Ohio University's Master of Social Work (MSW) program offers the opportunity to prepare professionals for clinical and administrative practice in rural environments. The program combines a rural focus with social work's long standing commitment to confront social problems and alleviate obstacles such problems present. Considering the social problems of Ohio Appalachia, the purpose of Ohio University's Master of Social Work program is to:

1. Prepare social workers for administrative positions and clinical practice with individuals, families, communities, and organizations in rural environments;

2. Build upon a liberal arts perspective integrating knowledge, attitudes, ethics, critical and logical approaches to thought, communication, and practice;

3. Develop and disseminate knowledge about the practice of rural social work both directly and on behalf of individuals, families, communities, and organizations;

4. Create and respond to opportunities for research and service for rural social workers and the social welfare community;

5. Prepare to aid minorities and the disadvantaged of Ohio Appalachia by preparing social workers to respond to their needs.

A minimum of six quarters, 90 credit hours, will be required for completion of the Master of Social Work Degree. The curriculum includes both foundation and concentration content. The professional foundation is comprised of content on social work values and ethics, diversity, social welfare policy and services, social work practice, research, and field practicum. Concentration content includes knowledge, values, and skills for advanced direct practice or administrative practice. In order to meet graduation requirements, students must complete a minimum of 900 hours of a supervised field practicum. An Advanced Standing Program is also available for graduates of accredited social work programs who have earned exceptional GPAs and field evaluations.

Applications for admission must be received by the Ohio University Office of Graduate Student Service by February 1 of the calendar year of entrance. Admission to the MSW program is competitive. To qualify for consideration, applicants must have:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

• Eighteen quarter hours of social science (psychology, economics, political science, social work and sociology or anthropology) and a statistics course. Of the 18 hours of social science required, students must have at least one course at the 300 level.

• The professional and intellectual ability to perform graduate work satisfactorily. A cumulative minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale).

• Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Section.

• An official copy of all college/university transcripts, including one showing a baccalaureate from an accredited college or university.

• A completed application form, including applicant's Personal Statement.

• Evidence of a combination of personal qualities and values that are considered essential for the professional practice of social work: strong analytical and verbal skills and personal commitment to social justice, empowering individuals and serving vulnerable and underrepresented groups.

• Three letters of recommendation completed on the official forms: one from an academic source, one from a social work supervisor, and one from either of the two above.

• Further information as necessary: the school may request a personal interview if additional information about an applicant is required.

Process

Students may obtain application information via regular mail, e-mail, telephone or the Ohio University website. In response to a request for an application, the Office of Graduate Services will send each applicant an application packet within three days and a Graduate Catalog will be sent within six weeks in the United States (the latter is sent bulk mail, and is prohibitively costly to send out of the country). The Department of Social Work will simultaneously send applicants a letter requesting references and an outline for a personal essay. All applicants will also be referred to the University's website, where an application form and other information and materials can be obtained immediately.

Admissions Standards

Consistent with the Ohio University School of Arts and Sciences' Liberal Arts focus, applicants will be required to have earned a Bachelor's degree which reflects courses in quantitative analysis, human biology, the humanities and the social sciences, with coursework in at least one social science content area beyond the introductory level. For success at the graduate level, combined GRE scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytic portions should be near or above 1000.

Additional Admissions Standards for International Students

Recognizing that it takes additional time to obtain documentation and for students to obtain exit visas, the deadline for international applications is August 15 for a dmission a year from the following September. Admissions materials received after this time will be reviewed but admission may be deferred to the following year.

All undergraduate coursework must be reviewed and approved by the Arts and Sciences Graduate Office to ensure that they meet the content and grade standards of the program. In addition, international students for whom English is not their primary language must submit TOEFL scores of at least 600. The program reserves the right to deny admission to students based on low passing TOEFL scores alone, in consideration of the primacy which the ability to read, write, speak and understand English plays in Social Work coursework and fieldwork. Furthermore, the program reserves the right to require that students with moderate passing TOEFL scores enroll in the Ohio Program in Intensive English (OPIE) prior to their enrollment in the MSW Program for as many quarters as necessary to sharpen their ability to speak and comprehend spoken, idiomatic English.

