Online Master of Social Work

OpusVi™ and NAU have worked together to make the Master in Social Work accessible to Social Work leaders. Applicants must fulfill certain requirements for admission:

• The MSW, Advanced Standing with a Healthcare Emphasis requires a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited program within the last 5 years, or a BSW from a CSWE-accredited institution within the last 10 years, in addition to a minimum of 5 years human service experience.
• an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 on a 4-point scale. 
• Field Evaluation from your BSW field placement is a part of the application process
• Professional readiness, student-specific skills
• The following states have enrollment restrictions:
  • California, Florida, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia

1. Fill out Graduate Application - https://www.applyweb.com/northazg/index.ftl 
2. Respond to the following questions in the Personal Statement:

Describe any experiences, professional and/or personal, that influenced your selection of social work as your professional career.  What interests you in social work practice in a medical setting?  How do you plan to apply the skills acquired from the MSW Program into a future healthcare setting?  

Discuss your understanding of the term social justice and how that applies to public health issues. How do you anticipate using the skills learned from the MSW Program to promote social justice to advocate for the needs of marginalized populations?  Reflecting on your experiences serving vulnerable populations, discuss how these experiences impacted your understanding of the role power and privilege play in your own life.  

Explain your rationale for selecting the NAU MSW Healthcare emphasis program. What skills and attributes can you contribute to the profession of social work?  What challenges may arise for you as a graduate level student (i.e. professional writing, time management, communication, self-care, etc.)? What informal and formal supports will you employ to overcome these challenges? 

The MSW program’s field education requirement includes being available for the 15 hours of field placement (internship) during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Discuss the time management and organizational strategies you plan to use to balance the demands of the academic coursework, field education, and personal obligations to be successful in the MSW program. Please share your current geographical location, including the city and state you prefer to complete your Field Placement (internship).

*If you don't meet GPA criteria, include the rationale for your lower GPA and strategies to be successful as a graduate level student.

1. Campus: select Organizational Partnerships Online
2. Degree: Select Masters
3. Program: select Social Work, Advanced Standing, Master (Organizational Partnerships-Online)
4. Upload the following materials to the online application: 
   1. Unofficial transcripts can be loaded to the application to determine admission status.
   2. Official transcripts are needed and must be sent by the student’s undergraduate institution to NAU.
   3. NAU graduates - Students who earned a bachelor’s degree from NAU do not need to submit official transcripts. 
   4. Upload the final or mid-point BSW field evaluation. 
   5. References – supply two  references, name and email address, from supervisors, professors, professional colleagues or other community associates. The references will be sent an electronic form to complete for the student. At least one reference should be related to faculty/field placement during the BSW. References provided from friends, family members or significant others are not appropriate to include in this application process.

Official Transcripts - send to

NAU Graduate Admissions

PO Box 4084

Flagstaff, AZ 86011

or Gradadmissions@nau.edu

39 Credits - Each Course is 3.0 Credits

SW 557 – Foundation Social Work Practice:

The course will provide conceptual, theoretical, and empirical knowledge related to direct practice strategies across client systems including individual, families, groups, communities and organizations. Additionally, this course will examine and discuss key direct practice concepts and social work frameworks that inform culturally competent social work practice across various client systems.

SW 556 – Diversity & Social Justice:

The purpose of this course is to better understand the nature of social justice and human rights within the framework of social work practice, values, and ethics. The course content addresses social justice issues within sociopolitical patterns of power and privilege.

SW 555 – Social Work Research Methods:

This course prepares students with research methods knowledge and skills to become effective consumers and producers of research knowledge. The course covers problem formulation, research design, data collection and analysis, and the social context of social work research, including the systematic evaluation of practice.

SW 620 – Health & Mental Health Policy:

Examination of current healthcare policies, their historical development within the context of social and economic justice, and analysis and advocacy tools for social change.

SW 621 – Evolving Perspectives & Trends in Health & Wellness:

This course explores the dynamic landscape of health and wellness from a social work perspective.  Students will critically examine evolving trends, models, and theories related to health promotion, prevention, and intervention.  

SW 622 – Direct Practice in Mental & Behavioral Health I: Children & Adolescents:

This course will explore mental health issues as they apply to children and adolescents. Students will learn how to engage, assess, and treat and evaluate diverse client systems in diverse professional settings.

SW 623 – Direct Practice in Mental & Behavioral Health II: Adults & Aging Populations:

This course will explore mental health issues as they apply to adults and the aging population. Students will learn how to engage asses, treat and evaluate diverse client systems in diverse professional settings.

SW 650 – Advanced Topics in Social Work: Death, Dying & Grief:

This course addresses the theoretical framework of death, dying, and grief from  cultural and philosophical diverse perspective.  Coping and resiliency in loss are explored, emphasizing the diversity of human response to death. Skills will develop skills to assist clients through the inevitable human experience of loss.  

SW 650 – Advanced Topics in Social Work: Substance Use:

This course will provide an overview of the addiction process.  Theories of addiction counseling and application of these theories will embody a significant component of this course, particularly with assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning for individuals, families and groups.  Students will develop knowledge, practical skills, and awareness pertaining to the etiology of addiction and evidence based treatment modalities to effectively target substance use disorders.     

