2024-2025 Graduate Catalog Social Work

Illinois State University School of Social Work completes criminal background checks for all BSW and MSW candidates and reserves the right to deny admission based on application materials, previous academic record and records of past conduct, including but not limited to the results of a criminal background check or registration of a sex offense.

Any offers of admission are contingent upon successfully completing and passing a national background check. The school may refuse or revoke admission for the following: misrepresentation of self, criminal behavior, results of the national background check, and/or behavior that interferes with performing professional duties.

If admitted to the MSW/BSW program, any applicant or student with a criminal background may not be eligible for some field instruction placements. In addition, the applicant or student may not be eligible for licensure after completing the requirements for the MSW/BSW degree. Many agencies require criminal background checks as a condition for accepting a placement in their program. It is the student's responsibility to inquire with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation or other professional licensure boards to determine their licensure eligibility.

Once admitted to the MSW/BSW program, students must report any new information or criminal convictions and adhere to the Professional Standards of the University and the School of Social Work. Students must meet the criteria for professional and ethical behavior as set forth by the School of Social Work.

A 60-hour, two-year program for fulltime students, students may also choose part-time programs and should consult with the advisor. New students who have undergraduate degrees in fields other than social work or from non-accredited schools of social work complete the full program. Students with undergraduate social work degrees from programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education may be given advanced standing and complete the 30-hour advanced curriculum.

NOTE: Academic credit for life experience and/or previous work experience is not given, in whole or in part, in lieu of any social work course.

A student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all required courses to retain degree candidate status and earn a grade of C or better in each course (with the exception of field-related courses, which require a grade of B or better or Credit if graded on a Credit/No Credit Scale) to be eligible for School of Social Work practica. Enrollment in the practicum courses requires degree candidate status and must be planned in advance with the Director of Field Education. In addition, all requirements for the M.S.W. degree must be completed within six calendar years beginning with the date the student first registers as a degree candidate.

Child and Family Practice Sequence

Required courses include:

• 30 hours of required courses in the foundation curriculum: SWK 402, SWK 406, SWK 412, SWK 413, SWK 414, SWK 418, SWK 419, SWK 422, SWK 444, and SWK 498A01 or waiver of these courses due to advanced standing upon program admission
• 24 hours: SWK 445, SWK 448, SWK 450, SWK 454, SWK 456, SWK 457, SWK 491, SWK 492, SWK 498A03 and SWK 498A04
• 6 hours of elective courses approved by the departmental advisor

School of Social Work Sequence

Required courses include:

• 30 hours of required courses in the foundation curriculum: SWK 402, SWK 406, SWK 412, SWK 413, SWK 414, SWK 418, SWK 419, SWK 422, SWK 444, and SWK 498A01 or waiver of these courses due to advanced standing upon program admission
• SED 411
• 24 hours: SWK 445, SWK 448, SWK 450, SWK 454, SWK 461, SWK 463, SWK 491, SWK 492, SWK 498A03, and SWK 498A04
• 3 hours of elective courses approved by the departmental advisor

The School reserves the right to enforce professional standards of practice as specified in the Illinois Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act and the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. These standards may be taken into consideration in program retention decisions. Students have the right to appeal these decisions.

A multidisciplinary program designed to offer a limited number of academically and professionally oriented graduate experiences in aging. The graduate certificate is located within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in cooperation with the Departments of Family and Consumer Sciences, Psychology, Health Sciences, the School of Social Work, and Communication Sciences and Disorders. Please consult this Graduate Catalog and the program coordinator in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology for details.

For Social Work Students

The WGSS graduate certificate sequence offer students a conceptual vocabulary for recognizing the intricacies of power and teaches them to identify the barriers that hold social inequalities in place. The sequence’s intersectional approach to social issues increases cultural competency by providing practitioners with a working social justice conceptual toolkit that is easily integrated in their professional work.

This 12-hour graduate certificate encourages social work practitioners not only to understand more fully the daily obstacles their clients face, but also to empower their clients by providing them with the skills they need to succeed. Please consult this Graduate Catalog and the WGSS program advisor for details.

Interested students who have previously completed a master's in social work degree but wish to obtain a professional educator license with a "school social worker endorsement" from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) may complete the required coursework and a school social work practicum placement. The program is offered part-time over 2 years; the first year consisting solely of coursework and the second year consisting of a 700 hour practicum placement in a school setting with a school social worker and a concurrent seminar course. During the program, students also complete the required social work "content exam" and reading modules, which allows them to be eligible to apply for and obtain licensure from ISBE upon completion of the certificate program. Thus, when all course and field practicum requirements are met, students submit their application to ISBE to receive their "professional educator license (PEL) with a school social work endorsement".

17 total hours are required

3.0 cumulative GPA is required

The required courses must be completed with grades of "C" or better (with the exception of field-related courses, which require a grade of “B” or better or Credit, if graded on a Credit/No Credit scale).

Required courses (17 hours): SWK 461, SWK 463, SWK 491, SWK 492, SWK 498.03, SWK 498.04; SED 411