University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Master of Social Work
Program Options: Full Time/Part Time
Tuition: $15,186
Acceptance rate: Not reported
GRE Required: No
1-year/Accelerated Option: No
Campus Visits Required: Yes
Field Hours: 400 to 950 hours depending on the track
CSWE Accredited: Yes (1946)
Application deadline: December 1, 2018
See our ranking of the Top 10 Affordable Master of Social Work Online (MSW) Degrees.
Overview
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, or UIUC, enrolls more than 44,000 students and offers degrees in 15 colleges. The school has come a long way since its opening in 1867 when it was primarily an agricultural and engineering school after receiving federal land-grant status. Today, it is one of the major research universities in the country and is ranked highly by organizations including the U.S. News and World Report ranking it #52 in National Universities and Money naming UIUC the 22nd Best College for Your Money. The MSW program is also highly rated, coming in at #17 in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report.
Strengths
While most online programs allow for only minimal face-to-face contact, this program offers blended courses that meet a few weekends a month. Students get the benefits of group interaction while only minimally interfering with work schedules. Another highlight of the UIUC MSW programs is their internship block method. Students are required to finish all classes before beginning their field experience. This allows them to completely immerse themselves in their ‘job’ and focus on honing their skills in the workplace.
Concentrations
There are two primary tracks of MSW study offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Leadership and Social Change pathway focuses on big-picture aspects of social work and teaches students about public policy, community education, program development, and management. The Advanced Clinical option trains students to address the needs of individual clients. This track is further broken into three concentrations, each representing a different population. The Health Care concentration focuses on clients suffering from major health problems as well as the elderly. Graduates often find work in hospitals and nursing homes. The Mental Health branch trains students to coordinate services and provide support to individuals suffering from mental illness or addictions. The third specialty area involves Children, Youth, and Family Services, and these professionals work in fields like criminal justice, foster care, and homelessness prevention.
Program Requirements
In order to graduate from UIUC’s online social work program, students must satisfactorily complete between 64 and 72 credit hours. Advanced standing students are not required to take 4 courses of introductory work that traditional students need. While many of the required classes can be completed entirely online, some are blended courses which means students must meet on campus up to four weekends per semester. Upon completion of the didactic portion of the program, each student also takes part in a one or two-semester internship depending on concentration. Following this, students are eligible for graduation but will still need to apply for a social worker license in their state and pass the required exam.
Admissions Requirements
UIUC’s online MSW program admits two types of students, advanced standing and traditional. The only difference is that the advanced standing students graduated with an approved bachelor’s in social work within the last seven years and do not have to take the series of introductory classes. Admissions requirements for both groups are identical and include the following.
- Bachelor’s degree with 20 credit hours of social/biological sciences or humanities
- GPA greater than 3.0
- Human service work – professional or volunteer
- Demonstrable personality traits and abilities fitting for the social work profession
Each applicant must submit an application to the Graduate College, resume, transcripts, statement of purpose, and three letters of recommendation.
Faculty
The graduate student to teacher ratio is 15:1. Professors are primarily dedicated to teaching and work hard to remain approachable to their students. While teaching is their main goal, many of the faculty participate in research as well, often involving issues like substance abuse, childhood poverty, and rising mental illness.
Online Courses
All students who have not earned a bachelor’s in social work in the last 7 years need to take a series of foundation classes. These include the following.
- Human Behavior in the Social Environment
- Policy
- Research
- Practice Methods
Following this is a series of core graduate classes which expand on the basics of social work and include:
- Advanced Methods
- Advanced Human Behavior in the Social Environment
- Advanced Research
- Advanced Policy
After these classes, the requirements depend on particular track. For students working on the Leadership and Social Change option, the remaining classes include another graduate-level Human Behavior in the Social Environment class and Advanced Methods II. Students on the Advanced Clinical track take a class called Advanced Clinical followed by Advanced Policy and Advanced Methods courses in their particular concentration. In order to graduate, all students also complete at least two electives before their internship.
Internships
The MSW program requires an internship, either 1 or 2 semesters in length depending on concentration. The University of Illinois uses the Illinois Placement Plan for internships, meaning all coursework must be completed first. This way, students have a more immersive experience that is very similar to professional life. Designated faculty members help students find a placement relevant to their interests and career goals and then provide support for the student throughout the experience. Some internships involve patient counseling or discharge planning while others involve grant writing or policy research.
Contact
Cheryl Street
Admissions and Records Supervisor
(217) 333-2261
Social workers have a lot of professional responsibilities and often serve disadvantaged populations. Because of both the challenging nature of this work as well as the weight of its consequences, a comprehensive graduate education like that found at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is essential, and their online MSW program helps makes it more accessible.