Transfer Students

Students may transfer up to 12 graduate-level credits which were taken during the last five years and resulted in a grade of B or better. These courses must be equivalent to courses required in the Graduate Program in Social Work, as core coursework or electives. Students may be required to provide syllabi or other supporting materials to verify the course content.

Additional Admissions Criteria for Advanced Standing Applicants

The Advanced Standing Program is an accelerated curriculum option available to highly qualified graduates of baccalaureate social work programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Consideration is given only to those undergraduate social work graduates with superior academic standing and exceptional references.

Applicants seeking Advanced Standing admission must meet all the admissions criteria required for standard admission. In addition, Advanced Standing applicants must:

• have, within five years of graduate school admission, earned a baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the CSWE. The transcripts of applicants with a baccalaureate degree from a CSWE accredited social work program that is older than five years will be individually reviewed to insure completed courses comply with the current CSWE Curriculum Policy Statement.
• have a GPA of 3.25 for all undergraduate coursework.
• have a GPA of 3.5 for all undergraduate social work coursework.
• have a reference from their senior year field instructor.
• submit a copy of the most recent evaluation of their senior year field placement.

Standards for Stipended Admissions

Students who receive stipends will be required to demonstrate at least one, and preferably several, of the following characteristics:

• financial need, in relation to available income sources, tuition costs and dependents.
• the ability to make an exceptional contribution to the Master of Social Work Program as research assistant;
• experiences or other characteristics that would contribute to the breadth of experiences available to the student body and the field.

Evaluation Methods

The Admissions Process will be evaluated by the degree to which it and the students it identifies for admission meet the academic standards for admission to the Ohio University Master of Social Work Program, their relative scores on the criteria for admission to the program and the degree to which they as a cohort reflect the diversity characteristics outlined above and encouraged by the Council on Social Work Education.

Individuals with Disabilities

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability and protect qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination in educational programs. The law also requires that covered entities provide qualified individuals with disabilities with reasonable accommodations that do not impose undue hardship. An individual is considered to have a disability if that individual either (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of that person's major life activities, (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.

Ohio University and the Department of Social Work are committed to providing all admitted students with opportunities to take full advantage of the University's educational programs. It is further the policy of the University to enable those with disabilities to participate as independently as possible in Ohio University activities so that campus life will be enhanced and the individual lives of members of the University community will be enriched. Students should request accommodations and specify their requirements as fully as possible in their Application Essay.

Individuals who have been Convicted of Felonies

Applicants are advised that the Professional Standards Committees of the Ohio Counselor and Social Worker Board, in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code, may refuse to issue a license or certificate of registration to any person who has been convicted in this or any other state of any crime that is a felony in this state. Most other states have similar restrictions on Social Work licensing and/or certification.

Applicants who have been convicted of a felony are required to identify that fact in their Application Essay, and to supply documentation of the nature and disposition of the offense. If admitted to the program, these students may have restrictions placed on them in regard to field placements related to the nature of the felony conviction. Certain field placement agencies require criminal background checks as well. Students may be automatically denied admission or, if enrolled, terminated from the program if they have not been completed truthful or provided full and truthful information and documentation in and with the essay concerning felony convictions.

Please prepare a narrative typed, double-spaced, statement of 2-4 pages, with attachments, if necessary, addressing the following:

