Master of Social Work Program
in Traverse City, Michigan
Information Session
Celebrating 30 Years of Council on Social Work Education Accreditation
-GVSU’s Pew Campus, Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan GVSU’s NMC University Center Campus, Traverse City, Michigan
Why Grand Valley State University?
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Grand Valley State University
educates students to shape their
lives, their professions, and their
societies. The university
contributes to the enrichment of
society through excellent
teaching, active scholarship,
and public service.
Why Grand Valley State University?
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The School of Social Work
is part of the dynamic
College of Community and
Public Service, which contains:
• School of Social Work
• School of Criminal Justice
• School of Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration
• School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Dr. George Grant, Jr. Dean Dr. Paul Stansbie Associate Dean Dr. Mark Hoffman Associate Dean
The GVSU School of Social Work has . . .
• 30 years of experience educating MSW students –
Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education in 1984
• 20 years of experience teaching MSW students in
Traverse City & Sault Ste. Marie –
Our first Traverse City cohort graduated in 1994• Graduated thousands of
successful BSW and MSW
students over the years
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
The GVSU School of Social Work is one of two schools
of Social Work in Michigan to offer the Advanced
Generalist Model of MSW preparation, which:
– builds on a liberal education foundation that encourages the use of critical thinking skills and application of advanced practice social work knowledge, skills, values and ethics
– integrates advanced practice skills to equip graduates to meet the diverse demands presented by unique social service delivery systems – prepares graduates to assume leadership in practice with individuals,
groups, communities and society
– Promotes flexibility and the ability to fulfill multiple roles, including: administrator, advocate, broker, case manager, lobbyist, policy
practitioner, researcher, supervisor and therapist.
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
More than 20 full-time faculty (18 with PhDs)
–with many years of experience teaching BSW & MSW students
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
A dedicated Field Education team
• Providing diverse and in-depth field placements in one of hundreds of sites located throughout western & northern Michigan
• Our Field Education team maintains close contact with Field Instructors who act as mentors for our students
• The Field Office offers continuing education trainings and appreciation events for our field education faculty and mentors
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
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Prof. Deborah Ronk MSW Field Coordinator
• Evidence-based curriculum –
continuing
evaluation of teaching content and process
• Council on Social Work Education core
competencies focus – preparing students with skills
and knowledge to compete in the marketplace
• Graduate assistantship opportunities
– active
mentoring by faculty member
• Research, publication, and presentation
options
– working with faculty supervision
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
We support your successful learning experience
with:
• Writing Center with experienced consultants to help
with all stages of a writing project as well as APA
formatting
• Counseling Services to
support your emotional
& psychological
well-being
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
We support your successful learning experience
with:
• A faculty advisor to provide
guidance for achieving your
academic goals and
developing your study plan
• Steelcase Library, a state of the art facility with a full
graduate section located on the downtown campus
and a designated librarian to assist with finding
research resources
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
We support your successful learning experience
with:
• Hybrid and Face-to-Face course formats to meet
the educational needs of distance learners and
our changing student population
• A full-time support staff
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
We promote global service learning experiences
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
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China
El Salvador
We promote global service learning experiences
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
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Ghana
We promote cross-cultural service
learning experiences
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
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Saginaw Chippewa
Reservation
We promote cross-cultural service
learning experiences
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
New Orleans, LA
(2006-2012)
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We promote cross-cultural service
learning experiences
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
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Poverty Experience in Downtown
Grand Rapids
We celebrate your achievements
• Phi Alpha Honor Society celebration for
academic and service excellence
• Hooding (Recognition)
ceremony for
MSW graduates
Why GVSU for Your MSW?
• Regular degree seeking student
– 60 credit hours
– Part-time program
• Advanced Standing degree
seeking student
– 41 credit hours (or 38 if you test
out of Research I)
– Part-time program
There Are Several Paths to Your MSW?
