1 | Page
Master of Social Work
Graduate Handbook
2023-2024
2 | Page
Table of Contents
Department Chair/Program Coordinators. ............................................................................................ 268
Tenure-Track/FERP Faculty ................................................................................................................. 268
Full-Time Lecturers ................................................................................................................................ 269
Part-Time Field Liaisons .......................................................................................................................... 269
Department Support Staff ..................................................................................................................... 270
Title IV-E Support Staff ....................................................................................................................... 270
Where To Turn for Assistance/Campus Resources ............................................................................... 271
Mission of the University, College, and the Department ...................................................................... 274
Department Goals ................................................................................................................................. 274
The Graduate Program .......................................................................................................................... 275
MSW Program Mission ......................................................................................................................... 276
MSW Program Goals ............................................................................................................................ 276
Accreditation ......................................................................................................................................... 276
Advanced Standing. .............................................................................................................................. 277
MSW Program Admission Requirements .............................................................................................. 278
Graduate Curriculum ............................................................................................................................ 279
Student’s Responsibilities ..................................................................................................................... 279
Advisement Policies and Procedures ..................................................................................................... 282
Student’s Rights to Participate in Policy Making................................................................................... 282
A
dvanced Multisystem Specialization: One specialization (three sub-specializations) ......................... 283
Master of Social Work Degree Requirements ....................................................................................... 288
Course Schedules .................................................................................................................................. 289
Field Internship ..................................................................................................................................... 289
Academic Standing & Eligibility for Field ............................................................................................ 290
Field Work Placement ............................................................................................................................ 293
Graduate Program Information ............................................................................................................. 293
Academic Advisors ............................................................................................................................... 293
Academic Policies ................................................................................................................................. 293
Standards of Scholarship ....................................................................................................................... 293
Academic Probation & Disqualification ................................................................................................ 294
Declaring your Status ............................................................................................................................ 294
Graduate Writing Requirement Policy ................................................................................................... 295
3 | Page
Advancement to Candidacy: ................................................................................................................. 294
SWRK 298 Project/SWRK 299 Thesis: ................................................................................................ 295
Graduation: ........................................................................................................................................... 295
Time Limit/Extension of Time .............................................................................................................. 295
Continuous Enrollment .......................................................................................................................... 296
Transfer of Credit .................................................................................................................................. 296
Graduate Credit for Work Experience .................................................................................................... 297
Course Repetition .................................................................................................................................. 297
Leave of Absence .................................................................................................................................. 297
Withdrawal from Courses ...................................................................................................................... 298
Withdrawal from the Program ............................................................................................................... 298
Withdrawal from the University ............................................................................................................ 298
Readmission .......................................................................................................................................... 298
Professional Performance ....................................................................................................................... 298
Performance That May Result in a Student Review .............................................................................. 300
Academic Grievances ............................................................................................................................ 300
Policies and Procedures for Review ....................................................................................................... 301
Access to Student Records ....................................................................................................................
301
P
lagiarism and Academic Cheating ....................................................................................................... 301
Pupil Personnel (PPS) Credential Program ............................................................................................ 302
Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend Program ............................................................................................ 302
Serve Program ....................................................................................................................................... 302
Graduation Application Procedures ...................................................................................................... 303
Master’s Degree Clearance .................................................................................................................... 303
University Facilities .............................................................................................................................. 303
Fresno State Library .............................................................................................................................. 303
University Computer Labs .................................................................................................................... 303
Standards of Conduct ............................................................................................................................ 304
Standards of Student Conduct ............................................................................................................... 304
Standards of Faculty Conduct ............................................................................................................... 304
Student Organizations ........................................................................................................................... 305
Social Work Student Association ........................................................................................................... 305
African American Student Social Work Association .............................................................................. 305
Trabajadores de la Raza .......................................................................................................................... 305
Asian Social Work Student Organization ................................................................................................ 305
4 | Page
Phi Alpha National Honors Society - Chi Nu Chapter ........................................................................... 305
Student Services ..................................................................................................................................... 306
Services for Students with Disabilities .................................................................................................... 306
Employment & Career Services ............................................................................................................. 306
Health and Medical Care ........................................................................................................................ 306
Health Insurance ..................................................................................................................................... 306
Housing .................................................................................................................................................. 306
International Student Services and Programs .......................................................................................... 307
Graduate Writing Studio ........................................................................................................................ 307
Alumni Association ................................................................................................................................ 307
APPENDIX I ..........................................................................................................................................
308
Graduate Writing Requirement Policy. .................................................................................................. 311
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 311
Exam Procedure...................................................................................................................................... 311
Grievance Procedure .............................................................................................................................. 311
Guidelines for Enhancing Graduate Student Performance...................................................................... 312
Scholarship ............................................................................................................................................. 312
Integrity .................................................................................................................................................. 313
Personal Responsibility/Self-Directed Learning ..................................................................................... 313
APPENDIX II
........................................................................................................................................ 315
Social Welfare Policy and Services ......................................................................................................... 315
Human Behavior and the Social Environment ........................................................................................ 315
Social Work Research ............................................................................................................................. 315
Sub-specializations ................................................................................................................................ 316
Classes ................................................................................................................................................... 317
Culminating Experience ......................................................................................................................... 317
Field Practicum ....................................................................................................................................... 317
2023-2024 Program Deadlines ............................................................................................................... 318
Forms and the Signatures needed: ........................................................................................................... 320
EMERGENCY INFORMATION ........................................................................................................... 322
Campus Resources .................................................................................................................................. 323
PLEASE NOTE:
This
handbook
is
updated
regularly
to best
meet the
needs
of
students,
faculty, and
staff.
5 | Page
Department Chair and
Coordinators
Irán Barrera, Ph.D., LCSW
Department Chair
Randy Nedegaard, Ph.D.
MSW Program Coordinator
Estella Saldivar, MSW
BA Program Coordinator
Benita Washington, MSW, PPSC
PPS Program Coordinator
Travis Cronin, Ph.D., LCSW
Field Coordinator
Yeng Xiong, MSW
Assistant Field Coordinator
Helen Miltiades, Ph.D.
Gerontology Program Coordinator
Professor
Room: PHS 128
Phone: 559.278.3038
Professor
Room: PHS 148
Phone: 559.278.6129
Field Liaison/Instructor
Room: PHS 118
Phone: 559.278.8494
Room: PHS 112
Phone: 559.278.6151
Associate Professor
Room: PHS 138
Phone: 559.278.0064
Field Liaison/Instructor
Room: PHS 118
Phone: 559.278.6846
Professor
Room: PHS 107A
Phone: 559.278.7253
Tenure-Track/FERP Faculty
Reuben Addo, Ph.D.
Marcus Crawford, Ph.D.
Debra Harris, Ph.D. (FERP)
Dheeshana Jayasundara, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Room: PHS 141
559.278.5198
Associate Professor
Room: PHS 147
Phone: 559.278.6088
Emerita Professor
Room: PHS 105
Phone: 559.278.2966
Professor
Room: PHS 142
Phone: 559.278.6109
Gyanesh K. Lama, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Room: PHS 140
Phone: 559.278.0397
Professor
Mitzi Lowe, Ph.D. Room: PHS 144
Phone: 559.278.9917
6 | Page
Candy Madrigal, Ph.D., LCSW
Felipe Mercado, Ed.D.
Roger Simpson, Ph.D. (FERP)
Martha Vungkhanching, Ph.D., MSW
Pa Xiong, Ed.D.
Full-Time
Lecturers
Cheryl Whittle, Ph.D., LCSW
Title IV-E Coordinator
Maggie Armistead, MSW
Christopher Cole, MSW
Daniel Espinoza, MSW
Bee Yang, MSW
Part-Time Field
Liaisons
Teri Collet, MSW, LCSW
Assistant Professor
Room: PHS 143
559.278.5199
Assistant Professor
Room: PHS 145
Phone: 559. 278.2765
Associate Professor
Room: PHS 105
Phone: 559.278.3992
Professor
Room: PHS 149
Phone: 559.278.8741
Assistant Professor
Room: PHS 146
Phone: 559.278.2764
Instructor
Room: PHS 115
Phone: 559.278.8687
Field Liaison/Instructor
Room: PHS 118
Phone: 559.278.6851
Field Liaison/Instructor
Room: PHS 115
Phone: 559.278.6698
Field Liaison/Instructor
Room: PHS 118
Phone: 559.278.1663
Field Liaison/Instructor
Room: PHS 118
Phone: 559.278.6489
Eleanor Uribe, LCSW, PPSC
Field Liaison/Instructor
Phone: 559.278.2454
7 | Page
Department Support Staff
Denise Nunez
Field Administrative Assistant
Room: PHS 128
Phone: 559.278.3992
Christi Smith
Administrative Support Coordinator
Room: PHS 128
Phone: 559.278-6824
Jose Torres
Graduate Administrative Assistant
Room: PHS 128
Phone: 559.278.7614
Title IV-E Support Staff
Pearl Fraijo
Administrative Support Assistant, Title IV-E
Room: PHS 115
Phone: 559.278.3076
Maxine Watson
Administrative Assistant, Title IV-E
Room: PHS 115
Phone: 559.278.3076
Vincent Latham
Administrative Support Coordinator, Title IV-E
Room: PHS 115
Phone: 559.278.3076
8 | Page
Where To Turn for Assistance:
For Help With: Contact:
Academic Questions or Issues Designated Department Academic Advisor
Address Change (notification of) Graduate Administrative Assistant, (PHS-128)
559.278.3992; and MyFresnoState Portal
under “Personal Information”
Below is information on which faculty to
contact
regarding
issues or concerns
that
you
may
have.
