Advanced Standing - MSW Students

Students who have received a baccalaureate degree in social work from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) may be eligible for admission into the advanced instruction phase of the MSW program.

The advanced standing program requires a minimum of 33 hours be completed as an LSU student. Only students with the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a CSWE accredited program obtained within five years of proposed enrollment at LSU are eligible for this program. Eligibility is also contingent upon the student having completed equivalent courses with a "B" or better (3.0 only on the courses listed below) as part of the undergraduate social work degree. Equivalent courses with a "C" or lower must be repeated, and a grade of "B" or better must be obtained before the student is admitted. Students without appropriate grades may enter the full time or part time program and are not permitted to enter advanced standing. Students repeating classes during the spring admission cycle may apply for advanced standing. Admission decisions will not be made until grades are received for the completion of the repeated course. Advanced Standing students are required to complete Differential Diagnosis (3 hours) prior to beginning advanced coursework. Baton Rouge students begin the advanced standing program in the summer term provided they have received an undergraduate degree by the summer entry date.

Equivalent courses are:

Human Behavior and the Social Environment I & II
Social Work Practice I & II (Micro, Mezzo, Macro)
Social Work Research
Social Work History
Social Work Policy
Human Diversity & Oppression
Field Internship

Baton Rouge Campus Students

Summer Semester

SW 7010 Differential Diagnosis:
Diagnostic and treatment tools for examining the functionality of human behavior in the context of diverse social systems. (NOTE: If this course was taken as a social work course and denoted on the transcript with an A or B, students do not have to enroll in the summer term. The start date will be fall).

Advanced Year • Fall Semester

SW 7501 Research II:
Types of research, designs, and instruments used in social work; research processes from specification to hypotheses and collection of data.

SW 7505 Advanced Direct Practice:
Advanced methods of effective individual, family, and group treatment of systemic issues in a holistic perspective.

SW 7502 Advanced Internship I:
Supervised internship in an approved agency setting where advanced knowledge, skills, values, and ethics are applied in the practice setting. 240 clock hours.

Two elective courses

Advanced Year • Spring Semester

SW 7503 Advanced Internship II:
Supervised internship in an approved agency setting where advanced knowledge, skills values, and ethics are applied in the practice setting. 240 clock hours. Three elective courses.

SW 7504 Advanced Social Policy:
Dimensions and patterns of social policy; evolution and design of provisions and services; current issues, problems, and trends.

SW 7506 Community & Agency Contexts for Direct Practice Community: organizational, and social aspects of social work practice; indirect practice skills associated with effective social work practice in multiple service environments.

Two Elective Courses

MSW Online Students

First Module

Remaining Modules

Due to the online courses following a different rotation of when they are offered each year, please refer to the sample curriculums for an example of how this module format differs from the Baton Rouge campus. The required courses to complete the degree are the same for online as they are for Baton Rouge campus.

SW 7501 Research II:
Types of research, designs, and instruments used in social work; research processes from specification to hypotheses and collection of data.

SW 7505 Advanced Direct Practice:
Advanced methods of effective individual, family, and group treatment of systemic issues in a holistic perspective.

SW 7504 Advanced Social Policy:
Dimensions and patterns of social policy; evolution and design of provisions and services; current issues, problems, and trends.

SW 7502 Advanced Internship I:
Supervised internship in an approved agency setting where advanced knowledge, skills, values, and ethics are applied in the practice setting. 240 clock hours.

SW 7503 Advanced Internship II:
Supervised internship in an approved agency setting where advanced knowledge, skills, values, and ethics are applied in the practice setting. 240 clock hours. Three elective courses.

Four Elective Courses