Social Work, Community Mental Health Concentration, M.S.W.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet the CSU requirements for admission to a master’s degree program. Please consult the Graduate Admissions  section in this catalog for complete information. In addition, requirements for admission to conditionally classified standing in the program include:

• Commitment to a two- or three-year course of study for completion of the M.S.W. program
• Have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in the last 60 semester units or last 90 quarter units as documented by official transcript(s) from all higher education institutions attended
• A strong liberal arts undergraduate foundation that is similar to the undergraduate graduation requirements from the California State University or University of California systems
• Evidence of language skills and/or cultural experiences appropriate to the diverse communities to be served
• One year of paid or volunteer experience in a human service context or related area
• Submission of a personal statement self-assessment essay. Students must respond to essay questions explaining why they would be good candidates for the program, including a description of their experience and/or commitment to social work, evidence of personal qualifications, motivation and potential that shows promise of becoming a successful social worker
• Submission of three letters of reference, including professional references and those from academic instructors
• Completion of an interview
• Submission of two applications - a CSUmentor (Cal State Apply) application and the Department of Social Work application submitted online to the department
• For international students from countries where English is not the official language, a score of 575 on the paper exam is required. A student scoring between 555-574 on the paper exam or 83-88 on the Internet-based TOEFL may be admitted conditionally depending upon an evaluation of the entire application file
• Accessibility Issues - Special accommodations for disabled students will be made on an individual student, as-needed basis in compliance with the CSUF Catalog (online catalog at fullerton.edu/disabledservices/handbook/SupportiveServices.htm).
  Please contact the department chair for more information
• Submission of an academic or professional piece of writing
• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) may be submitted as an optional form of documentation, but is not required

Classification and Advancement to Candidacy

Advancement to classified standing and candidacy requires the student to maintain continued good academic standing in all coursework and field experiences. In the case of unsatisfactory academic performance, the chair of the Social Work department, with the approval of the Office of Graduate Studies, shall recommend remediation or dismissal of a student.

Under special circumstances, a graduate student may be approved for a one-semester leave of absence or, with approval of the Social Work department, for a two-semester leave in extraordinary circumstances. For such consideration, the student must be in good academic standing. (See the “Graduate Regulations ” section of this catalog for additional details concerning advancement to classified standing or candidacy.)

Students will be required to meet with their faculty adviser and declare a concentration during their first semester of study.

Advisement

Upon admission to the program, each student is assigned to a faculty adviser. Advisers provide academic assistance, help students develop official study plans and monitor their progress throughout the duration of enrollment. Students must consult their adviser on a regular basis.

M.S.W. Curriculum

The M.S.W. requires completion over two years of full-time study, or a three-year program that slightly modifies this course of study and spreads the 60 units over three years. Foundation coursework is based on a generalist social work practice curriculum that prepares students for advanced academic work in one of three concentrations - Aging, Child Welfare or Community Mental Health. Students are exposed to lifespan perspectives that address life cycle issues and concepts from birth to old age. While the concentrations are designed to allow students to focus on a particular population, it is expected that the student’s education will involve sufficient foundational content to allow him or her to transfer this knowledge to any population or service setting.

The program will emphasize a Direct Practice method. This methodological approach is designed to prepare students for advanced practice and leadership roles in public and nonprofit social services agencies and in voluntary agencies serving children, youth and families and in those providing community mental health services to the chronically and seriously mentally ill.

Total (60 units)