Florida State's Online MSW....

As the first accredited program of its kind, I'm wondering if anyone knows if they are willing (or will be) to take out of state learners? Or are they only taking applicants from the Talahassee area?

 

Laura - Thanks for the tip. I have sent off an email to the relevant person asking the basic questions. I'll post the answers here when they arrive.
Jack

 

I have been told by Janet Berry, Director of part-time programs at the FSU School of Social Work that they have just graduated the second cohort from their totally online MSW program. The program is accepting admissions from all geographical locations with one proviso. All students must complete their internships in a live practice environment and all internships must adhere to the general guidelines of the School of Social Work. This means that the closer you are to there locations, the more assistance they can be in finding an internship placement. They have staff prepared to assist all enrolled students in this effort. Janet was very prompt in answering my questions and seemed excited that there might be people around the country interested in such a program. Thanks again Laura for the nice find.
Jack

 

THANK YOU!

Thanks Jack! I have enough social science credits to qualify for an entry level Social Work position with the county. My fear was that I wouldn't have the ability to work toward my Master's if I do this. However, I know for a fact that the social worker position here qualifies as practical hours for the local traditional MSW program. Therefore, I can't imagine it wouldn't qualify for the distance program. With 7 children I knew it wasn't feasible to work full time and go to a traditional program! This gives me a goal. Thanks for getting the info.

 

Re: THANK YOU!

I'm glad to hear that you might be able to take advantage of this great new program. However, I would advise you not to assume that your current job will count as an MSW internship. You may be able to do you internship at your current place of employment but internships typically have distinct requirements and are completed within the context of the degree program. Please check with FSU before you come to any conclusions.
Jack

 

Do you build a slum in your garage for the clinical credit??

BIG demand for MSW grads here in New Mexico. Lousy pay, though.

 

Re: Re: THANK YOU!

That's right. Page 3 in the Online MSW program handbook discusses that point.

http://ssw.fsu.edu/Part-Time_Online_Handbook.pdf

As a social worker, myself, I'm pleased that this program is available. I'll be sure to tell my friends.

 

Thanks Again

I called the school of social work here at Cal State San Bernardino, and apparently the county is pretty desperate for MSW's so they accomodate just about any requests. So if, when I'm done with my Bachelor's, I'm accepted into the program, all should be well. That is of course assuming I pass the county exam and get the job. So here's hoping (and studying). I take the ECE Abnormal Psych Saturday and the ECE Organizational Behavior next week to satisfy the last 2 upper division courses I need. My brain hurts. ROTFLMAO

 

Best of luck with your exams. Keep us updated on your progress.
Jack

 

Would RA masters in Psychology qualify for advanced standing?

Any one knows of school that is GAAP internationally or in US that will allow a person with Cal State bA in Psychology and National University Masters degree in Psychology to get a fast track to MSW.


Or significant credit transfer?

I compared the coriclums and found many similarities.
This is for a person who is working for the county as Social Worker for 4 years now.

Learner

 

Social Work schools tend to be very snobbish about such matters and the answer seems to uniformly be "no." You might sneak in a handful of credits but I'd be surprised if you got more than six. The standard defence is that Social Work, as a discipline that is separate from Psychology, has it's own philosophical slant on these subjects and that it is this factor that leads to the lack of equivalency. I think that we all recognize that there's more to it than that but regardless of our feelings on the topic, the fact remains that SW schools have a strong tendency to deny transfer of credits. If you find that I'm wrong in this matter, please let me know.
Jack

 

Well said, Jack. An old NASW brochure for employers from the early 1990's said something like, "You wouldn't hire a chemist for a nurse position. Why would you hire a liberal arts major for a social work position?!" Psychology, sociology, et al, are generally seen as insufficiently clinical by social workers. As interesting as the FSU program sounds, it does say that advanced standing is only for accredited BSW grads. It will be interesting to see if this continues, b/c some time ago U of Illinois eliminated their baccalaureate social work major, so "advanced standing" is harder to get even through B&M schools and programs.