The
list
shows
who
to
contact
first and who to contact
after that, if needed.
Course Selection Designated Department Academic Advisor
Educational Problems 1) Course Instructor & Academic Advisor;
2)
Graduate Coordinator; 3)
Department
Chairperson
Employment
*Job Leads
*Resume Preparation
*Reference from School
*Department Website
Career Services, 559.278.2381
Career Services, 559.278.2381
Your Academic Advisor
https://chhs.fresnostate.edu/social-work
Field Instruction Issues 1) Your Field Instructor &/or Faculty Liaison,
2)
Academic Advisor; 3) Field Coordinator
559.278.3992
Financial Aid
Graduation Requirements and Deadlines
Financial Aid Office, Joyal Admin. North
Lobby 559.278.2182
Randy Nedegaard, Graduate Coordinator
PHS Room 148
Phone: 559.278. 6129
nedegaard@csufresno.edu
Jose Torres
Graduate Administrative Assistant
PHS Room 128
Phone: 559.278.7614
9 | Page
Graduation Requirements and Deadlines
Division of Research & Graduate Studies,
Thomas Building Room 132
www.fresnostate.edu/gradstudies
559.278.2448
Grievances 1) Course Instructor; 2) Academic Advisor;
3)
Department Chair – 559.278.3992
Health and Psychological Services Student Health Center, 559.278.2734
http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/issp
Housing University Courtyard (Housing)
Residence Atrium, 559.278.2345
Leave of Absence Request See page [28] for Information
Medical Emergencies and Concerns
Student Health Center,
559.
278.2734
Personal Challenges Your Academic Advisor; Student Health
Center 559.278.2734
Special Services
International Students International Student Services and Programs
5150 N. Maple Ave. M/S JA 56
Fresno, CA 93740
559.278.2409
International Student Services and Programs
5150 N. Maple Ave. M/S JA 56
Fresno, CA 93740
559.278.2782
Students with Disabilities Services for Students with Disabilities,
559.278.2811, Madden Library 1201
Veterans Veterans Certification, Joyal Admin., Rm. 106
559.278.7030
Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment Campus Police, Public Safety Bldg.
559.278.8400
Human Resources, Rm. 211
Joyal Administration Building
559.278.2364
10 | Page
Writing Support Graduate Writing Studio
Fresno State Library, Rm. 2119
Mondays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom);
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Tuesdays: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom);
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Wednesdays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom);
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Thursdays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom);
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Fridays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom)
Saturdays: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Phone: 559.278.2450
Studio Email: fresnostate[email protected]
Further campus resources can be found at the end of this handbook.
11 | Page
Mission of the University, College, Department and
Program
The university, as an urban and rural-regional institution, is dedicated to the development of competent
students, citizens, and leaders through the provision of comprehensive Bachelor’s and Master’s degree
programs. As a publicly supported institution, the university also has a special mission to serve students
from groups that historically have not participated in university education, whether because of age, gender,
ethnicity, socioeconomic background, physical disability, or geographic location. Similarly, the College
of Health and Human Services seeks to provide professional education in health and human services for
students pursuing either Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees and for those professionals in the community who
have continuing education needs. The mission of both the university and the college includes the
recognition of the unique service area within which they are located; thus, the primary institutional effort
is directed to the higher education needs of the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley. The
Department of Social Work is specifically committed to the education of social workers at the bachelor’s
and Master’s levels who will provide social welfare services and leadership within the central San Joaquin
Valley. Graduates of both programs intervene with individuals, families, groups, and other small systems
as well as with human service agencies, voluntary organizations, neighborhoods, and communities. The
department is committed to enhancing both the quality of life in the region and the capacity of citizens to
identify and address their own social welfare and social justice concerns and needs.
Department Vision, Mission and Values Statement
Vision
We seek a society that is respectful, culturally inclusive, compassionate, and just.
Mission
To prepare our students for service and leadership in the Central Valley and globally in order to dismantle
systemic oppression through relationship building, dialogue, advocacy, and empowered collective action.
Values
We commit to prioritizing and modeling the following values and have them guide our interactions with
our colleagues, students and communities, how we carry out our mission and vision, make program
decisions, and the curriculum we teach:
•
Social Justice: To engage in and promote fair and equitable treatment of all people, all the time,
in all places.
•
Diversity: To demonstrate respect for differences and practice inclusion.
•
Empowerment: To leverage shared resources to facilitate capacity building and promote human
rights.
•
Leadership: To promote forms of leadership that practice the qualities of humility, integrity,
teamwork, respect, pro-action, critical thinking, and empathy.
•
Dialogue: To facilitate interactions in which individuals and communities are invited to listen and
speak authentically, respectfully, and boldly.
12 | Page
Department Goals
The goals of the program are:
1.
To educate beginning level generalists (BA) and advanced (MSW) social work practitioners to serve
the surrounding region of the university, focusing primarily on the Central San Joaquin Valley.
2.
To educate generalist and advanced social work practitioners to practice with a commitment to social
justice. A commitment to social justice involves the ability to:
a)
Critically analyze social problems or conditions and existing or proposed policy responses;
b)
Recognize individual and institutionalized forms of oppression; and
c)
Participate in social action to correct injustices, fight oppression, and promote social welfare for
all.
3.
To educate generalist and advanced social work practitioners to practice with diversity awareness and
develop culturally competent practice skills. Diversity awareness and culturally competent practice
refers to the ability of a practitioner to:
a)
Identify, understand, and celebrate differences that exist among individuals with respect to race,
ethnicity, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, age, gender,
socioeconomic background, and other key features of human experiences; and
b)
Intervene with sensitivity to and respect for these differences, utilizing cardinal social work values
and specific diversity/cultural knowledge and skills.
4.
Practice within an empowerment perspective. The empowerment perspective implies active
collaboration with the client system in an atmosphere of equality and mutuality. The goals of the
intervention include maximizing social support and a balance between self-sufficiency and
interdependency, which are premised on a strengths-based approach.
The undergraduate program prepares baccalaureate students for beginning generalist social work practice
in public and private agencies. The graduate program prepares students for advanced autonomous social
work practice with a special focus on multisystem practice roles, skills and methods of intervention.
Both programs prepare graduates to provide social work services in a region characterized by enormous
social, cultural, and economic diversity. The widespread poverty, population growth, and demographics
characterized by many oppressed groups (e.g., persons with disabilities, ethnic communities, refugees) in
Central California create complex and constantly shifting service needs. The context for this practice is a
unique urban-rural configuration of people, agribusiness, social-political institutions in transition, and a
host of social service needs. Accordingly, the Department educates advanced Master’s level practitioners
who can meet complex needs, perform a multiplicity of social work roles, promote institutional change,
and enhance the problem-solving capacities of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and
communities.
The Graduate Program
The profession of social work and the Department of Social Work Education is dedicated to meeting the
social service needs of diverse and often marginalized populations of individuals, families, groups,
organizations, and communities. The graduates of our program deal with social concerns that range from
societal oppression to the emotional/behavioral problems of individuals. The social work practitioner who
is educated in our program is taught to help vulnerable populations which typically include people of color,
women, people who are recent refugees, elders, poor and/or homeless, children and adults who are
abused/neglected, and people who have severe mental illness or behavioral health issues, intellectual
13 | Page
disabilities, physical illnesses or disabilities, substance use issues, or who are involved with the criminal
justice system. In focusing on marginalized groups, the student is educated in the use of an expansive
repertoire of practice skills and methods to serve individuals, families, groups, communities, and
organizations for the purpose of promoting well-being, personal growth, and social justice. These skills
include policy advocacy, brokering, consultation, individual, family, and group work, mediation, research,
supervision, and education.
Social work is deeply rooted in a rich, 100-year history of service; the role of the professional social worker is
not limited or traditionally defined. The role of the social worker is constantly expanding into new and
innovative service fields as a compassionate response to human need when indicated. Graduates of our program
will typically find employment in several fields of practice that include, however are not limited to, the
following: child welfare/protective services worker, alcohol/substance abuse counselor, school social worker,
behavioral health/family services practitioner, medical/rehabilitation worker, juvenile/adult justice worker,
program developer, agency manager/administrator, volunteer coordinator, employee assistance program
coordinator/worker, grassroots community organizer, and/or legislative advocate.
The Master’s degree in social work (MSW) offered by our department is designed to prepare advanced
social work practitioners for autonomous practice. They will obtain the values, knowledge and skills to meet
complex client needs within diverse public and private human service settings and perform in a variety of
roles using multiple social work practice methodologies. The goal of this course of study is to prepare the
student learner for advanced social work practice at multiple levels of intervention as well as for possible
doctoral study in social work and related human service professions.
