MSW Program Overview
At the University of Montana, we are committed to excellence, creativity, and innovation in social work education. Today’s graduate-level social worker must be able to work with a diverse clientele and engage in practice at multiple levels, from counseling to community change.
At the University of Montana, we take an integrated-practice approach premised on the inseparability of individual struggles and social issues such as poverty, discrimination, oppression, and social injustice. We seek to engage individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in strengthening personal capacities, social programs, and public policies. We draw on the rich legacy of social justice work in creating a cutting-edge learning experience that prepares social workers for 21st-century challenges. Our advanced integrated-practice curriculum embraces the profession’s commitment to value-based social work practice and promotes social and economic justice by:
- grounding students in social work values and critical thinking;
- providing students with frameworks for understanding historical, political, and cultural contexts of practice, honoring difference, confronting oppression, and taking action for social justice;
- preparing students to bridge direct practice with individuals, groups, and families and the knowledge and skills of community building;
- teaching students to integrate research, policy analysis, and advocacy in their practice regardless of setting, problem area, or specific job description; and
- preparing students as social work leaders committed to promotion of empowering, participatory, social-justice-oriented practice.
- the MSW program is now offered to students to be completed online.
Which MSW Program Option is Right for Me?
- There are cost differences for each program.
- Tuition waivers may be available in the in-person and advanced standing MSW programs.
- Dual degree programs may be available to in-person and advanced-standing MSW students.
- Students interested in pursuing a dual degree are encouraged to communicate this early to relevant Social Work staff and faculty for planning purposes. Students in the Online MSW program may not take electives outside of the Online MSW program.
*Must have a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) from a CSWE-accredited institution
- The AS program is a 12-month, 37-credit, synchronous online MSW program.
- Students complete a 9-credit summer bridge program and two semesters with a course load of 14 credits/semester.
- Fall and spring semesters include a 600-hour practicum placement where students will gain hands-on experience in the field. This translates to approximately 20 hours/week of practicum and specialization year coursework.
- Some students in Employment-Based Practicums may maintain employment throughout the program, but most will opt to focus strictly on school and practicum during the fall and spring semesters.
Applicants must have:
- A BSW from a CSWE-accredited program or an international social work program recognized by CSWE through its International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Services
- GPA of 3.25 (or overall GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.25 in core social work courses)
Preference is given for applicants:
- With 2,000+ hours of post-BSW professional social work experience
- Overall GPA of 3.25 or higher
- BSW earned in the past 7 years.
- You may still apply if you have more than 7 years since receiving BSW/BSSW. Your resume clearly articulates social work experience and continuing education/training.
- Students complete a 60-credits over two (full-time) or three (part-time) academic years.
- Fall and spring semesters include a 450-hour practicum placement where students will gain hands-on experience in the field. This translates to approximately 15 hours/week of practicum and coursework.
- Some students in the 2-year track will maintain employment throughout the program, but many will opt to focus strictly on school and practicum during the fall and spring semesters.
- Many students on the 3-year track (part-time) track will maintain employment while attending.
Applicants must have:
- A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 for all undergraduate work, based on a 4.00 scale.
- If you have an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0, you may still apply but must write a brief statement regarding the low GPA and what strategies you will use as a grad student to maintain a 3.0 or higher.
- Students complete a 60-credits over three (part-time) academic years.
- All courses are taken online and asynchronously.
- During years 2 and 3, the fall and spring semesters include a 450-hour practicum placement where students will gain hands-on experience in the field. This translates to approximately 15 hours/week of practicum and coursework.
- Many students maintain employment while attending.
Applicants must have:
- A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 for all undergraduate work, based on a 4.00 scale.
- If you have an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0, you may still apply but must write a brief statement regarding the low GPA and what strategies you will use as a grad student to maintain a 3.0 or higher.
The UM Experience
A Supportive Learning Environment
Small class sizes, ready access to faculty, a strong sense of community, and an emphasis on student-directed learning characterize our educational environment. The integrated-practice approach invites students to take the initiative in designing and developing their educational experience.
A Dedicated and Accomplished Faculty
Faculty blend their commitment to student success and social work education with innovative research and practice contributions to social work theory, gerontology, child welfare, addictions, international social work, trauma, grief and loss, mental health, and community-based participatory research.
A Collaborative Approach To Education, Research and Practice
Faculty and students are involved in various research and practice opportunities, contributing to a dynamic teaching-learning context. These collaborative efforts have resulted in program and practice innovations that make a difference.
A Commitment to Enhancing Rural Social Work Practice
Rural areas face unique struggles as global forces play out in local communities. Our faculty and students are involved in creating and delivering programs and services responsive to the cultural, political, and geographic diversity of rural Montana, the Rocky Mountain West, and beyond.