SW 636 – Program & Practice Evaluation:

Students will learn program and practice evaluation methods and apply these methods through course assignments.

SW 637 – Organizational Leadership, Administration & Supervision:

This course provides an introduction and overview of the methodologies for leadership, supervision, management, administration and planning within social service settings. Topics such as decision-making, conflict resolution, fiscal management, fundraising, legal issues, program and staff development are functions of the supervisory and administrative role that are covered during the course. The course covers skills of effective leadership at all organizational levels.

SW 695 – Advanced Field Education I:

Educationally focused enhanced internship in a practice setting with direct application of knowledge, values and skills of advanced generalist social work.

SW 696 – Advanced Field Education II:

Educationally focused enhanced internship in a practice setting with direct application of knowledge, values and skills of advanced generalist social work.

1. Upon completion of this program, students will be equipped with the necessary knowledge, values, and skills to emerge as proficient Advanced Generalist social workers to serve healthcare settings. 
2. Students will demonstrate the capability to engage in planned change processes at the individual, family, group, organization, and community levels to improve health outcomes. 
3. Students will be adept at addressing the unique needs of diverse rural, vulnerable, disenfranchised, and underserved populations, both within local and regional contexts, as well as on a global scale to address public health issues.
4. Students will be able to contribute to the advancement of social work practice by effectively utilizing and enhancing research knowledge and skills. They will demonstrate the ability to apply research methodologies in healthcare settings, critically evaluate existing research literature, utilize ethical applications for conducting research among vulnerable populations, and contribute to the development of new knowledge within the field of social work.
5. Students will be prepared to assume leadership roles in the development, implementation, and evaluation of services tailored to healthcare settings serving diverse populations. They will acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively navigate the complexities associated with providing services in such contexts, demonstrating competence in strategic planning, organizational management, and outcome evaluation.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) indicates that the field of social work is projected to grow by 7% over the next decade, faster than any other occupation. Social workers in the healthcare industry are in demand to meet the needs of the aging populations and their families as they navigate medication, medical treatments and changes to their lifestyles.  Due to the opioid epidemic, there is an increasing need to treat substance use disorders.  Substance-abusing populations have distinct healthcare needs and frequent the emergency departments at higher rates than the general population (Mayer et al, 2023).

Current BSW holders who are interested in advancing their skill sets to better serve vulnerable and marginalized populations within healthcare settings.

Tuition: $22,288

Total Program Estimate: $28,405

• Tuition: $571 per credit = $22,288
  • (6 credits x 5 semesters) = $17,145
  • (3 credits x 3 semesters) = $5,143
• Program Fee: $630 per semester x 8 semesters = $5,040
• Technology Fee: $189 (part-time) x 8 semesters = $1,512
• Financial Aid Trust Fee: $29 (part-time) x 8 semesters = $232
• Estimated one-time fees: $125
  • Graduate Application Fee: $65 - At the time of application
  • Graduate Matriculation Fee: $25 - First Semester only
  • Graduation Application Fee: $35 - When applying for graduation

Please note: These costs are based on calculations for the 2024–2025 academic year. Tuition and fees are subject to change at the discretion of The Arizona Board of Regents or legislature.

Academic Success Coordinator: The Academic Success Coordinator provides support with enrollment, petition forms, applying for graduation, and connects students to other necessary NAU resources.

MSW Peer Editor: The Peer Editors offer support with APA formatting and grammar/content assistance for signature assignments in the MSW Program.

MSW Peer Mentor:  Peer Mentors work to help students with the transitions to a graduate program or skills to be successful in the program.  Peer Mentors provide one-on-one and group mentoring opportunities.

• Courses: Online, 7.5-week sessions
• Semester Starts: Fall only for new cohorts
• Part-time status: = 6 hours per semester (3 credits in summer) and would take 8 semesters to complete. The program is designed for part-time enrollment.  
• Timeline: Students have 6 years from the start of the first class to complete the program. 

Expected study time: 3-4 hours per week, per credit hour.

“As professionals in the making, social work students attend class to learn practice principles, values and ethical behaviors, a body of specialized knowledge, and the scientific basis for practice. In field placement, students apply, under supervision, what they have been learning in the classroom to real situations. Thus, the preparation to become a social work professional is composed of formal learning as well as practical experiences”.

Royse, D., Dhooper, S., Rompf E. (2012). Field Instruction. A Guide or Social Work Students, Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.

A full list of Frequently Asked Questions for New MSW Field Education Placement Sites is available for download.

The Two-Year Program requires a minimum of 900 clock hours at two different placement sites.
The Advanced Standing (Specialized Year) requires a minimum of 450 clock hours in one placement. Specialized Year field placements must be in a different organization than the BSW year and Foundation Year.

• Foundation Year: 450 hours; 225 a semester (15 a week)
• Specialized Year: 450 hours; 225 a semester (15 a week)

*If your internship class is over a summer semester, you will be required to attend internship for at least 19 hours a week during the 12-week summer semester*

The Field Supervisor will serve as a mentor and instructor for a student. They will provide one hour of supervision per week. The Field Supervisor is responsible for assisting the student in developing their learning contract, monitoring the student’s progress, completing both a mid-term and final evaluation, and providing professional mentoring.