MSW Program Mission
Grounded in the liberal arts and guided by a person-in-environment framework, we prepare diverse MSW
students for culturally responsive, advanced multisystemic practice and leadership in the Central Valley, the
state, and globally, enabling them to ethically, proactively, and effectively dismantle systemic oppression
through service, relationship building, dialogue, advocacy, critical knowledge, diversity, and empowered
collective action.
MSW Program Goals
1. Grounded in the liberal arts, the program trains students to acquire culturally responsive advanced
knowledge and skills in social work. It integrates course content and field experiences using advanced
multisystem and social justice frameworks to engage in empowered collective action that promotes the
strengths and resiliency of the people with whom we work.
2. To prepare practitioners to be leaders in their respective social work positions from an advanced
multisystem approach, consistent with social work values and ethics, promoting inclusiveness, equity, and
justice when working with increasingly complex, culturally, linguistically, economically, racially, socially,
sexually, and gender-diverse communities.
3. To prepare our students to have a deeper understanding of the root causes of oppression and to bridge
micro, mezzo, and macro contexts to proactively and effectively address social problems and dismantle
social oppressions in their chosen settings.
4. To prepare our students to have a deeper understanding and respect for DSWE values of social justice,
diversity, empowerment, leadership, and dialogue.
5. To prepare our students to engage in critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and best practices by proactively
using research-informed practice and practice-informed research when providing service.
14 | Page
Accreditation
California State University, Fresno is fully accredited by the California Board of Education, Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Both the undergraduate and graduate programs in social work are fully accredited by the Council on Social
Work Education (CSWE).
Advanced Standing
Advanced standing MSW programs are a recognition of successful completion of an undergraduate social
work degree program. As it builds on previous studies, advanced standing MSW programs generally take
less time than a traditional MSW program. However, the MSW program at California State University,
Fresno does not currently have an advanced standing program.
MSW Program Admission Requirements
All MSW students must complete foundation and advanced multisystem concentration social work
courses. The full-time program can be completed in 4 semesters. The part-time program is generally
completed in 8 semesters.
Admission requirements for the MSW Program are as follows:
•
Bachelor's degree in from a regionally accredited institution.
•
An undergraduate GPA of 3.00 overall or a GPA of 3.00 in the last two years of the undergraduate
program.
•
Completion of pre-requisite courses in 1) data analysis/research, 2) human development, and
3)
cultural diversity (see prerequisites for admission to the MSW program below).
•
Willingness to abide by the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics and the Fresno
State's Student Rights and Responsibilities.
https://studentaffairs.fresnostate.edu/studentconduct/policies/index.html
Admission Process
Applications are electronic through Cal State Apply and are managed by the Division of Research and
Graduate Studies. Applicants complete the School of Graduate Studies' application and obtain two
references.
Applicants also submit a resume and a 5-page personal statement (the essay described in the Division of
Research and Graduate Studies application) that covers the following:
•
Passion for being a social worker;
•
Lived experiences related to social work
•
Professional goals and how they relate to one of the three sub-specializations offered in the MSW program
•
Values and beliefs regarding social work;
•
Experience with diversity by identifying a social justice issue;
•
Qualities the applicant brings to the profession
Finally, the Division of Research and Graduate Studies requires submission of an official copy of all
academic transcripts outside of Fresno State, including undergraduate and graduate course work.
All materials are submitted to the Division of Research and Graduate Studies through the Cal State Apply
system, which then transmits the materials to the Department of Social Work. Applicant materials are
reviewed by members of the MSW Admissions Committee. Rating criteria considered by MSW Committee
15 | Page
members include past academic performance; strength and quality of applicant references; content and
quality of the personal statement; and applicant readiness for and goodness of fit for practice as an MSW-
level practitioner.
Applications are available between October and January. The application deadline is generally near the
end of January.
Admission Procedures:
All materials are submitted through CAL STATE APPLY, which then transmits the materials to the
Department of Social Work Education. The MSW Program Coordinator oversees the admissions cycle.
Completed applications are reviewed and scored by members of the MSW Admissions Committee. Each
application is read by two MSW Committee members. Each reader scores the applicant’s application and
makes a recommendation for admission.
Applicants are evaluated on six main criteria:
1) Skills - demonstrates critical thinking, analysis, organization in personal statement; professional skills
demonstrated in references and work history; academic skills reflected in GPA
2) Values - values expressed in statement, references, major, and work history align with social work
profession and Departmental value statement.
3) Experience - has work, volunteer, or life experience that demonstrates understanding of injustice and
professional motives for becoming a social worker.
4) Readiness - personal statement and work history demonstrates readiness for graduate level training and
practice.
5) Potential/Promising - application as a whole demonstrates potential for contribution to social work, service
to underrepresented groups in the region and/or fulfillment of the Department mission.
An overall recommendation is then based upon a 10-point scale, with “0” as “Do Not Admit” and “10” as
“Strongly Recommend.”
Once each application has been reviewed by two readers, the entire MSW Admissions Committee convenes
to review rankings and recommendations. In making final admission decisions, the MSW Committee
considers the scores and rankings, including additional review of applicants’ goodness of fit for an advanced
multisystem program and readiness for practice as an MSW level practitioner.
At the end of this thorough review process, applicants are placed in one of three categories: 1) recommend
admission, 2) alternate, and 3) do not admit. Applications are reviewed until the committee reaches
consensus.
Admissions Notification:
Applicants are notified of the MSW Admissions Committee recommendations by both letter and e-mail
from the MSW Program Coordinator. Applicants being offered admission are given two weeks to respond to
the letter/email. Applicants recommended as alternates are asked to notify the MSW Program of their
agreement to remain on the alternate list. The notification to those students who are not admitted reiterates
the competitive nature of the admissions process and provides contact information in the event there are
questions regarding admission decisions.
Prerequisites for Admission to the MSW Program
16 | Page
The MSW applicant must have a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. The BA
or BS degree may be in any major; the applicant's overall academic record must show evidence of a liberal
arts foundation. A student's prior coursework in the liberal arts is expected to promote the development of an
educational perspective, values, and abilities necessary for professional social work practice. This liberal arts
underpinning provides theoretical perspectives that facilitate understanding of factors that influence human
behavior such as human biology, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, history, and
encompasses the natural and physical sciences, arts and humanities, and social sciences. Undergraduate
general education requirements commonly provide much of this liberal arts base. Note this requirement DOES
NOT require you to have a "Liberal Arts or Liberal Studies" major.
Applicants must have completed the general education requirements at Fresno State or similar requirements at
another institution and completed at least one course, each, on:
1)
Human development and health issues over the life span,
2)
Research Methods/Data analysis (qualitative or quantitative), and
3)
An upper division course in ethnic/cultural diversity systems or women’s studies.
A list of courses approved for the above prerequisites are available on the department website:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/chhs/social-work/masters/prerequisites.html. It is strongly recommended that
applicants to the MSW program have completed or are in the process of completing all prerequisites during
the application process. If an applicant is offered a conditional admission to the MSW program, all
prerequisites must be met before the first day of the Fall semester in which they are to enroll. Failure to
complete the prerequisites before the start of the Fall semester will result in admission being revoked.
To inquire whether a course you have already taken meets one or all the requirements listed above, you
should make your request to the MSW Graduate Coordinator at 278.3992. You will be asked to provide a
copy of the course syllabus and transcripts. You may also verify your courses through www.assist.org.
Graduate Curriculum
The MSW curriculum in the Department of Social Work Education undergoes ongoing modification in
response to changes in societal conditions and professional practice and to new developments in knowledge
and theory. The course of study, whether full or part-time, focuses on a multisystem approach that includes
advanced social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. This is
organized and delivered on a semester basis with a concurrent classroom-field model of instruction. Thus,
full and part-time students have specific days each week devoted to classroom instruction complemented by
two to three days of the week exclusively designed for field/practicum instruction. Students must plan for
two 9-month field/practicum internships scheduled during weekdays between 8 am – 5 pm over the course
of the program.
Our curriculum is designed to prepare social workers for agency and community-based practice; these social
worker-citizens are informed, compassionate and proactive in response to human needs. Three important
dimensions of our program’s mission include the development of 1) a commitment to social justice, 2)
diversity awareness and culturally competent practice, and 3) an empowerment perspective. These three goals
of social work education are equally important to practice at all levels of intervention, with individuals,
families, small groups, organizations, and communities.
dStudent’s Responsibilities
17 | Page
It is the student’s responsibility to be informed about, and participate fully in, their program. Your
responsibilities include:
•
Attend the mandatory orientation for incoming MSW students prior to the beginning of the
academic year. Information will be sent out via email one week prior to orientation.
•
Know and meet/complete all degree requirements and deadlines for the MSW program and the
University. Frequently used forms may be found at websites such as
www.fresnostate.edu/chhs/social-work or Graduate Studies,
www.fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies.
•
Carefully plan and balance your schedule to accommodate courses, field internship and
personal commitments.
