The Master of Social Work program at East Tennessee State University provides students with the skills and knowledge of advanced clinical practice and prepares social work practitioners for comprehensive and professional service delivery in Northeast Tennessee. The minimum requirements for the MSW program are as follows:

• A four-year bachelor degree from an accredited college/university.
• A liberal Arts background
• An overall GPA of 2.75 with a 3.0 (4.0 scale) in the last 60 hours of the bachelor degree.
• An autobiographical statement
• A resume
• Three references, one of which must be from an undergraduate professor or supervisor of a paid or unpaid social services agency.
• To apply for Advanced Standing, the applicant must be out of his/her BSW program no more than five (5) years.
• No academic credit will be granted for work experience

Traditional Full-Time

The full-time MSW program is completed in two years. The degree requires completion of 63 hours of coursework including 18 credit hours of field practicum and one elective. Students admitted into the program begin in the Fall Semester. There are 32 hours of Foundation courses in the first year including Social Work Practice I & II, Social Welfare Policy & programs, Human Behavior I & II, SW Research I, Multicultural Practice, Foundation Field I & II and 8 hours of an Elective. The concentration or second year of the program consists of 31 hours of full-time coursework in advanced clinical practice. Concentration courses include Advance Practice with Individuals, Advanced Practice with Families, Advanced Practice with Groups, and Advanced Practice with Human Service Organizations, SW Research II & III and 10 hours of concentration field practicum.

Advanced Standing Program

Students who graduate with a BSW degree from a program accredited by CSWE within the last five years may apply for Advanced Standing admission with required documentation: transcripts denoting a BSW degree. The Advanced Standing program allows students to complete their MSW degree in a summer and two semesters and requires 34 hours of coursework and field practicum, which includes a three-hour foundation bridge course. Students are admitted into the program beginning in the Summer Semester.

Part-Time Program

A part-time program is available for students unable to commit to full-time study. Admission criteria are the same as for the full-time program. It typically requires completion of the Foundation course in two years (6-9 hours per semester). In the third year students are encouraged to enroll full-time to complete the program, but may complete the concentration or the second year part-time in two years.

Field Experience

Field experience is an essential component of social work education and provides opportunities for supervised application of knowledge and skills. A range of agency experiences are available for student field practica. Students are assigned to a Faculty Advisor upon admission to the program. Once a student is in field practicum a faculty liaison will be assigned to monitor field activities.