Master of Social Work

Admission Requirements for the M.S.W. Foundation Program

(For students without a B.S.W.)

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog. Applicants for the Foundation courses (offered only through the part-time Distance Program for students without a BSW) must meet the following standards:

  1. Satisfactory completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  2. At least 30 credit hours of liberal arts courses in such fields as biology, music, languages, anthropology, economics, political science, history, literature, sociology, psychology, and philosophy.
  3. A grade of C or higher in a statistics course prior to entering the Advanced Generalist Concentration portion of the MSW program.
  4. Willingness to abide by the National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics and the University of North Dakota Code of Student Life.
  5. An undergraduate GPA of 3.00 overall or a GPA of 3.00 in the last two years of the undergraduate program.
  6. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Admission Requirements for the M.S.W. Concentration Program

(For students with a B.S.W.)

Applicants for the Concentration courses must meet the following standards:

  1. BSW from a CSWE accredited program.
  2. An undergraduate GPA of 3.00 overall or a GPA of 3.00 in the last two years of the undergraduate program.
  3. A grade of C or higher in a statistics course.
  4. Willingness to abide by the National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics and the University of North Dakota Code of Student Conduct.
  5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
  6. Students who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher from the United States or English-speaking Canada are not required to submit the TOEFL.

Admission Schedule

  • Campus Program: Annual application deadline is January 15. Classes begin the following Fall Semester (August).
  • Distance MSW Foundation Courses: Applicants without a BSW must apply for Foundation courses. Annual application deadline is June 15. Classes begin the following Spring Semester (January).
  • Distance Program Concentration Courses: Applicants with a BSW are considered “Advanced Standing” applicants and apply for Concentration courses. Annual application deadline is November 15. Classes begin the following Summer Semester (May).

The Department of Social Work will continue to accept applications after the deadline if the cohort is not full.

Degree Requirements

(For students without a B.S.W.)

Students seeking the Master degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Social Work Department. Credit is not granted for life or work experience.

Degree Requirements for Students Completing Both Foundation and Concentration Courses:

  1. Successful completion of 60 credit hours of courses approved by the social work faculty with at least a 3.00 grade point average. The number of electives required is dependent on whether a student selects the independent study or the thesis option.
  2. Satisfactory completion of Foundation courses (24 credit hours).
    Foundation Courses
    SWK 501Human Behavior in the Social Environment I2
    SWK 502Human Behavior in the Social Environment II2
    SWK 503Generalist Practice with Individuals and Families2
    SWK 504Generalist Practice with Treatment and Task Groups2
    SWK 505Generalist Practice with Communities and Organizations2
    SWK 506Social Policy2
    SWK 507Generalist Research Methods and Analysis2
    SWK 515Generalist Practice Field Education I3
    SWK 516Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar I1
    SWK 517Generalist Practice Field Education II5
    SWK 518Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar II1
    Total Credits24
  3. Satisfactory completion of the Advanced Generalist Concentration courses (36 credit hours).
  4. Completion of the research capstone, SWK 997 Independent Study (2 credits), or SWK 998 Thesis (4 credits).
  5. Completion of at least 52 semester credits at UND. A maximum of 8 credits will be allowed for transfer.
  6. The development of a program of study in the semester in which the full-time student first enrolls in Concentration courses, or the second semester in which the part-time student enrolls in Concentration courses.

Degree Requirements

(For Students with a B.S.W.)

  1. Successful completion of 36 credit hours of courses approved by the social work faculty with at least a 3.00 grade point average. Students who complete SWK 997 Independent Study must complete 5 elective credit hours; students who choose to complete SWK 998 Thesis must take 3 elective credit hours.
  2. Satisfactory completion of the Advanced Generalist Concentration core courses listed below:
    Concentration Courses
    SWK 527Advanced Generalist Human Behavior and the Social Environment I2
    SWK 528Advanced Generalist Human Behavior and the Social Environment II2
    SWK 529Advanced Generalist Research Methods and Analysis2
    SWK 530Advanced Generalist Practice with Individuals2
    SWK 533Advanced Generalist Practice with Families2
    SWK 534Advanced Generalist Practice with Treatment Groups2
    SWK 535Advanced Generalist Practice with Communities2
    SWK 536Advanced Generalist Practice with Organizations2
    SWK 537Advanced Generalist Tools for Policy1
    SWK 580Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education I5
    SWK 581Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar I1
    SWK 582Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education II5
    SWK 583Advanced Generalist Practice Field Education Seminar II1
    Electives3-5
    Total Credits32-34
  3. Completion of the research capstone, SWK 997 Independent Study (2 credits), or SWK 998 Thesis (4 credits).
  4. Completion of at least 28 semester credits at UND. A maximum of 8 credits will be allowed for transfer.
  5. The development of a program of study in the semester in which the full-time student first enrolls in concentration courses, or the second semester in which the part-time student enrolls in concentration courses.

Thesis Option:

  1. Full-time students select a Faculty Advisory Committee by the end of the first semester of enrollment in Concentration courses. Part-time students select a Faculty Advisory Committee during the second semester of enrollment in Concentration courses.
  2. A proposal must be submitted no later than the semester prior to the student’s final semester.

Non-Thesis Option:

  1. Full-time students select a faculty adviser by the end of the first semester in Concentration courses. Part-time students select a faculty adviser by the second semester they are enrolled in Concentration courses.
  2. A proposal must be submitted no later than the semester prior to the student’s final semester.