University of Houston, Online MSW
Program Options
Part-time only
Tuition
Tuition and consolidated fees $3,384- $3,771
Mandatory fees $236
Plus books and other expenses.
Acceptance rate
85%
GRE Required
No
1-Year or Accelerated Option
No, but there is an Advanced Standing program that presupposes a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and takes less time to complete.
Field Hours
900 hours for traditional program, 720 hours for advanced-standing students
CWSE Accredited
Yes
Application Deadline
March 1st
See our ranking of the Top 10 Affordable Master of Social Work Online (MSW) Degrees.
Overview
The University of Houston was founded in 1927 as the Houston Junior College. It offered only night classes. In 1934 the school was granted the authority to confer degrees as a four-year university. The University of Houston is the third largest university in Texas, conferring more than 9,000 degrees annually. There are more than 200 degree programs housed in fourteen colleges and schools and more than 40 research centers and institutes on the campus. The university is categorized as a research institution and as a doctoral university. The US News and World Report ranks this university as #192 of National Universities, but the College of Social Work is ranked as #24 in the nation.
Strengths
The online MSW program is formatted as a cohort program. That means students are involved with the same individuals throughout the program. This allows the formation of relationships that offer support while the degree is earned and a professional network after graduation. The cohort model also means smaller classes and greater interaction with professors. In addition, although online programs are meant to offer flexibility, they can permit students to become “lost” when they procrastinate completing assignments or studying. This online MSW program, although still flexible, has firm deadlines and structure to keep students on course.
Concentrations
The online MSW is offered with only the Clinical Practice concentration. For this, students must take Transtheoretical Cognitive Behavioral Intervention, Transtheoretical Brief Targeted Intervention, Clinical Applications of DSM and Clinical Electives.
Program Requirements
The Online MSW program begins with a 16-semester-hour foundational unit that focuses on social, economic and political justice and that teaches critical thinking skills. The first week of the first semester students take The Foundations of the Social Work Profession. It is a pass-or-fail introductory course. After that, there are six semester credit hours in integrated foundational courses followed by three credit-hours of research. In the spring semester, students complete 16 weeks of field experience plus a Practice Skills Lab and begin the first of their advanced-study courses. The traditional online program offered to people with a bachelor’s degree in any subject requires 63 semester-hours to complete. The Advanced-standing program takes 48 credit hours. There are four specialties offered within the Clinical Practice track: Clinical Practice with Families, Social Work Practice with Elders, Social Work Practice with Children and Adolescents and Social Work Practice with Groups. Some of the elective courses offered online that can be used to tailor the degree are Social Work and the Law, Contemporary Issues in Mental Health, Crisis Intervention and Grief and Bereavement.
Admission Requirements
Students applying to this degree program must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. They must also have earned a GPA of 3.0 or better. The application is completed online. Graduate applicants may submit a scanned copy of their official transcripts from post-secondary schools they have attended. Upon admission, students must send the official transcript to the University of Houston. Applicants to the graduate social work program must also submit the email addresses of three references, preferably educational contacts. The university will solicit letters of recommendation for the student through email. Students should also submit a resume and a personal statement through the online application portal. There is a non-refundable application fee of $60.
Faculty
There are 42 faculty members in the College of Social Work. The student-to-faculty ratio is approximately 9:1. Many of the faculty are engaged in projects such as surveys of homeless youth, parenting children considering the risk of deportation, and drug abuse research programs. Many also have published influential papers.
Online Courses
CPTS 6100 Curricular Practical Training
SOCW 6194 Field Practicum1-Foundation
SOCW 6201 Foundations of the Social Work Profession
SOCW 6202 Social Work Practice
SOCW 6203 Social Welfare Policies and Services
SOCW 6204 HBSE: Social Work Perspectives
SOCW 6304 Women’s Issues
SOCW 6305 Research and Knowledge Building for Social Work Practice
SOCW6306 Social Work Practice Skills
SOCW 6354 Managing Human Services Orgs
SOCW 6392 Field Practicum
SOCW Field Practicum II
SOCW 7191 Field Practicum Elective I
SOCW 7198 Special Problems
SOCW Advanced Practicum II in Pol Sw
SOCW 7291 Field Practicum Elective II
SOCW 7295 Adv Practicum II in Mntl Hlth
SOCW 7297 Selected Topics In Social Work
SOCW 7303 Child Abuse and Neglect
SOCW 7304 Transtheoretical : Brief Targeted Interventions
SOCW 7305 Evaluation of SW Practice
SOCW 7309 Contemporary Issues in Mental Health
SOCW 7315 Substance Abuse and Pharmacology
SOCW 7316 Clinical Social Work Practice with Latinos
SOCW 7317 Professional Self-Care and Social Work
SOCW 7318 Transtheoretical : Cognitive Behavioral Interventions
SOCW 7319 Administrative Practice in Social Work
SOCW 7324 Cl8nical Applications of DSM in Social Work
SOCW 7325 Assessment in Social Work Practice
SOCW 7326 Disparities in Health in America: Working Toward Social Justice
SOCW 7327 Comparative Human Behavior
SOCW 7329 Social Policy Advocacy
SOCW 7334 Dynamics of Leadership in Social Work
SOCW 7335 Strategies for Community Development
SOCW 7339 Professional Grant Writing for Social Work
SOCW 7340 Clinical Practice with Child
SOCW 7342 Practice Issues in Clinical Social Work
SOCW 7343 Clinical Practice with Families
SOCW 7347 Social Work Practice and Interventions in Schools
SOCW 7350 Minority Males in TX Criminal Justice System
SOCW 7352 Social Work with Latino Immigrants
SOCW 7356 Groups in Clinical Settings
SOCW 7360 International Social Work: A Comparative Approach
SOCW 7361 Clinical Social Work Practice with Elders
SOCW 7367 Advanced Social Policy Analysis
SOCW 7376 Social Work with LGBTQ Communities
SOCW 7378 Behavioral Health for Social Work Practice in Integrated Healthcare
SOCW 7389 Field Practicum IV-Macro Practice
SOCW 7393 Trabajo Social Comunitario: Practice in Latino Communities
Internships
Graduate students in the Social Work program at the University of Houston can complete practicum and internships at various private and government agencies and institutions. In addition, the University of Houston is one of only a
few schools that offer legislative internships.
Contact
Graduate Program
College of Social Work
University of Houston
4800 Calhoun Road
Houston, Texas
77204
713-743-8085
icolby@uh.edu
Program Website
Online programs offer great flexibility, but they also require great discipline in setting schedules and in meeting deadlines. Students who enjoy the freedom and challenge of online education will find the online MSW in Social Work at the University of Houston an intriguing and practical program.