, self-critical, accountable, and autonomous practice with oppressed, at risk, and vulnerable populations. The program provides a rigorous intellectual base, an opportunity for effective skill development, and an educational perspective that views human diversity as desirable and enriching to society. Students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and values appropriate to the social work profession, the conceptual base of professional social work, the broad-based research strategies of the field, and the various social work roles and intervention strategies used in social work practice.

Admission Requirements In addition to the Cleveland State University and the University of Akron graduate college requirements for admission, the joint MSW program requires of all applicants:

• (a) an undergraduate major in social work or a related field;
• (b) a minimum grade point average of 3.00 in social work and behavioral sciences courses taken prior to application for admission;
• (c) a minimum of 8 courses in this area;
• (d) three letters of reference;
• (e) an essay of 3 to 5 typed pages explaining;
  • 1) why the applicant wants to be/is a social worker;
  • 2) why a graduate degree is felt to be necessary to fulfill personal or professional objectives;
  • 3) the applicant's views regarding diversity in society;
  • 4) a situation in which the student was the recipient/provider of help, emotionally, socially, or economically; and
  • 5) a description of previous social work/human service work experience.

  Application deadline is February 28

• 60 graduate credits of approved courses in social work. Up to 9 credits of graduate-level electives outside the department may be included in the program. There is no foreign language requirement.
  
• Complete an approved program of courses which include the following required courses:

Course Schedule

Fall Semester

• SWK 601 Foundation Field Practicum
• SWK 609 Social Work Practice with Small Systems
• SWK 622 Fundamentals of Social Work Research I
• SWK 631 Human Behavior and Social Environment: Small Systems
• SWK 646 Social Welfare Policy I

Spring Semester

• SWK 602 Foundation Field Practicum (Spring Semester Only)
• SWK 605 Social Work Practice with Large Systems
• SWK 611 Dynamics Of Racism and Discrimination
• SWK 623 Fundamentals of Social Work Research II
• SWK 632 Human Behavior and Social Environment: Large Systems

Second Year Concentrations

Fall Semester
Direct Practice

• SWK 603 Advanced Field Practicum
• Swk 607 Advanced Practice and Small Systems
• Swk 647 Social Welfare Policy II
• Swk 663 Psychopathy and Social Work
• Swk 685 Social Work Practice with Families and Children

Fall Semester
Macro Practice

• SWK 603 Advanced Field Practicum
• SWK 647 Social Welfare Policy II
• SWK 673 Introduction to Community Organization and Planning
• SWK 674 Community, Economic Systems and Political Analysis
• SWK 685 Social Work Practice with Families and Children

Spring Semester
Direct Practice

• SWK 604 Advanced Field Practicum
• SWK 608 Advanced Practice with Small Systems II
• SWK 664 Single System Design
• SWK 680 Aging and Social Work Practice
• SWK 695 Health Care: Planning and Policy Issues

Spring Semester
Macro Practice

• SWK 604 Advanced Field Practicum
• SWK 671 Social Work Administration
• SWK 672 Strategies of Community Organization
• SWK 675 Program Evaluation
• SWK 680 Aging and Social Work Practice
• SWK 695 Health Care: Planning and Policy Issues

The Faculty

Professors

• +Virginia L. Fitch*
• Zev Harel
• Maggie Jackson
• Edward A. Mckinney
• Murali D. Nair
• Mieko K. Smith

• Andrew W. Edwards
• Larry W. Foster
• Lonnie Helton
• Michael K. Williams

• Charlla D. Allen
• Gloria Freire
• Peter Li*
• Priscilla Smith*
• Nikki Wingerson*
• Linda Crowell

Field coordinators

• Professor Claudia Carson (Cleveland State)
• Professor Nikki Wingerson (University of Akron)

*Faculty at The University of Akron
+Director
++Codirector

  We are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

MSW Field Manual

The MSW Field Manual is available to download in two formats. File sizes have been included so you can estimate download time.

• Adobe PDF (900K)
    [get Adobe reader®]
• Forms (Word documents and pdfs)
  • APPENDIX A- JOINT MSW FIELD APPLICATION
    • APPENDIX A- JOINT MSW FIELD APPLICATION
  • APPENDIX B - JOINT MSW FIELD AT PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT PROPOSAL
  • APPENDIX C-1-FOUNDATION FIELD LEARNING & EVALUATION
  • APPENDIX C-2-FOUNDATION LEARNING CONTRACT
  • APPENDIX D-1-STUDENT EVALUATION GUIDELINES
  • APPENDIX D-2-FOUNDATION STUDENT EVALUATION
    • APPENDIX D-2-FOUNDATION STUDENT EVALUATION
  • APPENDIX E-1-MICRO CONTRACT & EVALUATION
  • APPENDIX E-2-MICRO LEARNING CONTRACT
    • APPENDIX E-2-MICRO LEARNING CONTRACT
  • APPENDIX F-1-STUDENT EVALUATION GUIDELINES
  • APPENDIX F-2-MICRO STUDENT EVALUATION
    • APPENDIX F-2-MICRO STUDENT EVALUATION
  • APPENDIX G-1-MACRO TEACHING-LEARNING CONTRACT INSTRUCTIONS
  • APPENDIX G-2-MACRO LEARNING CONTRACT
    • APPENDIX G-2-MACRO LEARNING CONTRACT
  • APPENDIX H-2-MACRO STUDENT EVALUATION
    • APPENDIX H-2-MACRO STUDENT EVALUATION
  • APPENDIX J-ACTIVITY TIME LOG
    • APPENDIX J-ACTIVITY TIME LOG
  • MSW FIELD CALENDAR-Spring 2008