Social Work Essentials FAQ

Learners should first review the Coursera Learner Help Center. Following this, questions can be emailed to [email protected].

Learners should first post their questions in the course Discussion Forum. They can also plan to visit the planned Office Hours session for the course. Following these options, learners can email [email protected].

The first step is to try to change sessions yourself. When you are in the course, you may see a button at the top that says "Reset my deadlines". If you have access to that button, you can click it and manually move yourself to the session that begins on a date that better suits your schedule. If you do not have the option to reset you can either just wait until the new session becomes available and then enroll or you can email [email protected] for assistance.

MasterTrack courses have a fixed schedule, which means you need to complete all your coursework during a specific time period. Courses have hard deadlines which you can't reset. You may be able to switch sessions if you fall behind.

MasterTrack courses have a fixed schedule, which means you need to complete all your coursework during a specific time period. Courses have hard deadlines which you can't reset. You may be able to switch sessions if you fall behind.

No. The Certificates do not award "credit"; instead, they allow you to reduce the number of credits you take if you come to the University of Michigan School of Social Work. There are not any credits that can be transferred in toward the completion of the Social Work Essentials or MasterTrack Certificate.

The certificate programs allow learners to explore the content covered in foundation courses covered at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. They could provide for advancement within a current position or could be used to add to a resume in hopes of obtaining a social work/social service position. The certificates can also allow qualified applicants to complete the MSW degree in less time. This will result in a cost savings for the MSW degree.

New registration for the MasterTrack Certificate (MTC) via Coursera closes in October 2024. Beginning in January 2025, the MTC program will change its name and platform. The same great content and curriculum will be available as the Social Work Essentials Certificate (SWEC).

Students can enroll in any cohort, but should align the ending of their cohort with the start of the MSW program, if they are planning to pursue the full MSW degree following certificate completion. To inquire about this, email [email protected].

No. The MasterTrack certificate was designed to be completed over a 6 month period (taking 2 classes at a time), or a 4 month period (taking 3 classes at a time). It is strongly discouraged for students to take more than 3 classes at a time, unless they are working on the MasterTrack full time. Each course is approximately 8-weeks long.

You can expect to spend between 3 and 4 hours per week on a Social Work Essentials/ MasterTrack course.