Florida State University Online MSW Degree Program
Program Options: Part-Time
Tuition: $9,684
Acceptance Rate: 58%
GRE Required: Yes
1-Year/Accelerated Option: No
Campus Visits Required: Yes
Fieldwork Hours: 944 (512 for Advanced Standing)
CSWE Accredited: Yes, through 2019
Application Deadlines: March 1st, June 1st, and October 1st
Overview
Established as State Seminary West on the Suwannee River in January 1851, Florida State University is a public, coeducational sea-grant ACC powerhouse that’s endowed for $584.5 million to nurture “Strength, Skill, Character” in 41,867 Seminoles from its 1,650-acre Panhandle campus. FSU is declared America’s 63rd best value by Kiplinger’s, 29th top college on the Social Mobility Index, 20th best-loved school in the Princeton Review, and 69th best master’s institution by Washington Monthly. Celebrating its 90th anniversary, the College of Social Work created the first accredited Online Master of Social Work worldwide in 2002. Upholding Nobel laureate Jane Addams’ values, the flexible, part-time MSW program utilizes Blackboard to provide first-rate advancement training asynchronously.
Strengths
According to the U.S. News & World Report, the Online MSW at Florida State University is the country’s 38th best graduate program of its kind. The College of Social Work admits three times yearly for online students who live 100+ miles from Tallahassee. Admission is restricted to nine states: Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The affordably priced MSW is further reduced with funding like the C. Aaron McNeece Scholarship. Two on-campus weekends are integrated for building professional skills and networks. Students are encouraged to join the NASW, Interprofessional Fellows Program, and Phi Alpha Honor Society. FSU also has state-of-the-art research facilities, including the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and Institute for Child Welfare.
Concentrations
Traditional Online MSW students build up fundamental practice skills before selecting one of Florida State’s two advanced specializations. The Clinical Social Work option focuses on the diagnosis and intervention of disorders that impair societal functioning. Here MSW majors fulfill the 24-credit benchmark and supervised fieldwork to take the ASWB exam for Licensed Clinical Social Worker designation. The College of Social Work has the Social Leadership MSW track to synthesize policy methods for organizational and community change in macro practice. Online certificates in Child Welfare Practice, Gerontology/Aging Studies, or LEAD in Social Work can be added.
Program Requirements
The FSU College of Social Work has outlined a 61-credit, part-time curriculum with 39 credits of coursework credits and 22 fieldwork credits in the Traditional MSW. Taking the Advanced Standing route waives 22 credits for a 39-credit degree that needs 27 didactic credits and 12 fieldwork credits. Both non-thesis Online MSW tracks end with SOW 5369, the advanced social work practice seminar. Program requirements must be fulfilled with an overall 3.0 GPA or better within seven years.
Related resource: Top 10 Affordable Master of Social Work Online (MSW) Degrees
Admission Requirements
Joining cohorts in the Florida State University Online MSW Degree Program will require proof of a four-year bachelor’s degree with liberal arts prerequisites in math, English, history, and natural science. The Advanced Standing MSW only considers students with CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work degrees who’ve tackled at least 400 hours of generalist fieldwork. Prospective FSU Seminoles are expected to achieve a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 undergrad credits. Even if grades are high, taking the Graduate Record Exam is necessary for a minimum verbal score of 148 and quantitative score of 151. International students must also certify English fluency with a paper-based TOEFL score above 550 or equivalent. Please submit the following materials for consideration:
• Online Graduate Application with the $30 fee
• Official copies of all undergrad/post-grad transcripts
• Two employment and two academic references
• Graduate Record Exam scores via code 5219
• Typed, double-spaced personal statement of 750-1,500 words
• Résumé of educational and social work experience
• Final fieldwork evaluation (Advanced Standing only)
Faculty
Florida State University reports a 24:1 student-faculty ratio with most Online MSW cohorts capped at 20-25 students. The College of Social Work’s dean, Dr. James Clark, is an NCTSN child welfare consultant and eight-time Charles Wethington Research Excellence Award recipient. The Online MSW Director, Fran M. Gomory, has taught since Spring 1999 and won the 2012 Professor of the Year Award. Pamela Graham MacDill, LCSW, was bestowed the 2012 Jeanene M. Janes Fellowship and University Teaching Award. Other esteemed faculty has earned Title IV-E Child Welfare, Florida DCF, and Florida Department of Education grants. Professors are also well-published in the International Journal of Social Work, Journal of Teaching in Social Work, Journal of Financial Therapy, and more.
Online Courses
The Online MSW Degree Program has Florida State post-grads log into Blackboard anytime to complete two courses, or six credits, per 16-week semester and one 12-week summer session. Traditional MSW students graduate within three years, while the Advanced Standing track takes 24 months part-time. Extra courses and campus visits are required in Dual MSW programs for the Juris Doctor, MBA, MPA, or M.S. in Criminology too. Experienced advisors give one-on-one mentoring to plot tailored curriculum with the following FSU online courses:
• Introduction to the Social Work Profession
• Human Behavior and the Social Environment
• Social Work Practice – Individuals & Families
• Social Welfare Policies and Programs
• Social Work Practice – Groups & Communities
• Social Work Research Methods
• Clinical Psychopathology and Diagnosis
• Theories and Practice of Crisis Intervention
• Organizational and Community Systems Change
• Personnel Administration in the Social Services
• Advanced Social Work Policy Analysis
Internships
Finishing the Advanced Standing MSW will involve two part-time fieldwork semesters of 256 clock hours for 512 internship hours total. Florida State’s traditional MSW majors have an additional two semesters of 216 clock hours for 432 internship hours total in the foundation phase. Post-grads need to spend 16-20 hours each week applying their skills during normal 9-to-5 business. The Office of Field Education directed by Katrina Boone, MSW, spreads field sites across the coverage area for convenience. Recent placements have included Home at Last, Center for Health Equity, Bridging the Gap Recovery, Citrus Health Network, Sequel Youth Services, North Dakota State Penitentiary, Goodwill Industries, Hubbard House, Emerald Shores Rehabilitation, C.O.P.E. Center, and Selah Freedom.
Contact
FSU College of Social Work
University Center, Building C
296 Champions Way
Tallahassee, FL 32306
(850) 644-4751
info@csw.fsu.edu
Known for programs like Operation Family Caregiver and the Wendy P. Crook Service Project, the College of Social Work instills the compassion, ethics, and strategies for Forbes’ #7 most meaningful job. Belonging to the SREB Electronic Campus, Florida State University delivers an Online MSW at a reasonable state school price to address America’s social worker shortage.