1. Your desire and interest in pursuing a graduate degree in social work, incorporating experiences in your personal background that have affected your decision as well as your understanding of the profession.
2. The personal qualities, strengths, abilities and skills that you bring to the profession.
3. The paid and volunteer experiences that you have had in helping people, specifying those in which you have worked with people with backgrounds and cultures different from your own, and how they have impacted on your desire for a career in social work. Please attach a resume, but discuss your work and volunteer experiences within the essay, as well.
4. The social work and social work related member organizations to which you belong or have belonged, and positions you have held in them, if any.
5. The reasons you wish to pursue your graduate social work education in a program with a rural focus, including the geographic location(s) where you hope to practice after graduation.
6. Whether you are seeking a specialization in clinical practice with individuals, families and small groups or policy and administration during your masters' education.
7. Your career goals upon graduation, short-term and long-term.
8. The level of your computer, quantitative analysis and research skills.
9. Whether there are any special factors that you wish the Admissions Committee to be aware of in considering your application to the program.
1. If you have a disability, please supply details complete enough for us to ensure that we can make any reasonable accommodations and provide you with an appropriate field assignment.
2. If you have a felony conviction, please provide documentation of its nature and disposition, and provide enough details to enable us to determine whether we can offer you a field assignment.
3. If spoken or written English presents a problem or is a second language, please address your proficiency and ask those providing references to do so as well.
10. If you are requesting Advanced Standing (which requires a baccalaureate degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program within five years, a GPA of 3.25 and a social work GPA of 3.5), please specify your preferred concentration (clinical or administrative), include a reference from your senior field instructor and a copy of your most recent senior field placement evaluation, be willing to provide additional information if requested and, if accepted, plan to engage in the field placement process during the Spring quarter prior to program enrollment.

General Description

The Probation and Termination Policy and Procedure is designed to accurately and fairly assess student performance, warn students of deficient performance, enable students to improve deficient performance during a probationary period and terminate students if their performance fails to improve during such a period, or if their performance reflects serious ethical or academic misconduct.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the policy is to monitor student performance and warn students of apparently deficient performance. Every effort will be made to warn students of such deficiencies, allow them to respond and correct misperceptions or to place them on probationary status, allowing them time to improve their performance and avoid termination. Deficiencies that are not improved within the probationary period will result in suspensions or terminations, however. In addition, serious ethical or academic misconduct, however, once determined, will be dealt with according to the University's Academic Misconduct policy, which states that,

"Academic Misconduct is a Code A violation of the Ohio University Code of Student Conduct. Academic misconduct refers to dishonesty in examination (cheating), presenting ideas or the writing of someone else as one's own (plagiarism), or knowingly furnishing false information to the University. If a student is found to be involved in academic misconduct, that student will receive an "F" in the course and a referral to the Director of the Judiciaries with the possible sanctions of expulsion or suspension."

Process

Students are required to maintain a 3.0 average. Students carrying a C or lower grade or below a 3.0 average will be considered to be on academic probation, and will be required to develop a plan with the relevant faculty to improve the average within the following quarter or face dismissal. Students must take the Foundation Field course concurrently with the appropriate level fieldwork assignment, which means that if they withdraw from one they must simultaneously withdraw from the other. No completed course may be retaken. No student will be retained who sustains a single failing grade in the field. Students may also be placed on academic probation or be terminated from the program for academic misconduct or violation of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics in the field or in the classroom.

Every effort will be made to contact the student and conduct a face to face interview to discuss the perceived problem and enable the student to respond. In the event that it is impossible to arrange such an interview the student will be contacted in writing. If the student denies the problem, or its seriousness, the student will be informed of his or her due process rights and the issue will be referred to the director of judiciaries. If the student agrees that the problem is as the faculty member states, a plan of action will be developed with the relevant faculty member, and with the Director of Field Instruction, Graduate Chair and/or Director of the Department, as appropriate. This plan of action will be monitored by the relevant faculty member and at least one other of the aforementioned faculty members. If the problem is so serious that it cannot be ameliorated, immediate termination may be recommended.

Intended Outcomes

By these methods the Ohio University Master in Social Work Program expects to ensure that all students enrolled in the program meet the academic, ethical and other conduct standards necessary for graduation and entrance into the profession of Social Work.

Evaluation Methods

The program will be evaluated by the members of the Graduate Admissions Committee, to ensure that it complies with University and professional standards, ensures student due process rights and effectively addresses problems in a fair, accurate and timely way.

Is the program accredited?

The Department achieved full accreditedstatus for the MSW with the Council on Social Work Education in November 2002.

What are the standards for admission?

