Hi, I’m a current undergrad student, and I’m thinking I eventually want to get a MSW. Is a psychology degree necessary, or can I get in with just a psychology minor? I’m currently majoring in creative writing. My school (Drake University) does not have a social work program. As long as I take psych statistics and the core classes will I be ok? I can add a psych major, it’ll just mean I’ll be in school a bit longer. Thanks!
It doesn’t matter what you major in for an MSW in social work, as long as you have their prerequisites (usually a statistics class). I do recommend at least a social science minor, though, as most MSW programs do seem to favor students with a social science background. It doesn’t have to be psychology - it can be sociology or anthropology, economics, history, or political science. Psychology is an obvious choice, though, and it will have the statistics you need.
UPitt, one of the top schools of social work, requires this (aside from a 3.0 and 3 credits of statistics):
*A minimum of 60 undergraduate (or undergraduate plus graduate) divided into 30 credits in the liberal arts and 30 credits in the social sciences.
Liberal Arts classes include:
Humanities—English, fine arts, languages, literature, philosophy, religion, and communication.
Fine Arts- Art, photography, dance, theater
Natural science—biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and statistics.
Social Sciences courses include:
Psychology
Sociology
Anthropology
Economics
Political Science
Social Work
History
Criminal Justice*
30 credits is about the equivalent of a major. A minor is usually 15-20 credits. So you would have to minor in a social science and be sure to take the additional classes in other social sciences to round it out, or you could double-major, or you could just make sure that you take 30 socials science classes regardless of your major and minor.
Michigan says
An undergraduate record that reflects a liberal arts perspective. Students are required to have a minimum of 20 academic semester credits in psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, history, political science, government, and/or languages prior to enrolling in the School of Social Work. Students need to have coursework from three or more disciplines in order to meet the liberal arts minimum credits. In addition, students are required to have taken a human biology course or a course on the biological determinants of human behavior prior to admission in the program.
One more - Boston U’s SSW:
Prior to enrollment, candidates must have (or expect to have) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0…Applicants should have a broad liberal arts background, including study in the social, behavioral, and biological sciences. Coursework relating to diverse cultures, social conditions, and social problems is also helpful. We believe that a strong liberal arts perspective promotes understanding of our mission—and, in particular, of the person-in-the-environment context—and the School’s faculty looks for indications of this perspective when reviewing applications.
So three different schools, three different requirements. However, all of them seem to value 1) a broad liberal arts curriculum and 2) some experience in the social sciences, which is probably at least about 20 credits but maybe up to 30.
Thank you. This is incredibly helpful.