•
Attend and participate in classes.
•
Obtain hard copies or access electronically, and become familiar with all relevant
curriculum/advising materials (e.g., catalog, schedule of courses, Social Work Graduate
Handbook), and become familiar with university policies and university degree requirements
relevant to Graduate Division and the Master’s in Social Work program.
•
Contact the academic advisor to review your academic program and progress at least twice
during each semester while attending CSU Fresno.
•
Consult with your academic advisor whenever academic or personal concerns begin to
interfere with or impede your learning or performance in the classroom or field placement;
participate in the development of a plan of action to address the problems. Any arrangements
to address course and/or internship activities require communication with the Graduate
Coordinator.
•
Come prepared to advising meetings. This means reviewing the relevant catalog, Division of
Graduate Studies information and/or MSW handbook. For meetings with your Advisor it is
highly recommended that you:
•
Make an appointment
•
Provide an update of course work completed to date and, once advanced to candidacy,
provide a copy of the most recent approved advancement petition, and any approved
adjustments, which lists all courses the student proposes to take in their “contract” for the
MSW degree,
•
Prepare a list of questions and tentative plans/solutions for discussion with the advisor,
•
When needed, complete forms for your advisor’s review/signature, and
•
Actively engage in problem solving/planning on your academic program.
•
Maintain personal records (i.e., copies of all relevant program documents/approved
petitions) and confirm that University Evaluations; Division of Research and Graduate
Studies (Thomas Building, Room 130) files contain all essential
information/documentation.
•
Consult Canvas for a current advisee/faculty list (this applies only to current students).
NOTE: Personal counseling/therapy for the student is not within the scope of the student-advisor
18 | Page
relationship or the academic advisor’s role and responsibilities. The advisor will, however, make
recommendations and refer the student to appropriate services and providers within the university.
19 | Page
Advisement Policies and Procedures
University policy for advising is found in Fresno State APM 205:
https://academics.fresnostate.edu/facultyaffairs/documents/apm/205.pdf
Academic advising is a collaborative and holistic process in which advisors and advisees develop
goals that are compatible with the student’s academic success, career aspirations, and lifelong
learning. The advising relationship fosters both academic and personal development, referring
advisees to other resources as needed. Students must share joint responsibility with professional
and faculty advisors in collaboration with Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
MSW students at the Fresno State University are assigned an academic advisor who provides both
academic and professional advisement when they enter the graduate social work program.
Additionally, all MSW students are encouraged to seek advisement from the MSW Program
Coordinator.
Orientation sessions are held for all MSW students admitted at the beginning of year one and year
two. These orientation sessions are held the first week of class. All orientation sessions provide
information about faculty, library resources, and use of technology. The role of graduate advisors
in supporting both academic and professional advisement is explained, as is the distinction
between a thesis and project for their culminating experience. Students are reminded about the
online access to the Master of Social Work Graduate Student Handbook. This document provides
valuable information that informs students about advisement.
Occasionally, the fit between a student and their assigned academic advisor is poor. The MSW
Coordinator will work with any student who is not satisfied with the professional advising they are
receiving. The MSW Coordinator will work with the assigned faculty, and the DSWE Chair to
remedy the situation (i.e., this may lead the student to be assigned to a new professional advisor).
Graduate students are assigned academic advisors which includes both full-time lecturers and
tenured/tenure track faculty in the department of social work education. MSW students in their
second year also select their project/thesis advisor, who is a full-time faculty member in the
Department of Social Work and an assistant, associate or full member of the graduate faculty. This
person largely provides guidance pertaining to the completion of the culminating project or thesis,
but they also answer academic and professional advisement questions as students desire.
Professional advising may take place simultaneously with academic advising.
Students’ Rights to Participate in Policymaking
The DSWE uses the university policy on student’s rights to modify policies. Academic Policy
Manual 137: Policy on Student Participation in Policy Development.
The Policy reads:
The University values student advice on matters that will affect them. It is the policy of the
University to request that Associated Students, Inc. appoint representatives to committees
20 | Page
determined to be in need of student participants. Upon appointment, student committee members
will serve with the full rights and responsibilities as faculty and staff unless otherwise noted in
their appointment letter, the committee charge, or the Academic Policy Manual. Campus
committee appointment procedures will reflect a process for assuring appropriate student
membership – as well as faculty and staff. The appropriate office in the Student Affairs division
will keep the Associated Students, Inc., and other student groups as necessary, apprised of new
task forces, campus wide committees and commissions that have vacant student positions.
Within the MSW program it is the department policy to attempt to have at least student
representative present in all sequence meetings and the MSW committee. If you are interested in
serving as a student representative for a departmental committee, please reach out to the MSW
Program Coordinator.
Advanced Multisystem Specialization: One
specialization (three sub-specializations)
The MSW Program has only one area of specialized practice: Advanced Multisystem. Multisystem
has been chosen as our specialization because we believe it to be the best-suited to our context in
the central valley of California, preparing versatile social work leaders with an understanding of
urban and rural service needs who can work effectively for positive change within and across
systems in a variety of practice settings in a diverse and multicultural setting.
This approach is applied in the final year of the program in the two-year MSW program (At the
moment MSW does not have an advanced standing program; all students must take the MSW
Generalist Curriculum even if they have a BSW). The program has only one option. Under this
specialization, the program has three sub-specializations (two of which are grant-based). While
these sub-specializations support students more interested in certain fields of practice, the entire
curriculum in the Specialization Year employs the Advanced Multisystem approach.
Area of Specialized Practice #1: Advanced Multisystem
The MSW Program’s area of specialization builds on generalist practice in its single program
option. The Advanced Multisystem approach builds upon the Generalist Curriculum. The
Advanced Multisystem approach advances the Generalist approach. It focuses on person in the
environment and teaches students to look at all systems when providing services, while employing
more advanced knowledge and skills.
The multisystem approach recognizes that social problems have their origins in interconnected
systems; effective intervention or considerations for the interventions most often occur at multiple
levels, sometimes even simultaneously. These systems of intervention include individual, family,
group, organization, and community systems or micro, mezzo and macro levels. Advanced
Multisystem social workers are trained to work at individual, family, groups, organizations and
communities in their advanced year. Sometimes practitioners most often assume multiple and even
varied roles (such as therapist, broker, advocate, enabler, mediator, lobbyist and conferee) and may
work in different areas of practice, yet as advanced multisystem trained social workers, regardless
of the field of practice or role, they are trained to look multiple systemic levels and multiple
intervention systems.
21 | Page
Thus, while roles are chosen in response to client needs and situational requirements, students are
trained to delve deeper and consider all levels when providing services in any setting. It advances
the generalist emphasis on engaging in diversity in their practice and advocating for human rights
and social and economic justice. The Advanced Multisystem approach requires students to apply
culturally responsive and anti-oppressive lens to services. The approach also incorporates
advanced knowledge and principles/values of social justice, diversity, empowerment, leadership,
and dialog into practice approaches within multiple systems. These values overarchingly guide our
efforts when working within these multiple systems.
As explained in the specialized competencies of the DSWE MSW Program, social justice refers to
engaging in and promoting fair and equitable treatment of all people, all the time, in all
places. Diversity refers to the ability to demonstrate respect for differences and practice inclusion
at all system levels. Empowerment refers to leveraging shared resources to facilitate capacity
building and promote human rights. Leadership refers to the ability to promote forms of leadership
that practice the qualities of humility, integrity, teamwork, respect, pro-action, critical thinking,
and empathy. Dialogue refers to the ability to facilitate interactions in which individuals and
communities are invited to listen and speak authentically, respectfully, and boldly. According to
the MSW program philosophy, the program promotes advanced multisystem intervention using
these underlying principles to guide them at all levels. The Advanced Multisystem approach
embraces the strengths and resiliency of all human beings at a deeper level, by using values of
empowerment, diversity, social justice, dialing and leaderships, in addition to anti oppressive and
culturally responsive frameworks. The program has a strong emphasis on research and evaluation
at multi levels.
Why the Multisystem Approach
The Multisystem approach is necessary to effectively and justly meet the needs of the Central
Valley community. The MSW program’s specialization in advanced multisystem social work
practice incorporates the principles of social justice, and diversity and cultural competence into
practice approaches within an ecological perspective. The advanced multisystem specialization
provides the knowledge and skills which enable the practitioner to recognize and focus on a large
number of factors, each embedded within the next, in a multidimensional matrix of sometimes
contrasting and competing practice demands. It prepares our graduates for advanced autonomous
practice wherein, taking an ecological perspective, interventions with multiple systems are made in
an integrated, multidimensional response to presenting needs. This approach is necessary as the
Central Valley has a larger concentration of vulnerable population (majority immigrant
populations), high poverty rates and elevated contexts that create discrimination and oppression.
Therefore, it is necessary for students to have a broader understanding. For example if a client
comes into an agency complaining of depression and the clinician only looks at the problem at a
micro perspective, the client may only receive an individual intervention directed at cognitive and
behavioral changes. , Yet, if we dig deeper and find out the client’s family was deported, and that
client is alone with no support systems, then the services provided need to be expanded and or
changed. At the heart of our curriculum, this focus is emphasized as a culturally responsive and
anti-oppressive approach. The multisystem approach is infused in every class where root causes
are assessed to obtain deeper understanding of social and environmental problems.