Admission is competitive. Minimum standards include an earned Bachelor's degree with coursework in quantitative analysis, human biology, the humanities and the social sciences, coursework in at least one social science content area beyond the introductory level, a GPA at or near 3.0 and combined scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytic portions of the GRE of near or above 1,000. The Advanced Standing Program is an accelerated curriculum option available to highly qualified graduates of baccalaureate social work programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Consideration is given only to those undergraduate social work graduates with superior academic standing and exceptional references. Applicants seeking Advanced Standing admission must meet all the admissions criteria required for standard admission, and in addition must:

• have, within five years of graduate school admission, earned a baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the CSWE. The transcripts of applicants with a baccalaureate degree from a CSWE accredited social work program that is older than five years will be individually reviewed to insure completed courses comply with the current CSWE Curriculum Policy Statement.
• have a GPA of 3.25 for all undergraduate coursework.
• have a GPA of 3.5 for all undergraduate social work coursework.
• have a reference from their senior year field instructor.
• submit a copy of the most recent evaluation of their senior year field placement.

What are the standards for retention?

Students are required to maintain a 3.0 average. Students carrying a C or lower grade or below a 3.0 average will be considered to be on academic probation, and will be required to develop a plan with the relevant faculty to improve the average within the following quarter or face dismissal. Students must take the Foundation Field course concurrently with the appropriate level fieldwork assignment. No course may be retaken. No student will be retained who sustains a single failing grade in the field. Students may also be placed on academic probation or be terminated from the program for academic misconduct or a violation of the NASW Code of Ethics in the field or in the classroom. Academic Misconduct is a Code A violation of the Ohio University Code of Student Conduct. Academic misconduct refers to dishonesty in examination (cheating), presenting ideas or the writing of someone else as one's own (plagiarism), or knowingly furnishing false information to the University. If a student is found to be involved in academic misconduct, that student will receive an "F" in the course and a referral to the Director of the Judiciaries with the possible sanctions of expulsion or suspension.

Is financial aid available?

A limited amount of financial aid is available through the department. It will be awarded to students based on both academic excellence and financial need, and will be contingent upon performing work for the Department of Social Work. Students must have at least a 3.0 cumulative average to be eligible for financial aid, and may not receive aid during any quarter in which their cumulative average falls below 3.0.

What is the procedure for applying?

Applicants are required to submit an application, three letters of reference, an essay, an official transcript and GRE scores. Application forms are available from Graduate Admissions and on the University website, www.ohiou.edu/graduate; essay and reference forms will be forwarded to the applicant upon receipt of a request or application. Information about taking the GRE can be obtained by calling 1-800-GRE-CALL or at http://www.gre.org. To take the GRE at Ohio University, call 740.597.1537 or link to http://www.ohiou.edu/etc/

What is the deadline for applying?

Applications must be received by February 1 for consideration for Fall admission. International applications must be received by August 1 of the year preceding admission.

When will I learn if I have been accepted?

Acceptance letters will be sent out by the third week in April.

Are there rolling admissions?

Students are admitted only in the Spring and coursework begins only in the Fall quarter.

Does the program have night and weekend classes?

Presently, the majority of classes are scheduled after 3pm to accommodate field requirements. There are no weekend classes. Please note that the program cannot guarantee that the program can be completed only at night or only during the day.

May I attend the program part-time?

Presently, there is no part-time program; however, there are plans to begin one within the next few years. The program requires 16 hours of field work during the first year, as well as 16 hours of coursework each quarter, with field hours increasing to 20 hours during the second year. Therefore, the program should be considered a full-time commitment, and applicants should consider whether outside obligations would interfere with that commitment. Please note, too, that an explicit policy of the Council on Social Education dictates that all requirements for the MSW degree must be completed no more than 4 years from the date of the student's first enrollment in the program.

May I obtain advanced placement credit for my work or volunteer experience or my previous schooling?

The department expects that all applicants will demonstrate previous paid or volunteer field experience, and does not allow credit for such efforts.

May I transfer credits from another program?

You may transfer up to 12 graduate-level credits which were taken during the last five years and resulted in a grade of B or better. These courses must be equivalent to courses required in the Graduate Program in Social Work, as core coursework or electives. You may be required to provide syllabi or other supporting materials to verify the course content.