08-14-2022, 06:03 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-14-2022, 06:09 AM by studyingfortests.)
If the end goal is to become an LCSW, then the masters degree you want is an MSW, not an MA in Psychology. The licensed MSW (LCSW) has a wider scope of practice than the equivalent MA in psychology which would be an LMFT or LPCC, so there's really no advantage to going with the MA Psychology over the MSW.
Now, with that said, you do not need a BSW to get an MSW. In fact, CSWE (the programmatic accreditor for social work programs) has an entire section of their accreditation policy that relates to people seeking an MSW without having a BSW. In short, they recommend a liberal arts degree with some coursework in psychology and/or human services.
The BSW is going to be extremely restrictive, with little to no alternative credit options, 450 hours of practicum, and a very rigid course structure. This is dictated by CSWE's programmatic accreditation standards for BSW degrees.
It will be much faster to earn a non-traditional bachelors degree (such as many people who frequent this board do) and then do the two-year non-advanced standing MSW. That would be about a three-year (or perhaps a bit less) plan all in, where the BSW+advanced standing MSW program will be an absolute minimum of 4 to 5 years. (I know this firsthand, as the non-traditional BA + non-advanced standing MSW is the route I am currently engaged in, I'm getting close to halfway through my MSW.)
Depending on what credits you already have, you can earn a BA in liberal studies from one of the schools regularly discussed here. That's the fastest and simplest degree to earn (most flexible with credit options), and you can certainly tailor your education plan to include some of the psychology and human services coursework that masters programs will want to see. (This is what I did, and I have three other friends currently on this path, one currently in an MSW program and the other two finishing their undergrads with plans to apply to grad school early next year.).
Even though it isn't the least expensive option, I chose Thomas Edision, for the combination of minimal upper level credits required, fastest completion time, and best application of the credits I already had. If you don't have many credits, UMPI might be a better option; I'll let others comment on the best undergraduate option. My friend who is a semester behind me in graduate school had about 40 credits to transfer in, and completed the other 80 credits in about 6 months at TESU.
As far as MSW programs, I did a ton of research and ultimately chose Western New Mexico U. It's a CSWE accredited school, fully online/asynchronous, with extremely flexible options, more electives than many of its competitors, 6 start dates each year, and a completely flexible curriculum as far as how many courses and in what order you take them. As with any CSWE accredited non-advanced standing MSW program, you will need to do 900 hours of practicum over the two year program, which comes to 225 hours per semester for four semesters. It's also among the least expensive of any online program at about $33K all in for the two-year program. Again, the length of practicum will be the same at any CSWE-accredited school; this is in addition to the 60 (+/-) graduate credits you need to earn over the two years. All of this is a CSWE requirement that all 50 states require for licensure. (If you do the BSW, then you only have to do 450 hours of practicum, and only 30 hours of graduate credits... but it will take you way longer than a year to earn the BSW, so you will take more time all-in with the BSW/MSW route.)
Other schools that have similar non-advanced standing MSWs that are worth a look are Boise State, Campbellsville, University of Kentucky, and Louisiana State University. All have two-year non-advanced standing online programs and all are in similar price range to WNMU. (Though, for me, all of them came with disadvantages that WNMU did not have.) All of these (including WNMU) are Advanced Generalist programs that are great in giving you a very broad and complete education. Some have clinical tracks in addition, but for those that do not, you can "create your own" by adding in clinical-related electives to the core requirements.
Also, you'll want to check into specific requirements your state may have over and above CSWE curriculum. For example, CA has about 30 extra hours of education on specific issues not covered in the CSWE-required curriculum. It's no problem, because there are a bunch of providers that offer CE credits specifically to fill this need, but you just want to do your legwork.
Also, depending on your intended use of the degree, you probably want the LCSW license rather than the LMSW if you are going to do clinical work. In general, the LMSW is not a clinical license, and LMSW social workers must work under the supervision of an LCSW. There is no difference in education; the difference is in number of postgrad hours of supervision.
Now, with that said, you do not need a BSW to get an MSW. In fact, CSWE (the programmatic accreditor for social work programs) has an entire section of their accreditation policy that relates to people seeking an MSW without having a BSW. In short, they recommend a liberal arts degree with some coursework in psychology and/or human services.
The BSW is going to be extremely restrictive, with little to no alternative credit options, 450 hours of practicum, and a very rigid course structure. This is dictated by CSWE's programmatic accreditation standards for BSW degrees.
It will be much faster to earn a non-traditional bachelors degree (such as many people who frequent this board do) and then do the two-year non-advanced standing MSW. That would be about a three-year (or perhaps a bit less) plan all in, where the BSW+advanced standing MSW program will be an absolute minimum of 4 to 5 years. (I know this firsthand, as the non-traditional BA + non-advanced standing MSW is the route I am currently engaged in, I'm getting close to halfway through my MSW.)
Depending on what credits you already have, you can earn a BA in liberal studies from one of the schools regularly discussed here. That's the fastest and simplest degree to earn (most flexible with credit options), and you can certainly tailor your education plan to include some of the psychology and human services coursework that masters programs will want to see. (This is what I did, and I have three other friends currently on this path, one currently in an MSW program and the other two finishing their undergrads with plans to apply to grad school early next year.).
Even though it isn't the least expensive option, I chose Thomas Edision, for the combination of minimal upper level credits required, fastest completion time, and best application of the credits I already had. If you don't have many credits, UMPI might be a better option; I'll let others comment on the best undergraduate option. My friend who is a semester behind me in graduate school had about 40 credits to transfer in, and completed the other 80 credits in about 6 months at TESU.
As far as MSW programs, I did a ton of research and ultimately chose Western New Mexico U. It's a CSWE accredited school, fully online/asynchronous, with extremely flexible options, more electives than many of its competitors, 6 start dates each year, and a completely flexible curriculum as far as how many courses and in what order you take them. As with any CSWE accredited non-advanced standing MSW program, you will need to do 900 hours of practicum over the two year program, which comes to 225 hours per semester for four semesters. It's also among the least expensive of any online program at about $33K all in for the two-year program. Again, the length of practicum will be the same at any CSWE-accredited school; this is in addition to the 60 (+/-) graduate credits you need to earn over the two years. All of this is a CSWE requirement that all 50 states require for licensure. (If you do the BSW, then you only have to do 450 hours of practicum, and only 30 hours of graduate credits... but it will take you way longer than a year to earn the BSW, so you will take more time all-in with the BSW/MSW route.)
Other schools that have similar non-advanced standing MSWs that are worth a look are Boise State, Campbellsville, University of Kentucky, and Louisiana State University. All have two-year non-advanced standing online programs and all are in similar price range to WNMU. (Though, for me, all of them came with disadvantages that WNMU did not have.) All of these (including WNMU) are Advanced Generalist programs that are great in giving you a very broad and complete education. Some have clinical tracks in addition, but for those that do not, you can "create your own" by adding in clinical-related electives to the core requirements.
Also, you'll want to check into specific requirements your state may have over and above CSWE curriculum. For example, CA has about 30 extra hours of education on specific issues not covered in the CSWE-required curriculum. It's no problem, because there are a bunch of providers that offer CE credits specifically to fill this need, but you just want to do your legwork.
Also, depending on your intended use of the degree, you probably want the LCSW license rather than the LMSW if you are going to do clinical work. In general, the LMSW is not a clinical license, and LMSW social workers must work under the supervision of an LCSW. There is no difference in education; the difference is in number of postgrad hours of supervision.
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