Specialization Components
Under this larger framework of the Multisystem specialization, the program has three different
sub-specializations: Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice (BHIP), School Social Work
(SSW), and Title IV-E Child Welfare (CW).
22 | Page
These are sub-specializations under the larger Advanced Multisystem approach. Students take only
two specific classes in their respective sub-specializations, that account for 6 credit hours (a sub-
specialization class on Policy and Theory related to sub-specialization practice, and Practice
classes related to sub-specialization), out of 30 credit units in the advanced year (see below the
class structure). Three sub-specialization classes have similar embedded common assignments
that measure the advanced competencies in a similar manner across the three sub-specialization
classes. All sub-specializations train students to practice utilizing a multisystem lens to identify
and tackle problems. In field placement settings, the assessment of competency requirements
remains the same for all students. And all students are expected to apply the advanced multisystem
approach to problem identification and service delivery regardless of their sub-specialization (In
fact, BHIP and PPS students can be placed in same field placements in school settings.
Additionally, SSW students can take BHIP sub-specialization classes).
• Sub-specialization 1: The BHIP Sub-specialization is designed for those interested in careers in
behavioral health in hospitals, school social work, or other related fields of practice. This sub-
specialization is based on 4-year federal grant funded under Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA-21-089). The BHIP students are assigned to the BHIP sub-specialization
by virtue of the decision to participate in the BHIP sub-specialization. There are usually limited
BHIP sub-specialization seats for the BHIP students, and they go through a selection process.
This project helps to remedy the behavioral health shortage through providing stipend support to
produce clinical social workers well trained to deliver culturally responsive services to Hispanic
and Hmong populations in the region. Students receive a $10,000 stipend in their specialization
year. All content is delivered within a multisystem context that addresses multilayer culturally
sensitive needs and teaches anti-oppressive frameworks to support effective behavioral health
intervention with Latino and Hmong communities.
• Sub-specialization 2: The School Social Work (SSW) Sub-specialization is aligned with the
requirements for the Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential in school social work and child
welfare and attendance. The SSW students are assigned to the SSW sub-specialization by virtue
of the decision to participate in the SSW sub-specialization. It is geared for those interested in
school-based practice in CA public K-12 schools. The SSW/PPS credential program takes a
multisystem approach by preparing social workers to "perform services to children, parents,
school personnel and community agencies to promote a school environment responsive to the
needs of children and to plan educational programs which will prepare children to function in a
culturally diversified society" (CA Ed Code 44046). The curriculum is designed for the
multisystem approach to thinking and skills.
• Sub-specialization 3: The Title IV-E Child Welfare (CW) program has been implemented to
prepare undergraduate and graduate students for work in public child welfare. The Title IV-E
Child Welfare Program provides funds to full-time and part-time social work students who are
preparing for careers directed toward child welfare practice in publicly supported social services
and Tribal agencies. MSW students pursuing CW sub-specialization are provided two years of
support (financial support is also provided for the first year of the program). Students receive a
stipend of $18,500 annually for a total of $37,000. Members of ethnic, racial, and cultural
minority groups living under vulnerable conditions constitute an increasing portion of the
clientele of the child welfare system in the Central Valley. Additionally, P.L. 96-272 (1980)
established a focus on keeping children in their homes and on permanency planning, in an effort
23 | Page
to break the cycle of multiple foster homes for dependent children. This change necessitates
students to learn multisystem thinking and viewing of problems and intervention and prevention
skills in culturally responsive ways with deeper understanding of social justice, diversity,
empowerment, leadership, and dialog with families and communities. In addition to mastering
new intervention modes, students who enter public social welfare practice need multisystem
analysis skills to play significant roles improving the structure and design of agencies and service
programs.
Theoretical Frameworks
The theoretical underpinnings of the Advanced Multisystem approach include systems and ecological
perspectives, anti-oppressive, multicultural perspectives, empowerment and strengths perspectives,
family systems theories, social constructivism, and feminist theories and their concepts are incorporated
across all three sub-specializations. The participatory education model described by Freire (1970) in
Pedagogy of the oppressed is also an integral component of the MSW Program’s core philosophy of
pedagogical practice. These concepts are taught first in the first year, and students learn to apply them in
various contexts and in conjunction with other intervention and prevention theories in their specialization
year. In the specialization year, all theoretical frameworks are discussed in relation to advanced
multisystem framework application. Theory is discussed at all levels of systems and students are taught
to integrate theories within the multisystem lens to apply them to micro, mezzo, and macro contexts.
24 | Page
The DSWE MSW Program Specialization Year Curriculum Structure
DSWE’s master’s program overall is a 60-credit program, where 30 credits of those are required in the
specialization year. Specialized practice classes are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and two sections
are typically offered at night to accommodate part-time students and full-time students who are working,
and one section is offered during the day. This composition may vary depending on the cohort needs.
Applications for new cohorts are due January 30
th
and new cohorts start in August, in the Fall semester.
Currently, the DSWE does not have advanced standing and has a two-year program where specialized
practice courses are offered in the second year.
The following classes are required in the following order to complete the program and obtain an MSW.
Fall of specialization year
SWRK 223: Practice with Individuals and Families (3) (Fall)
SWRK 262: Research Methods (3) (Fall)
SWRK 292: Seminar in Thesis/Project (2) (fall)
SWRK 282: Advanced Field Instructed Practice I (4) (Fall)
Sub-specialization I Class options (Fall) (Students can chose one sub-specialization course)
SWRK 264: Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice
Sub-specialization I (Fall)
SWRK 274: Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Schools Sub-specialization I (Fall)
SWRK 278: Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Child Welfare Sub-specialization I (Fall)
Spring of Specialization year
SWRK 248: Practice with Organizations & Communities (3) (Spring)
SWRK 298: Project or 299: Thesis (2) (Spring)
SWRK 283: Advanced Field Instructed Practice II (4) (Spring)
Sub-specialization II Class options (Spring) (Students can chose one sub-specialization course)
SWRK 265: Advanced Practice in Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice Sub-specialization II
(Spring)
SWRK 275: Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Schools Sub-specialization II (Spring)
SWRK 288: Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Child Welfare Sub-specialization II (Spring)
Full- and part-time schedules follow to show how students’ progress through their Generalist
(Foundation) and Specialization (Advanced) coursework.
25 | Page
Master of Social Work Degree Requirements
REQUIREMENTS
Note: Courses and field internships are offered in fall and spring semesters only.
A total of 60 units are required to complete the MSW degree program. All students are required to take
the following SWRK courses (54 units) and two Social Work electives (6 units):
(Starting
Catalog
year
2020-2023)
200: Social Welfare Policy (3)
210: Law & Ethics I (1)
211: Law & Ethics II (1)
212: Human Behavior and Social Environment I (3)
213: Human Behavior and Social Environment: Cultural Diversity and Oppression II (3)
220: Social Work Practice I (3)
221: Social Work Practice II (3)
222: Community/Advocacy (3)
223: Practice with Individuals and Families (3)
248: Practice with Organizations & Communities (3)
262: Research Methods (3)
263: Program Evaluation (3)
280: Foundation Field Instructed Practice I (2)
281: Foundation Field Instructed Practice II (2)
282: Advanced Field Instructed Practice I (4)
283: Advanced Field Instructed Practice II (4)
292: Seminar in Thesis/Project (2)
298: Project or 299: Thesis (2)
Advanced Year Sub-Specializations (choose one)
•
Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice (BHIP)
•
School Social Work (SSW, required for the PPS credential)
•
Child Welfare (CW)
Sub-Specialization 1 - choose 1 class in your selected sub-specialization - Policy/Theory/Practice (3)
**
264: Advanced Policy, Theory & Practice in Behavioral Health & Integrated Practice I (BHIP)
274: Advanced SW Policy, Theory & Practice in Schools I (SSW)
278: Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Child Welfare I (CW)
Sub-Specialization 2 - choose 1 class in your selected sub-specialization - Practice (3) **
265: Advanced Practice in Behavioral Health & Integrated Practice II (BHIP)
275: Advanced Social Work Practice in Schools II (SSW)
288: Advanced Child Welfare Practice II (CW)
There are three multisystem specialization sub-specializations in the MSW program.
1.
Child Welfare (CW, also Title IV-E);
2.
School Social Work (SSW, also the PPS program);
3.
Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice (BHIP)
26 | Page
•
Title IV-E students are assigned to the Child Welfare (CW) sub-specialization by virtue
of the decision to participate in the IVE program. There are usually limited CW
placements for the IVE students.
•
The SSW sub-specialization is aligned with the requirements for the Pupil Personnel
Services credential in school social work and child welfare and attendance. It is suited
for those interested in school-based practice in CA public K-12 schools.
•
The BHIP sub-specialization is designed for those interested in advanced practice in
behavioral health, medical social work, hospice, criminal justice, gerontology, or related
fields of practice.
