By Carol Logan, Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences communications intern


Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences will launch a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in August 2013. The faculty has been planning this new degree for more than a decade.

Students pursuing the MSW degree are not required to have an undergraduate degree in social work. Students admitted to the program with an undergraduate degree in another area will complete a traditional 60-hour degree that is finished in two years on a full-time basis or four years on a part-time basis. Students with an undergraduate degree in social work can complete the MSW in 30 hours with the Advanced Standing option.

The program will begin this fall with the traditional 60 credit hour program and is expected to enroll 15-20 students each year. The Advanced Standing program will launch in August 2014. The first graduation of students with MSW degrees will be May 2015.

“You can think of the undergraduate program as a generalist program, meaning that you can work in many different areas and can take various career paths,” said David Jenkins, chair of the Department of Social Work and MSW program director.

The MSW program will offer the Advanced Generalist concentration, which will allow students to enter advanced fields of practice in social work upon graduation. Jenkins said, “We will have graduates who are prepared to work in many different arenas, rather than producing only clinical or community-focused social workers.”

Beyond this concentration, the MSW program will offer specializations in health and mental health as well as children and families. Jenkins said, “Based on our research, we believe students will seek electives and internships in those areas.”

Jenkins hopes the new program will make social work a more visible presence at TCU and in the community. It will also “put us into the conversation with other social work programs in the country and with graduate education at TCU,” Jenkins said.

The deadline for application to the MSW program is April 4, 2013. Additional information and the application are available at Social Work.