FAQs About the Online Master of Social Work

Regis was founded in 1927 on the core values of gracious hospitality, love, and service of the Dear Neighbor without distinction, peaceful resolution of conflict, and care for all God’s creation. Those values are a natural fit for our master’s in social work program.

You will find that we are a student-centered graduate program. So even though you are not physically taking courses at Regis College, we include you in our events, such as Founders Day and Heritage Week. You will also have the opportunity to provide input and feedback on the MSW program. Each semester we hold the MSW Student Community Meeting where you can give input and provide feedback about things such as curriculum, course schedule plans, elective course offerings, and more. We also have the MSW Student Advisory Board and MSW Student Ambassadors to make you feel even more a part of the program.

The specialization in clinical social work practice is another aspect of the MSW program that makes us unique. We designed our program so you can graduate with strong clinical skills and feel confident working with individuals, families, and groups in the direct practice setting. Each full-time faculty member has direct clinical practice experience, and all are licensed clinical social workers.

Something else you’ll appreciate about our program is that all the courses are designed and developed by full-time faculty. We do not rely on part-time “content experts” or curriculum/course developers. Each member of the faculty in the MSW program has one or more areas of specialization, and we use that experience to develop and design strong courses for our students. We also incorporate a variety of learning materials — including books and articles, podcasts, custom-designed media, online videos, and other materials — because we know some students are visual learners while others may be auditory.

And finally, our class sizes are small. With smaller online class sizes, you can receive individual attention from the faculty and have more opportunities to interact with peers. In our MSW program you will take most of your courses with a cohort, which means you begin and end the program with the same people.

If you enter the program with a bachelor’s degree in something other than social work, the program takes three years to complete on a part-time basis, or eight semesters. If you enter the program with a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school, we consider you Advanced Standing, so it will take 16 months to complete the program, or four semesters.

If you enter the program with a bachelor’s degree in something other than social work, you will need to earn 60 credits to graduate, or 20 courses, including the field education internships. If you enter the program with a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program you may receive Advanced Standing and be eligible for up to 30 credits of transfer credit toward the generalist curriculum of the online MSW program. If you receive the maximum of 30 credits, you will need to complete the 30-credit specialization curriculum to graduate.

The online MSW program at Regis College costs $850 per credit hour. Textbooks are an estimated $200-$400 per course.

Yes, the Regis College online MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Yes. There are four field seminar courses that you will complete online, but those courses have six live (synchronous) sessions required per course. Since all MSW courses are offered online, you aren’t required to go to campus. However, if you live near campus, you are welcome to visit and use the library or other campus services.

The MSW program has one specialization: clinical social work practice. Clinical practice is a term used to describe direct social work practice that incorporates theories and skills aimed at helping clients and their families alleviate social and emotional problems. That means you will get to work one on one with clients or as a member of an interdisciplinary team with the client system — individual, group, or family. Clinical practice also includes prevention work and other forms of nontraditional practice methods, such as youth and group work. Clinical social work is done at child welfare agencies, mental health centers, youth and family service agencies, addictions programs, hospitals, schools, and many other social service settings.

The Field Education Internship & Seminar courses have required live (synchronous) sessions for you to attend during the semester, typically six times over the course of 16 weeks. Some courses in the online MSW program offer optional live sessions, but it’s strongly encouraged that you attend.

The majority of our online MSW courses are eight weeks long, with a few that are 16 weeks, including the four field education seminar courses and the second research course.

Most MSW courses meet for eight weeks, not the typical 16-week semester. You still cover the material for a full semester course but will work your way through it at a faster pace than other programs. To prepare for discussion forums, video posts, and other collaborative projects, you will need to dedicate approximately 12 hours per week to reading, writing, and preparing for assignments. While taking the Moodle course you will spend an additional six hours each week on projects, videos, and peer projects.

Yes. The online MSW program at Regis College must be completed within five years from the date you begin the program. This includes any semesters you take off.

Yes. There are Regis College student support specialists who are personally invested in your online learning experience. They will help with administrative tasks, such as registration, and support positive study habits by customizing a degree plan that fits into your lifestyle. You will also have an MSW faculty advisor who is available for professional and educational support while earning your master’s in social work degree online.

Yes. Our program is rigorous and we want to admit students who are academically prepared for the challenging curriculum, but we also know that the undergraduate GPA is only one measure of your readiness for graduate school. The MSW Admission Committee looks at the entire application package, including the personal statement, letters of recommendation, and GPA. If your GPA is below 3.0, we recommend that you use your personal statement to address factors that impacted your undergraduate studies and outline how you’ve prepared for the rigor of graduate school studies. If your GPA is below 3.0 and you are admitted to the program it may be on a conditional basis, which means you must receive grades of “B” or above in the first two courses to continue the program.

Yes. We recommend that you apply after completing the first semester of your senior year. After applying you may be admitted to the MSW program on a contingent acceptance, which means you must submit an official transcript denoting the award of a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree prior to enrollment in the MSW program.

If you have a bachelor’s in social work from a CSWE-accredited school and apply for your master’s in social work within six years of earning your BSW degree, you are eligible for Advanced Standing. The benefit of doing this is that you can transfer your BSW credits directly into the MSW program. In the Advanced Standing track, you can complete the program in four semesters instead of eight in the traditional track.

You must complete a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) from a CSWE-accredited program within six years of applying to the MSW program and meet the following criteria:

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all courses in the undergraduate social work program
• Letter grades of a B- or above in all courses eligible for transfer
• Satisfactory completion of an undergraduate generalist practicum, including at least 400 hours of field education

When applying to the MSW program, make sure to indicate that you are applying for Advanced Standing.

If you enter the program with a bachelor’s degree in something other than social work you will complete two internships while in the MSW program. If you enter the program with a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program and are awarded Advanced Standing you will receive credit for the BSW internship and then complete one internship in the MSW program.

The first internship requires a minimum of 480 hours, or roughly 15 hours a week for two semesters (32 weeks). The second internship will be completed during the specialization curriculum and consists of 600 hours, or roughly 20 hours a week for two semesters (32 weeks). Field education is a significant commitment in the MSW program, so before beginning the program you will need to reflect on whether you are comfortable with the time commitment.

You know your community better than the faculty and field staff, so you are required to research potential settings and identify possible internship sites. That means it will be up to you to make initial contact to see if the agency is interested in hosting you and gather contact information. That information is then given to the MSW field director who will contact the agency. Depending on where you live, you may be required to travel outside of your community for an internship.

Read about one student’s field placement in her community here.

No, the only difference is the delivery of the curriculum. When students graduate, the degree conferred will be for a Master’s of Social Work. There is no reference to the format in which a student completed the program.