Please watch this video to learn more about MSW sub-specializations: https://tinyurl.com/y5c5kppc.
Social Work Electives
List of elective courses offered each semester may vary.
SWRK 269, 271T, 277, 279
** Note: course needs to be taken concurrently with field internship
ALL CATALOGS: To complete 60 units the remaining courses, totaling 6 units, must be
selected from graduate Social Work elective courses. These are the courses that will be listed on
Advancement to Candidacy forms. Offerings of elective courses may vary between Fall and
Spring semesters.
27 | Page
Course Schedule
Full-Time MSW (2-year Program) Course
Schedule
(Starting Catalog Year 2020-2023)
28 | Page
Part-Time Graduate (4-year Program) Course
Schedule
(Starting Catalog Year 2020-2023)
FALL
YEAR
1
Sem.
1
SPRING
YEAR
1
Sem.
2
FALL
YEAR
2
Sem.
3
SPRING
YEAR 2
Sem.
4
FALL
YEAR
3
Sem.
5
SPRING
YEAR 3
Sem.
6
FALL
YEAR
4
Sem.
7
SPRING
YEAR
4
Sem.
8
FOUNDATION
ADVANCED
SWRK
SWRK
SWRK
210
SWRK
211
SWRK
223
SWRK
248
SWRK
292
SWRK
299/298
200
213
Policy
(3)
HBSE
II
(3)
LAW
&
ETHICS
(1)
LAW
&
ETHICS
(1)
Practice
w/individuals &
families (3)
course
need
to
be
taken concurrently
with field
internship
Practice w/Orgs &
Communities (3)
course need to be
taken concurrently
with field internship
THESIS
(2)
THESIS/PROJECT
(2
units)
SWRK
ELECTIVE
SWRK
220
SWRK
221
Sub-
Specialization
I
Sub-specialization
(choose
1
ELECTIVE
212
(3)
(choose
1
class)
class)
(3)
Practice
(3)
Practice
(3)
HBSE
I
(3)
course need
to be taken
concurrently
with field
internship
course need to be
taken concurrently
with field internship
SWRK
264
(BHIP)
SWRK
274
(SSW)
SWRK
278
(CW)
Policy/Theory/
Practice (3)
SWRK
265
SWRK
275
SWRK
288
Practice
(3)
course
need
to
be
course
need
to
be
taken concurrently
with field
internship
taken concurrently
with field internship
SWRK
262
SWRK
222
SWRK
282
SWRK
283
RESEARCH
METHODS (3)
Community/
Advocacy (3) course
need to be
taken
concurrently
with field internship
Field (4)
20/hrs/week in
field agency
placement
(MWF)
Field (4)
20/hrs/week in field
agency placement
(MWF)
SWRK
280
SWRK
263
Field (2)
16/hrs/week
in field
agency
placement
(Tues &
Thurs)
PROGRAM
EVALUATION (3)
SWRK
281
Field (2)
16/hrs/week in field
agency placement
(Tues
&
Thurs)
Semester
1
Semester
2
Semester
3
Semester
4
Semester
5
Semester
6
Semester
7
Semester
8
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
6 TOTAL
6
TOTAL
9
TOTAL
12
TOTAL
UNITS
10
TOTAL
UNITS
10
TOTAL
UNITS
5
TOTAL
2
TOTAL
UNITS
29 | Page
UNITS
UNITS
UNITS
UNITS
30 | Page
Field Internship
Field instruction (SWRK 280, 281, 282, & 283) and practice classes are organized into a concurrent model
(see example below). In the first year, full-time students are in the field two days a week, (i.e., 16 hrs/wk)
and three days a week in the second year, i.e., 21 hrs/wk (see sample programs, above). Part-time students
enter field during the second year of graduate study. Students complete a total of 1000 hours of internship
in the field. This requires a minimum of 400 hours in the first year and 600 hours in the second year of
field. Students are placed in a variety of human service agencies approved by the Department of Social
Work Education and are located throughout the Fresno metropolitan area and the central San Joaquin
Valley. All students are supervised in their practicum experience by a social worker who has a Master of
Social Work degree. Included in these placements are federal, state, county and private agencies in fields
of practice that include Children and Family services, Schools, Public Child Welfare, Adult Services,
Corrections, Health and Behavioral Health Programs, Gerontology, Disability Services, and Student
Support Services.
Required malpractice insurance when enrolled in field internship is included in student fees. Please note
that students are expected to take responsibility for arranging transportation to their field internship and
for meeting any costs involved. Most field sites are within a 90-mile radius of the campus. Unless prevented
by law or agency policy, agencies are encouraged to support or reimburse student travel expenses for
assigned service activities undertaken during the field internship hours.
Internships are scheduled almost exclusively on weekdays between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for both full and part-
time students. Weekends and evening placements are rarely available or feasible. Students need to plan to
adjust their work schedules accordingly.
Practice courses must be taken concurrently with field internship SWRK 280/281/282/283 and in the
following sequence:
Catalog Year Starting 2020-2023
Full-Time Schedule of Concurrent Field and Practice Courses
1
st
semester, SWRK 280
SWRK 210, 220
2
nd
semester, SWRK 281
SWRK 211, 221, 222
3
rd
semester, SWRK 282
SWRK 223 & Sub-specialization I
4
th
semester, SWRK 283
SWRK 248 & Sub-specialization II
Catalog Year Starting 2020-2023
Part-Time Schedule of Concurrent Field and Practice Courses
Schedule: 4 Year
3
rd
semester, SWRK 280
SWRK 210, 220
4
th
semester, SWRK 281
SWRK 211, 221, 222
5
th
semester, SWRK 282
SWRK 223 & Sub-specialization I
6
th
semester, SWRK 283
SWRK 248 & Sub-specialization II
31 | Page
Academic Standing & Eligibility for Field
All graduate students are required to maintain a minimum GPA of “B” (3.0). Any MSW student whose
GPA drops below a 3.0 or receives a non-passing grade in a prerequisite course will not be permitted to
enroll in field placement (SWRK 280/281/282/283) or the concurrent practice classes: SWRK 210, 211,
220, 221, 222, 223, 248, Sub-specialization I/II) until they have established an academic plan and return to
good standing. Students who do not maintain a 3.0 GPA will be notified of their academic standing (i.e.,
academic probation) and will be referred to their faculty advisor for academic planning. If you know your
GPA has fallen below a 3.0, or will do so at the end of the semester, you should immediately contact your
advisor to develop a plan to return to good academic standing. A Cumulative GPA, or program GPA once
advanced to candidacy, below 3.0 in any 2 semesters will result in disqualification from the Program and
the University.
Field Work Placement
Placements are arranged by the Field Coordinator after consideration of student preferences, educational
needs, and agency capacity.
All related field agency placement information, forms and policies can be accessed by following the link
to the department website: https://chhs.fresnostate.edu/social-work/policies-forms/index.html.
Graduate Program Information
Academic Advisors
Each student in the Graduate Program is assigned an academic advisor who assists with course selection
and general educational planning. Advisors also meet with their advisees periodically to monitor and assess
academic progress, professional development, and the field practice experience. You can find your advisor’s
name and contact information on your Fresno State Portal at my.fresnostate.edu and in Canvas.
Academic Policies
The chief consultative body responsible for formulating and recommending policies, standards, and
procedures is the University’s Graduate Committee. This committee is composed of eight faculty members
elected by the faculty, one graduate student member, and the Graduate Dean.
Standards of Scholarship
All graduate students will be held to the scholarship standards listed in the Academic Regulations
(http://fresnostate.edu/catalog/academic-regulations/index.html in the University catalog). The following
provisions also apply to Master’s degree programs:
•
A student admitted to a Master's degree program in conditionally classified or classified
graduate standing is required to maintain a minimum grade point average of B (3.0) on all
work taken subsequent to admission to the program.
•
No course with a grade below C may apply to an approved program for the Master's
degree. With the exception of field internship, all courses (on an approved MSW program
must be taken for a letter grade.
32 | Page
Academic Probation & Disqualification
According to University policy, an MSW (graduate) student is immediately disqualified from the University
and program when his/her GPA falls below 2.0. A student whose GPA falls below 3.0, but is above 2.0, is
placed on academic probation. A student who is placed on academic probation for any 2 semesters) will be
disqualified from the University and program; the two semesters need not be consecutive. A disqualified
student who wishes to re-enroll in the university and program MUST file a Petition for Re-Admission with
the MSW program in the Department of Social Work Education. Upon being placed on academic probation
or disqualification, you MUST consult your academic advisor. For further information, refer to the
Department of Social Work Education Policy on Academic Probation and Disqualification in the Handbook
appendices. For additional information see:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/requirements/requiredgpa.html
Termination based on academic performance can be based on the following:
1. Academic disqualification due to GPA
2. Plagiarism and/or Cheating (see section on plagiarism below).
Declaring your Status
Once admitted into the MSW program, you must declare your status and return your MSW Letter of Intent.
Please take into consideration that once you have declared your status in your application, you may not
change your Full Time/Part Time status. If there is a compelling reason as to why you would like to change
your status, the change will have to be reviewed by both the MSW Coordinator and the Department Chair.
