Master of Social Work

The School of Social Work offers a professional program culminating in a Master’s degree in Social Work. Our goal is to prepare students to enter professional, critically conscious social work practice. Students learn to practice as professional social workers with persons and groups representing the range of human diversity and with all size systems (individuals, families, groups, communities and institutions). In addition, students are prepared for advanced practice in the following areas of specialization: Child and Family Wellbeing, Adulthood and Aging, and Integrated Health. The MSW Program emphasizes ecological and systems perspectives with a critical social work lens to focus on the fit and interactions of a person or system in relation to the various environments likely to be encountered. Within these perspectives, values, knowledge, skills and behaviors are applied in a change-oriented process within a diverse context to help individuals and social systems achieve improved quality of life and social participation, including advocacy for just institutions and equitable access to opportunities and resources.

Prospective applicants to the MSW program must meet the following admission criteria:

A bachelor's degree and be eligible for admission to graduate status at CSULB.
Satisfactory academic achievement as evidenced by a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or above on a 4.0 scale.

Admission to MSW Advanced Standing Program

Students who have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and hold an undergraduate degree from a Social Work program that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education may be conditionally accepted to the MSW Advanced Standing program. Upon successful completion of an intensive Summer Bridge program (see below), the foundation courses (30 units) will be waived and students will be advanced to candidacy and begin the second year of the 2-year MSW program. Admission to the Advanced Standing program is conditional until all Summer Bridge modules have been successfully completed.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Paper-based 550; Internet-based (iBT) 80

IELTS 6.0 each sub-section

Pearson Test of English 58