Dual MS-MSSW Program, College Student Personnel - Social Work

About the Program

One of the most compelling reasons to establish a dual degree MS CSP/MSSW program is the rise of case management in higher education. A dual degree bolsters a student’s marketability for these emerging roles. College student mental health has been of increasing concern since the 1990s. The annual National Survey of Counseling Center Directors consistently reports increased demand for counseling services on campus, typically without corresponding increase in the number of clinicians. 

In the wake of these concerns, many colleges and universities have adopted a case management approach to students of concern. A case management approach grows out of the field of social work. Employment opportunities in higher education that call for case management are increasing. They can be found in functional areas including counseling services, student wellness, residence life and the office of the dean of students.

A dual degree allows students to combine the knowledge and skill base from student personnel (college students and college student development, organization and administration of student affairs, campus environments and cultures) and that of social work (case management, interprofessional teamwork, and the assessment, person in environment response to behavioral health concerns, anti-racist and anti-oppressive approach). This combination of knowledge and skills make graduates of the program uniquely qualified for these emerging positions in a way that neither program would by itself.

Concentrations

• For Social Work major (concentrations required)
  • Clinical Practice — Coursework Only With Capstone Option
  • Organizational Leadership — Coursework Only With Capstone Option

Options Available

• Coursework only with practicum option
  
• Thesis option

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

Students must apply and be admitted to both the MSSW program and the MS program. These are separate applications and each requires an application fee to the Graduate School. Students who begin one program and then apply to the other program later will need to meet with the appropriate advisors for both programs to develop a customized program of study; completion within two years may not be possible for students who do not begin the programs in the same semester.

Academic Standards

• Applicants for the MSSW-MSCSP dual program must make separate applications to the Office of Graduate Admissions and be accepted by the School of Social Work for the MS and the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies for the MS-CSP.
• A dual program candidate must satisfy the graduation requirements of each college.
• Students who have been accepted by both departments may apply for approval to pursue the dual program any time prior to, or after, matriculation in either or both departments.

Credit Hours Required

• 87 credit hours which includes MS foundational courses and required courses for the MS (College Student Personnel).
• Students who have been accepted by both departments may apply for approval to pursue the dual program any time prior to, or after, matriculation in either or both departments.

Required Courses

• CSP: See the requirements for the Master of Science in College Student Personnel. 
• Social Work: See the requirements for the Master of Science in Social Work.
• Required courses (87 graduate credit hours) taken in accordinace with Program Coordinator.

Thesis Option

• Meet the above 36 credit hours of required graduate courses
  
• Complete a qualitative or quantitative graduate statistics course (3 credit hours) chosen in consultation with the major advisor
  

Non-Course Requirements

• Students may elect to complete the project as a self-directed Thesis. In the Thesis students work independently with a self-selected committee of faculty advisors who oversee the work and certify its completion.