You must submit your request in writing along with any supporting documentation to the MSW
Coordinator. Keep in mind that regardless of the rationale for your request to change your status, the
Department may not be able to grant your request, based on administrative factors. DO NOT make any
changes to your status without prior MSW Coordinator/Chair approval.
Graduate Writing Requirement Policy
Upon entering the program, ALL graduate students must meet the University graduate writing requirement.
A writing exam will be administered in your SWRK 262 course and more information about the graduate
writing requirement will be given out at that time. Refer to the Department’s Graduate Writing Requirement
policy in the Handbook appendices.
http://fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/documents/forms/gwr.pdf
Advancement to Candidacy:
After completing 9 units in the program, a student must petition to advance to candidacy. To be eligible for
advancement to candidacy, a student must have:
1.
Achieved classified standing (cleared any conditions of admission)
2.
Earned at least a B average at the California State University, Fresno MSW
program. This refers to all coursework completed after the date of embarking on the
first course to be included in the Master’s degree program, and
3.
Passed the graduate writing requirement.
The Advancement to Candidacy form requires that you list by name/number/semester/year all courses you
have taken or plan to take to fulfill the requirements of the MSW. This is your contract. If you
subsequently decide to take different courses or take the courses in different semesters, you will need to
file a "Program Adjustment" form. To be granted your degree, the plan approved on the "Advancement to
33 | Page
Candidacy" and your transcript must match exactly. You must type your Advancement to Candidacy
petition; The Graduate Studies office will reject any handwritten or incomplete petitions. The template can
be found here: http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/forms/atc.html.
SWRK 298 Project/SWRK 299 Thesis:
To be eligible for enrollment in the thesis or project, a student must have been advanced to candidacy and
maintained a minimum overall Fresno State and program grade point average of B (3.0). In the MSW
program, you must also have successfully completed Social Work 292.
Graduation:
To be eligible for the granting of the Master’s degree, a student must have submitted an Advancement to
Candidacy form and maintained a B (3.0) average in all required and elective courses, beginning with the
first term listed on the Petition of Advancement to Candidacy. In addition, grades must be posted in all
courses taken, including those that are not part of the student’s approved program, beginning with the
earliest semester or summer term listed on the Petition of Advancement to Candidacy. Students may not
graduate with an “I,” “RD,” or “RP” in any course on their records, beginning with the earliest semester/term
listed on the advancement petition.
To be eligible to receive the Master’s degree with distinction, a student must have earned at least a 3.9 grade
point average on all coursework taken from the first semester of the approved Master’s degree program. A
minimum GPA of 3.9 must also be attained on the approved program to qualify. This honor appears on the
graduate’s diploma and is determined after the final semester grades are posted; this information is not
available at graduation.
Graduate Degree Application:
The online filing period for the graduate degree to be granted is approximately the first two weeks of each
semester or summer. A $35.00 non-refundable graduation application fee is required. Graduation
application procedures are available on the Division of Research and Graduate Studies website at link:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/requirements/graduation.html .
Time Limit/Extension of Time
Exclusive of prerequisite coursework, a period of five years is allowed for the completion of all
requirements for the Master’s degree. This time limit is indicated for each student on the approved
advancement to candidacy petition. A student whose program has been interrupted by military service
should consult the dean of the Division of Research and Graduate Studies about provisions for military
extensions. Outdated coursework will not be approved for inclusion on the Petition of Advancement to
Candidacy at the time formal approval of the petition is granted. Those courses completed more than five
years before the date for completion of all requirements for the master’s degree cannot be used to meet total
unit requirements except through validation as follows:
Out-of-date coursework may be validated only if such work was taken at California State University,
Fresno, and has been approved previously on this Petition of Advancement to Candidacy. A maximum of
one-third of required degree units may be validated, by such means as are recommended by the Department
and approved by the Graduate Dean. Coursework from other institutions are not eligible for validation.
For more information on current validation, please check the Department of Research and Graduate Studies
website at: http://fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/prospectivestudents.
34 | Page
Continuous Enrollment
University policy requires graduate students to be continuously enrolled at the university: (1) while
completing a grade of RP in either thesis or project, or a grade of RP or I in any other course;
(2) while preparing to take a comprehensive examination; or (3) during the semester in which an application
for the degree to be granted is filed. This policy does not apply to students who are either enrolled in a
course for a
letter
grade
(regular
registration)
or
who
have
been
officially granted a planned
educational leave of absence. All students must maintain continuous enrollment during all fall and spring
semesters, and during any summer term in which they apply to graduate. To maintain the required
enrollment, students must enroll SWRK
298C
(Project)
or
SWRK 299C
(Thesis)
in
Graduate
Studies Continuation through regular university enrollment.
Transfer of Credit
Limited transfer credit (up to 9 units) may be used toward MSW degree at Fresno State only if
the institution offering the work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and would accept
the work for a comparable MSW degree program. The transfer credit institution must also have listed
the units as post-baccalaureate graduate units on the student’s transcript. If you feel you are eligible
for a transfer of credit, please email the graduate coordinator (copy the graduate administrative assistant)
and follow these directions in writing. Please recognize that any missing information will cause a delay
or jeopardize this review process.
In detail, please describe/identify the following:
1.
Course(s) you are requesting for transfer credit
a.
Provide transcripts
b.
Course syllabus
c.
Any other relevant materials to make your case
2.
Course you think may be waived from the MSW program at Fresno State
3.
Evidence that the course(s) may be used toward a graduate degree at that institution
4.
Course numbering and grading systems
5.
Identify if the school is on the quarter or semester system
6.
Any other materials that will support the transfer of credits
Credit for courses used for another earned degree (other than MSW degree) may not be transferred. Please
contact the current MSW Graduate Coordinator for approval.
Courses taken through the Division of Extended Education (Extension and/or Open University) are not
normally used to fulfill the requirements toward a Master’s degree. Students intending to take a course
through the Extension Division must request special permission from the MSW Graduate Coordinator to
use the course toward their program. If approved, a maximum of 9 transfer units may be used in a 60-
unit program. Students may not enroll through Open University to bypass the Department MSW Admissions
application process and the university fee structure.
Courses used to fulfill G.E. curriculum, such as Capstone, Integration, or Multicultural/International,
undergraduate writing "W" courses, lower-division courses, and 200-level courses may not be used in
fulfillment of the program requirements of the Master's degree.
Credit by Examination (CBE) may be used to fulfill prerequisites, but may not apply toward the master's
degree program.
Graduate students may not elect to take a course for a CR grade to fulfill either prerequisite or major program
requirements unless the course is only available for CR/NC grading as indicated by footnote 14 in the
Schedule of Courses. A maximum of 12 units of CR-graded course work may be applied to a 60-unit
program.
35 | Page
With approval of the MSW Graduate Coordinator, post baccalaureate/graduate credit allowed for work
taken prior to the granting of the baccalaureate degree may be applied toward a Master’s degree. However,
the amount of post baccalaureate credit used toward the Master’s degree may not exceed one-third of the
student’s entire approved program.
Graduate Credit for Work Experience
The Department does not award graduate credit for work experience or life experience.
Course Repetition
A post-baccalaureate student pursuing a graduate degree may repeat a course for academic credit regardless
of what grade was originally earned in the course. However, such a student is not eligible to petition for
grade substitution. All coursework taken, beginning with the first term of the student’s Master’s degree
program, is used in determining the student’s grade point average and graduation eligibility.
Leave of Absence
A student may request a leave of absence by completing and submitting to the DSWE the “Intent to
Withdraw from the MSW Program” form and a letter that outlines the reason for requesting a leave and the
student’s plan for returning to the program to complete his/her degree. The request needs to be approved by
the Graduate Coordinator and the Department Chair. The leave may not exceed two semesters. Such a
leave DOES NOT change the five-year time limit for completion of the degree. Students must
reapply for admission to the university after a break in enrollment.
The University leave of absence request can be found at:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/registrar/documents/forms/records/Planned_Educational_Leave
_Request.pdf.
The Department form for intent to withdraw can be found at:
https://chhs.fresnostate.edu/social-work/masters/gradmaterials.html
NOTE: Students are subjected to the 5-year term limit. Please check with University Graduate Admissions
for further details: http://fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/faculty/fachandbook.html.
A student who fails to maintain continuous enrollment in the MSW program and who has not filed a
formalrequest for a leave from the program and Plan for Completion is automatically (administratively)
dismissed from the program for discontinuous enrollment. They must apply for reinstatement to the
program; see readmission, below.
University: A planned educational leave for graduate students must be recommended by the Dean,
Division of Research and Graduate Studies. Information is available at the Division of Research and
Graduate Studies, Thomas Building, Room 130.
http://fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/registrar/documents/forms/records/
planned_Educational_Leave_Request. pdf
36 | Page
Withdrawal from Courses
Through the fourth week of instruction, a student may drop courses without a serious and compelling reason.