• For students without a BSW degree
• Part-Time student
– 9 semesters (3 years)
– 3 semesters of Field
Education
– Usually 2 courses per
semester before
Field Education
– 2-4 courses per
semester during Field
Education
Regular Degree Seeking Program - TC
• For students with a BSW degree who meet the required GPA
• Part-Time student
– 7 semesters
– 2 semesters of Field Education
– Usually 2 courses per semester before Field Education
– 2-4 courses per semester during Field Education
Advanced Standing Degree Program - TC
• We offer:
– A School Social Work Certification – all of courses in
Traverse City curriculum meet the requirements for
this certificate, plus 1 additional 4 credit course
– A combined Master of Social Work & Master of
Public Administration program is also available
– A Master’s Thesis, while not required, is available
for those who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. or
who have a strong interest in a particular research
topic and who would like to learn more about it
Additional Focus Areas
• Bachelors degree from an accredited institution of
higher education
• 3.0 or above GPA
(calculated on last 60 semester credit hrs.)• Minimum of 18 credit hours in social science courses
(human biology, sociology, psychology, social work, etc.)
• 3 recommendation forms
• Personal statement
• Current resume
• Official transcripts
Regular Degree – Admission Requirements
• BSW from a CSWE-accredited social work or social
welfare program
• Minimum of 3.0 or above in all social work courses – or
a 3.5 or above cumulative GPA in all social work
courses*
• Graduated within 5 years of enrollment in the MSW
program
• 3 recommendation forms
• Personal statement
• Current resume
• Official transcripts
Advanced Standing – Admission Requirements
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* Please Note: Advanced Standing
admission is not guaranteed on the basis of GPA or course grades alone.
* Please Note: Advanced Standing
admission is not guaranteed on the basis of GPA or course grades alone.
• Applications can be submitted in hard copy or online
through the Graduate Studies Office at
http://www.gvsu.edu/gs/
• Deadlines for 2015:
Application Process – TC & SSM (Only)
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Traverse City
Advanced Standing - Part Time Mar. 15 Begins Spring/Summer 2015 semester
Sault Ste. Marie
• The Financial Aid Office can help you
maximize your investment by working
with you to determine how to most
effectively meet your unique needs.
• The office is easily accessible online
at
http://www.gvsu.edu/financialaid/index.cfm
or
by phone at
616-331-3234
Financial Aid Assistance
• Prepare for academic rigor
• Prepare for reading, reading, and more reading!
• Brush up on your writing skills
• Consider this:
Every 3 credit hour
course requires 3 hours
in the classroom + 6
hours of work outside
the classroom
Prepare Yourself for Graduate School!
• Field Education is 3 semesters for the regular MSW program (2 semesters for Advanced Standing)
• Each semester is 330 hours, which is 315 hours in a field placement setting + 15 hours in seminar class
• Average of 21 hours per week in field site + 2 hours every other week for
seminar
• All semesters in the same placement site
Prepare Yourself for Field Education
• Mandatory Field Orientation Seminar (pre-requisite to student’s field placement)
• Weekend or evening placements are highly unlikely
• Students do not select their field placements. Placements are arranged by the Field Coordinator. Students are involved in the selection process through the writing of essays identifying their top three choices for field placement
• Students will be placed within a 50 mile radius of their home location, if at all possible
Prepare Yourself for Field Education
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Questions?
GVSU NMC University Center campus, Traverse City, Michigan
You could be here!
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Grand Valley State School of Social Work
Grand Rapids Campus: 401 West Fulton Street
DeVos Center, 391C Grand Rapids, MI 49504 [email protected] Phone: 616-331-6550 Fax: 616-331-6570 Website: www.gvsu.edu/ssw/
Traverse City Campus: 2200 Dendrinos Dr. Traverse City, MI 49684 [email protected] Phone: 231-995-1785 Fax: 231-995-1786 Website: https://www.gvsu.edu/traverse/
