Advanced Standing Program and Scheduling Options
34 semester credits, minimum
This program is available to students who have earned a bachelor's degree in social work from an undergraduate program that was accredited by CSWE at the time the degree was awarded.
To be eligible for advanced standing, a student must begin his/her graduate program within seven years of completing the undergraduate degree. Prospective students whose B.S.W. is more than seven years old can have their transcripts evaluated for eligibility for the advanced standing program
Students accepted for advanced standing may be required to take credits beyond the 34-credit minimum in the following circumstances:
- the undergraduate program did not contain foundation curriculum content required in the SSW program
- the undergraduate degree in social work is more than seven years old or
- the student earned a grade of less than B (3.0) for an undergraduate class that replaces a graduate foundation class.
Additional requirements beyond the 34-credit minimum are determined through a review of the undergraduate transcript and sometimes through a review of syllabi in the undergraduate curriculum. SSW informs students of additional requirements at the time it offers admission.
The following applies to all students in the advanced standing program who study on the Twin Cities campus:
- Students can take classes on a full-time (at least three classes per semester) or part-time (at least two classes per semester) basis.
- Students complete at least one field placement of 500 hours. The field placement can be completed over the course of the academic year, concurrent with the required concentration course work or in a block placement over the summer following completion of the required concentration courses. A concurrent placement requires about 16 hours each week from September through May. A block placement requires 40 hours each week over the majority of the summer.
- Students who choose a summer block field placement face an overall increase in tuition as a result of matriculating in an additional registration period.
- Students with advanced standing can attend on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota or at the distance education sites on the campus of Minnesota State University Moorhead or the University of Minnesota Rochester.
- Studying full time, students can complete the advanced standing program in 12 calendar months. Studying part time, students can complete the program in two to three academic years.
Advanced Standing Scheduling Options
Thursday, Friday, Saturday (TFS) Option
Classes are scheduled Monday
through Saturday, with most required classes scheduled on Thursday and
Friday, during the day. This option is available only to students on the
Twin Cities campus. Students who take the TFS Option may choose either
the direct practice or
community practice concentration.
Weekend-exclusive Schedule Option
Classes meet every weekend on
Friday evenings (until approximately 8 p.m.) and all day Saturday.
Although students may complete their course work on weekends, certain
required program components (field, new student orientation, etc.) are
held during weekday hours.
The School of Social Work offers only the direct practice concentration to students who choose the weekend-exclusive schedule. Students who study through distance education are limited to the weekend-exclusive option.
Students can meet all of their degree requirements through weekend-exclusive study during the academic year. They may choose to take summer session classes, but these classes are not offered in the weekend- exclusive format.