Curriculum

MSW Requirement 

The School of Social Work offers 45 credit and 60 credit MSW program schedules. New Joint Program students with a BSW, MasterTrack Online Certificate, or in the 4+1 MSW Programs with UM Dearborn Human Services Program or UM Sociology are eligible to apply for the 45 Credit program. See MSW Program Schedules for details on these programs. All other incoming students must complete the 60-credit program. 

Students in the PhD program can substitute most of the required research or policy MSW foundation courses with doctoral social work and social science classes. Doctoral courses in social work, social science, or in other departments can substitute for other MSW required courses upon recommendation of the faculty advisor and approval by the Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the School of Social Work. 

The MSW Program allows 12 elective credits. All of these elective credits can be taken from any graduate program at the UM, including social science and Social Work PhD courses. Courses taken in the social science department while the student is enrolled in the School can serve, when approved, to fulfill departmental requirements for the PhD as well as to meet requirements for the MSW. The MSW degree is normally received at the end of the fourth full term of study, after required hours of course work is successfully completed. Students must have registered for a minimum of 30 of these hours in the School of Social Work. This total can include both MSW- and PhD-level social work courses. 

Doctoral students are advised to begin their social work field placements in their second term in the program and to complete their placement by the beginning of their second year. PhD students can, after consultation with the social work advisor, generally substitute up to eight (8) credits of research internship (or departmental equivalent) toward the MSW Field Placement.

Students apply for their MSW diploma via Wolverine Access in the semester before they complete their MSW program requirements. These students are encouraged to participate in the School of Social Work commencement.

Curriculum Structure and Course Requirements

Each student is required to take the following courses:

The four (4) curriculum areas are intended to cover the content distinctive to the social work component of the Joint Doctoral Program. Two (2) of the areas, Practice, Intervention, and Policy and Social Service Systems relate directly to the principal means by which social work and social welfare attain their objectives. The Research Methods for Practice and Policy area addresses the principles and methods by which knowledge of social work and social welfare is enhanced and the methods used to analyze, design, develop, and evaluate social work practice, social service systems, and social welfare policies. The Social Context for Practice and Policy area embraces the social context and conditions which affect the welfare and well-being of individuals and social groups, and which help shape the intervention methods, policies, and social service systems designed to meet human needs.

To preview an example course plan for Anthropology, Psychology, or Sociology please click on the link below: 

• Anthropology Pre-MSW and Post-MSW Course Plans
• Psychology Pre-MSW and Post-MSW Course Plans
• Sociology Pre-MSW and Post-MSW Course Plans

Time to Degree Expectations

Students who enter the Joint Doctoral Program should aim to earn the PhD degree within six (6) years. Students are expected to have achieved candidacy by early September of their fourth year. They are expected to have satisfied all degree requirements, including satisfactory completion of the social work preliminary examination not more than three (3) months after achieving candidacy as well as completion of the dissertation not more than five (5) years after achieving candidacy but not more than seven (7) years after first enrollment in the Doctoral Program.