San Jose State University MSW Hybrid
Program Options: Part-Time
Tuition: $7,176
Acceptance Rate: 53%
GRE Required: No
1-Year/Accelerated Option: No
Campus Visits Required: No
Field Hours: 1,200
CSWE Accredited: Yes (1973)
Application Deadline: February 1
See our ranking of the Top 10 Affordable Master of Social Work Online (MSW) Degrees.
Overview
San Jose State University is a large public university that also goes by the names of SJSU and San Jose State. Founded in 1862 as the California State Normal School, it originally offered specialized programs for future teachers. The school later made the transition to a state college. Known as California State University, San Jose for two years in the 1970s, it is now an independent university. According to U.S. News & World Report, San Jose State’s social work department is the 75th best social work department in the country. Money Magazine ranks San Jose State as a Best Value College because of its low tuition rates.
Strengths
One of the more unique aspects of the online MSW program that San Jose State offers is that it’s only available as a part-time program. Despite not allowing students to enroll on a full-time basis, the program still helps students graduate in just two years. Traditional part-time students spend three years working on their degrees because they either take classes or do internships. Online students will take classes at the same time that they do their internships. Students can sign up for longer classes that run for 11 weeks or shorter classes that end after just three weeks.
Concentrations
Though San Jose State doesn’t use the word concentration, it does offer specialized fields of study within its social work program. Students can focus their studies on health and mental health, aging or youth and children studies. Those who choose the health and mental health option will take classes on mental health diseases and conditions, counseling methods and the evaluation and assessment of health practices and policies. The aging program deals more closely with the issues facing the aging population in America. Students can focus their studies on youth and children and take classes on working with younger clients. They’ll also learn how to identify the signs of abuse and what to do when they believe someone is a victim of abuse.
Program Requirements
SJSU divides its online/hybrid social work program into different segments. Students will take classes that last for several weeks or more at a time, and many students take two or more classes during each available session. They also spend 24 weeks doing fieldwork. The university creates a schedule at the beginning of the calendar year and expects students to follow this schedule for the rest of the year. They will work with their advisers to ensure that they complete all course requirements.
Admissions Requirements
As San Jose State is part of the California State University system, it uses the Cal State Apply website. This website allows students to create their own individual accounts and log in and out anytime they want as they work on their applications. One section of the application asks students to list their contact information and name an emergency contact and list that individual’s contact information. The application includes sections for students to list their professional and educational experiences.
The university’s social work department typically lists the deadline for applications at the beginning of October each year. This deadline can change from year to year. Students must complete the entire application, submit the application and provide the university with official transcripts from any schools of higher education they attended in the past before this deadline.
There are some admissions requirements and prerequisites in place for incoming MSW students too. SJSU requires that these students have a bachelor’s degree and an undergrad GPA of 2.5 or higher. They must also have some social work experience and a foundation or background in liberal arts courses.
Faculty
Though online programs often limit the contact that students have with their instructors, San Jose State encourages professors to form working relationships with their students. Students can use the online system to chat with their professors on class discussion boards and through an email system. Many professors also provide students with private contact information such as their personal email addresses and/or phone numbers. The professors working for SJSU have decades of experience and knowledge that they pass on to their students.
Online Courses
San Jose State asks students to complete at least 60 credits of work over the course of this program. Though students can do their fieldwork in any state, they will take all their classes online. Some of these courses relate to the fields that students choose to study, but the remaining classes are required courses that all MSW students take.
All students take a class called Human Behavior in the Social Environment that looks at how social situations change the ways in which people grow and thrive. A Research Methods and Design course teaches students how to conduct independent research and how to design their own experiments. The program also features courses like Social Policy Analysis and Aging and the Aged.
Internships
Students in this social work program must do two semesters of fieldwork each year. Each semester will last for 15 weeks. MSW students will work in a facility, agency or organization for two days out of the week. They can work on Tuesday and Wednesday or Thursday and Friday, but they must do a total of 16 hours of work each week.
The amount of work required increases in the following years. Students will then do 24 hours of work over the course of three days. The university allows students to complete this requirement over two semesters or three semesters. By the time they graduate, students will complete at least 1,200 hours of fieldwork. Many students choose to work in different agencies each semester or each year.
Contact
One Washington Square,
San Jose, CA 95192
(408) 924-1000
Students who complete this program can become licensed social workers and work for government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The San Jose State University online MSW ranks as one of the top programs for social work majors and one of the most affordable programs too.