Advanced Standing
Next cohort starts July 2011.
Candidates for the Loyola MSW program who hold a bachelors degree in social work may be eligible for advanced standing admission. In addition to meeting the basic application requirements for the MSW degree program, candidates interested in advanced standing must also demonstrate:
- successful completion of a bachelors degree in social work from a Council of Social Work Education accredited program
- an approximate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 in all undergraduate social work classes (in addition to the approximate 3.0 GPA in overall undergraduate courses required of all applicants)
- completion of the bachelors degree in social work within five years of entrance into the Loyola MSW program
Candidates who are beyond the five-year requirement since receiving a bachelors degree in social work who wish to be considered for advanced standing should:
- specifically request consideration for advanced standing in their application
- demonstrate that they have maintained current education and training in social work
- have continuous supervised work in the social service field that requires the application of social work knowledge and skill
Students with advanced standing are required to complete 34 hours of graduate credit including one field placement for one academic year. This group completes Summer Session II and then joins the second-year students.
Students with a bachelors degree in social work who do not meet the academic standards for advanced standing can petition to have their undergraduate social work courses reviewed for up to eleven credits of waived credit. Students then enter the Summer Session I with some courses waived. The review of students' coursework is made on an individual case, based on the courses' syllabi and the student's GPA.
Advanced standing students who are interested in becoming prepared to be social workers in Wisconsin school systems would also need to have a clinical field placement (4 credits) which can be completed over two terms (at two days per week) or in a block placement (fulltime). Students interested in clinical licensure in Illinois could follow either plan.