About M.S.W.
Our exciting program makes graduate social work education accessible for working professionals as well as recent college graduates throughout the western and southern regions of Kentucky. We also welcome many students from nearby areas such as northwestern Tennessee, southern Illinois, southeast Missouri, and beyond. We have had international students from Taiwan, Jordan, and Oman... all in the few years since the first class was admitted in 2003.
Graduates are prepared as integrated social work practitioners with the values, theoretical knowledge, and skills to function at many levels of intervention: individual, family, group, organizations, and community.
M.S.W. Cohort Program
The MSW Cohort Programs for West Kentucky was designed to meet the needs of working professionals who desire to earn an advanced degree on a part-time basis while remaining employed full time. The program is designed for a specific number of students (cohort) to move through the program coursework together, taking the same classes and building peer relationships that will support each other.
As a student in this program, you will be able to complete the 60 hour MSW on a part time schedule in 4 years (2 years for advanced standing students) by taking 2 classes each fall and spring semester. Typically, you will attend class only one evening a week.
This cohort program provides a concise and contemporary course of study that is unique and relevant to the changing needs of today’s skilled and professional social worker. The program is characterized by:
- Curriculum that offers theoretical knowledge and practical application in order to create integrated social work practitioners who can function at many levels of intervention;
- Faculty that bring formal education and personal experience;
- Courses that are offered in traditional face- to-face, online, and hybrid formats to offer more flexibility in scheduling; and
- Sequencing that outlines a sure path to degree attainment with guaranteed seating and additional admissions and registration services
Goals
The goals of the program are designed to provide a level of competence that includes quality leadership that is grounded in the historical roots of the profession. The needs of the community along with the purposes of the profession influence the four goals of the MSW program. These goals are:
- To produce competent practitioners within rural areas.
- To increase the number of practitioners with professional values and standards of cultural competence who are creative and ethically accountable in their practice with diverse rural populations.
- To apply critical knowledge that cultivates and synthesizes an understanding of the complex needs within the culture of rural communities, including research, training, continuing education, and other relevant projects.
- To impact the social, economic, and political environments of rural areas in order to empower constituents and influence social welfare policies, practices, and services.
Admission Procedures
Application to the MSW program requires two separate applications.
Each applicant must apply both to the Graduate School as well as the Department of Social Work. Both applications can be found on the MSW website. A $40 non-refundable application fee is to accompany the application to Graduate Studies and applicants must make arrangements to have official copies of undergraduate transcripts sent from ALL previous universities attended to Graduate Studies. Only applications that have fulfilled all of the application requirements for the MSW Program and Graduate Studies will be considered complete.
MSW Program Admissions Standards:
- Undergraduate degree from an accredited university
- A GPA of 2.75 (Traditional Program)/3.0 (Advanced Standing) For an explanation of Traditional/Advanced standings, please visit www.wku.edu/msw
- Liberal arts background – at least 30 hours in liberal arts coursework (social sciences, humanities, natural science, communication, mathematics, etc) including at least one course in sociology, psychology, OR anthropology AND at least one course in American government, political science, OR economics. All courses counted towards the liberal arts requirement must have been completed with a final grade of "C" or higher.
- Students must have completed a statistics course. Any college statistics course which includes substantial content on descriptive and inferential statistics and completed within the last 7 years with a minimum grade of "C" will be accepted. (A research methods course is not sufficient.)
Contact
Lori Nicholas
WKU MSW Distance Learning Coordinator
Dept. of Social Work - Paducah Office
(270) 799 - 7705
lori.nicholas@wku.edu
Laura Ricke
WKU Cohort Programs Director
(270) 745 - 2481
laura.ricke@wku.edu
MSW Mission
In keeping with the tenets of the program, the purposes of social work, constituent needs, and the regional characteristics of south central and western Kentucky, the mission of the MSW program at WKU is to educate and prepare students for professional social work practice to meet the needs of increasingly diverse rural populations. The program is particularly dedicated to addressing the workforce needs of agencies working with Kentucky’s families and communities. In addition, the program emphasizes professional and scholarly service to the community, the state, and the nation.
