Social Work Degree Coming Soon?

[swlearner71]

Hello Forum Fellows,

I wanted to share an interesting find. Perhaps it will be of interest to some of you.

I’ve heard rumors for a while that WGU might offer an MSW, and recently it seems more plausible. WGU has posted several job openings for social work evaluators, which could suggest that a program may be coming soon. Although nothing has been officially announced.

WGU already has experience coordinating internships and in-person training requirements for other programs (Teaching & Nursing), so it would be interesting to see how a potential MSW field placement model might work. If WGU were to move forward with an MSW, pursuing CSWE accreditation would likely be an important consideration. Accreditation plays a major role in licensure eligibility in all states, I believe. 

Many people have expressed interest in a program like this over the years, so it will be interesting to see how it is received if it comes to fruition. It's not the counseling program many wanted, but an MSW provides many of the same opportunities in the field of mental health. If implemented, it could offer increased flexibility compared to traditional MSW programs, which typically take two years if the student comes in without a BSW. I am not aware of any competency-based MSW programs currently, though I could be mistaken. 

It's interesting to see how WGU continues to expand its offering and provide affordable alternatives based on CBE.

[Mint Berry Crunch]

Hello Forum Fellows,

I wanted to share an interesting find. Perhaps it will be of interest to some of you.

I’ve heard rumors for a while that WGU might offer an MSW, and recently it seems more plausible. WGU has posted several job openings for social work evaluators, which could suggest that a program may be coming soon. Although nothing has been officially announced.

WGU already has experience coordinating internships and in-person training requirements for other programs (Teaching & Nursing), so it would be interesting to see how a potential MSW field placement model might work. If WGU were to move forward with an MSW, pursuing CSWE accreditation would likely be an important consideration. Accreditation plays a major role in licensure eligibility in all states, I believe. 

Many people have expressed interest in a program like this over the years, so it will be interesting to see how it is received if it comes to fruition. It's not the counseling program many wanted, but an MSW provides many of the same opportunities in the field of mental health. If implemented, it could offer increased flexibility compared to traditional MSW programs, which typically take two years if the student comes in without a BSW. I am not aware of any competency-based MSW programs currently, though I could be mistaken. 

It's interesting to see how WGU continues to expand its offering and provide affordable alternatives based on CBE.

If they do release one, that would be a great start. WGU is very much focused on technical competency degrees (nothing wrong with that), but throwing in some other niche degrees would be great, such as the MSW

[sanantone]

Hello Forum Fellows,

I wanted to share an interesting find. Perhaps it will be of interest to some of you.

I’ve heard rumors for a while that WGU might offer an MSW, and recently it seems more plausible. WGU has posted several job openings for social work evaluators, which could suggest that a program may be coming soon. Although nothing has been officially announced.

WGU already has experience coordinating internships and in-person training requirements for other programs (Teaching & Nursing), so it would be interesting to see how a potential MSW field placement model might work. If WGU were to move forward with an MSW, pursuing CSWE accreditation would likely be an important consideration. Accreditation plays a major role in licensure eligibility in all states, I believe. 

Many people have expressed interest in a program like this over the years, so it will be interesting to see how it is received if it comes to fruition. It's not the counseling program many wanted, but an MSW provides many of the same opportunities in the field of mental health. If implemented, it could offer increased flexibility compared to traditional MSW programs, which typically take two years if the student comes in without a BSW. I am not aware of any competency-based MSW programs currently, though I could be mistaken. 

It's interesting to see how WGU continues to expand its offering and provide affordable alternatives based on CBE.

If they do release one, that would be a great start. WGU is very much focused on technical competency degrees (nothing wrong with that), but throwing in some other niche degrees would be great, such as the MSW

I think WGU has always been focused on licensed and certified occupations, and they mostly offer degrees that directly lead to an occupation. The exception would be the business administration degrees. LOL

[studyingfortests]

CSWE is *super* picky and very unlikely to allow any competence based credits other than electives. There are about 51 core credits in the non advanced standing MSW.

Also, I don't think any school in US has a non-CSWE accreditedMSW for the simple reason that no state will license anyone without an accredited degree.

CSWE standards are high. It would be nice to see WGU get this, but may take a while.

[newdegree]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the issue here is that WGU would have a hard time offering the social work degree as a competency-based degree because students need to complete field hours. This is the problem with fields like nursing, which require hours to complete, which is why an RN degree can't be competency-based due to the hours needed for licensing under supervision in a program. Some schools offer RN-to-BSN programs, but they are not the same as those for students who have already completed the required hours and passed the licensing exam. While it sounds great, it would have to be a traditional program using a semester-based schedule.

[jsd]

WGU offers CBE nursing and teaching degrees, both of which require field hours. the field hours are separate from the CBE coursework.

[swlearner71]

WGU offers CBE nursing and teaching degrees, both of which require field hours. the field hours are separate from the CBE coursework.

I was thinking those two programs, pre-licensure nursing and teaching, could serve as examples of what a future social work program at WGU might look like. Essentially, the coursework could remain self paced until internships begin, similar to the student teaching and clinical requirements in those other programs. 

Of course, as another user noted, CSWE requirements could limit how much flexibility a CBE model would allow. It'll be interesting to see how it could ultimately function. If it shortens the standard two year timeline typical of traditional programs, even by a small amount, it could still be worthwhile. Of course, nothing is set in stone, and WGU may not be going in that direction at all. Let's see how things go.

[jsd]

WGU will also need to run at least one cohort through the program (and possibly multiple) before the CSWE will allow them to apply for programmatic accreditation. It will be interesting to see what is considered a cohort in a CBE program. All graduates over a 2-year period? Who knows.

It'll be a while before such a program, if they are releasing one, will be fully licensed and with any professional utility.

[newdegree]

WGU offers CBE nursing and teaching degrees, both of which require field hours. the field hours are separate from the CBE coursework.

The CBE is for RN to BSN

[Jonathan Whatley]

WGU’s prelicensure BSN also uses CBE, combined with scheduled in-person clinical rotations.