After the fourth week of instruction, a student may drop a course only for a serious and compelling reason
that makes it impossible for the student to complete course requirements. A serious and compelling reason
is defined as a medical, emotional, or other condition acceptable to and verified by the Dean of the
college/school in which the course is offered. During the final three weeks of instruction, dropping an
individual course is not permitted unless special approval is given by the registrar in cases such as accident
or illness where the cause of the drop is due to circumstances beyond the student’s control. If the student
has completed a significant portion, that is two thirds of the required coursework, incomplete grades can be
assigned.
Withdrawal from the Program
A student may formally withdraw from the program by submitting a memo to this effect to the graduate
coordinator; they must also withdraw from the university. A student is administratively withdrawn from the
program if they are dismissed for discontinuous enrollment. In order to return to the program, the
student must file a new application for readmission with the program and the university (see next
item). The Department form for intent to withdraw can be found at:
http://fresnostate.edu/chhs/social-work/documents/IntentWithdraw.pdf
Withdrawal from the University
A student may completely withdraw from all courses up to the last three weeks of instruction. Complete
withdrawal is only permitted during the last three weeks of instruction in cases such as accident or serious
illness, where the cause of withdrawal is due to circumstances clearly beyond the student’s control. If a
student withdraws through the first four weeks of instruction, only the date of withdrawal is posted on the
permanent record. If the student withdraws after the first four weeks, a “W” is posted for each class as
well as the official date of withdrawal. For purposes of subsequent registration and catalog determination,
students are considered as having been enrolled for that semester. Consult the current Schedule of Courses
for specific withdrawal instructions, procedures and deadlines. When a student withdraws from the
university, they must also withdraw from the program. The University form for withdrawal can be found at:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/registrar/documents/forms/records/
Drop_Withdrawal_Form.pdf
Readmission
A student who has withdrawn from the Master of Social Work Program or who has been dismissed for
discontinuous enrollment must file a new application for admission to the program and the university. Under
this new application review, readmission is not guaranteed. Contact the MSW Graduate Coordinator, who
is also the Admissions Chair for details.
Steps for Readmissions for disqualified students
o Students who are academically disqualified from Fresno State are required to be out for at least two
semesters after their disqualification. Students must demonstrate academic improvement by completing
courses through Fresno State Open University or any other regionally accredited institution.
o Students who have already completed lower division GE before leaving Fresno State must complete a
minimum of 6 units of degree applicable work using a combination of either major or GE courses. (Fall
applicants cannot use summer course work prior to the term student is reapplying).
37 | Page
o A student’s overall transfer work after disqualification must be a minimum 3.00 GPA and needs to be in
good academic standing at the last institution attended.
o
Fall applicants must have graded coursework of a 3.00 GPA by end of fall term prior to
admission. All requirements must be completed by end of spring prior to the fall term of
admissions.
o
Spring applicants must have graded coursework of 3.00 GPA by end of spring term prior to
admissions. All requirements by end of summer prior to the spring term of admissions.
Professional Performance
Students are expected to develop the professional commitment, behaviors, and skills necessary for ethical
work with clients and constituents. Students who meet this standard demonstrate a commitment to the goals,
ethical standards, and essential values of the social work profession, including respect for the dignity, worth,
and rights of each individual, and abide by the NASW Code of Ethics.
Fresno State's MSW Program continuously evaluates social work professional and academic standards
through the policies developed by the University. The MSW program's policies and procedures for
evaluating student professional performances are communicated to students during the first MSW student
orientation. MSW faculty advisor meetings include discussing a student's progression through the degree
plan and review and evaluation of academic and professional performance standards.
Performance That May Result in a Student Review
Student reviews can occur under any of the following circumstances:
•
Failure to meet or maintain academic requirements
•
Scholastic dishonesty, including cheating, lying, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records,
or any act designed to give unfair advantage to the student. (Faculty must adhere to university
guidelines on reporting such incidents. For complete University policy and procedures, see the
California State University, Fresno General Catalog, Policies and Regulations).
•
Behavior judged to be in violation of the current NASW Code of Ethics
•
Behavior judged to be in violation of the university Policies and Regulations (see University catalog)
•
Any threat or attempt to harm oneself or someone else
•
Commission of a criminal act that is contrary to professional practice
Academic Grievances
The student must first make a good faith effort to resolve the matter informally by talking directly with the
individual concerned (e.g., the course instructor, teaching assistant, field supervisor, liaison); the matter
should then be discussed with the academic advisor and the graduate coordinator. If the issue is still not
resolved, the student may bring their concerns to the Department chair. If it is not still not resolved, the
student may bring their concerns to the College dean. The student must make a written request presenting
the details of the issue and provide any supporting documentation. If resolution is not reached through
Departmental procedures, students should contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and
Dean of Students. Grievances must be filed no later than the semester following the incident(s) in question.
See also University policies/Student affairs, 559.278.2541.
Academic Regulations provided in the California State University, Fresno General Catalog
https://www.fresnostate.edu/catalog/academic-regulations/index.html#disputeresolution indicates students
enrolled in the MSW program have the right to redress grievances they may have in relation to decisions
regarding the academic or professional performance or any decision or action alleged as discriminatory,
38 | Page
contrary to accepted academic relationships and procedures, or restrictive of the rights of any student of
the university to fair treatment. These grieves are subject to the dispute resolution process. Students are
asked to make a good faith effort to resolve matters at the department level first, but if the matter cannot
be satisfied, the student may elevate it to the college dean and eventually to the Office of the Vice
President of Student Affairs and Enrollment management, if necessary. If the concern is related solely to
a grade protest, these are submitted to the Student Academic Petitions Committee through the director of
the University Advising Center according to university policy.
Information concerning grade protests
procedures is available in the Office of the Dean of Students. https://www.fresnostate.edu/catalog/
academic-regulations/gradstudies-regulations.html#appeals
Policy and procedure on assignment or correcting of grades as well as information on the grade appeal
process can also be found in APM 242, Policy and Procedure on Assignment of Grades.
https://academics.fresnostate.edu/facultyaffairs/documents/apm/242.pdf
39 | Page
Policies and Procedures for Review
Information disclosed during student meetings with faculty, program coordinators, or school administrators
will be shared with other appropriate personnel if the information raises concerns about professional
performance. Faculty and program administrators will share pertinent information with each other for the
professional purpose of identifying student issues and enhancing problem solving about the concerns. They
will follow University procedures related to student performance issues.
Access to Student Records
Statute and regulations govern access to student records maintained by the campus and the release of such
records. The law provides that the campus must give students access to records directly related to the
student, and must also provide opportunity for a hearing to challenge the records if the student claims they
are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate.
The right to a hearing under this law does not include any right to challenge the appropriateness of a grade
determined by the instructor (see academic grievance, above, for details). The law generally requires the
institution to receive a student's written consent before releasing personal identifiable data about the
student. The institution has adopted a set of policies and procedures governing implementation of the statute
and the regulations. Copies of these policies and procedures may be obtained at the Office of the Vice
President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
The vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students is the custodian of all student records
maintained by the university. Students may inspect the contents of their academic records in the Department
by making an appointment with the Graduate Coordinator.
Plagiarism and Academic Cheating
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person’s labor, ideas, words, or assistance. Normally, all
work done for courses / papers, examinations, homework assignments, oral presentations is expected to be
the individual effort of the student presenting the work. Any assistance must be reported to the instructor.
If the work has entailed consulting other resources / journals, books, or other media / these resources must
be cited in a manner appropriate to the course. It is the instructor’s responsibility to indicate the appropriate
manner of citation. Everything used from other sources, including suggestions for organization of ideas,
ideas themselves, or actual language, must be cited. Failure to cite borrowed material constitutes plagiarism.
Academic cheating is generally, the thwarting or breaking of the general rules of academic work or the
specific rules of individual courses. It includes falsifying data; submitting, without the instructor’s approval,
work in one course which was done for another; helping others to plagiarize or cheat from one’s own or
another’s work; or actually doing the work of another person. (See General Catalog, Policies and
Regulations, Code of Academic Integrity/Honor Code.)
Should you be caught plagiarizing, whether intentionally or not, the department will follow the University
policy on cheating and plagiarism. Consequences are often significant and may jeopardize the student’s
ability to remain enrolled in the university.
https://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/facultyaffairs/documents/apm/235.pdf
Financial Aid
You may access the Graduate Studies Financial Aid website for the most up-to-date information on
scholarships, fellowships, grants, and awards.
http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/financial/typesoffinancialaid.html
40 | Page
Department
of
Social
Work
Education
Programs
Pupil Personnel (PPS) Credential Program
The PPS credential program prepares social workers to "perform services to children, parents, school
personnel
and
community
agencies
to
promote
a
school
environment
responsive
to
the
needs
of children and to plan educational programs which will prepare children to function in a
culturally diversified society" (CA Ed Code 44046). The program is designed to maximize the
integration of theory and classroom knowledge with field instructed practice in the schools. This curriculum
model ensures that students experience the breadth and depth necessary to be prepared for social work
practice in the public schools.
The Department of Social Work Education, in conjunction with the Kremen School of Education and
Human Development, recommends candidates for a PPS credential who have met all of the requirements
of the MSW and PPS credential programs. This credential authorizes the holder to provide school social
work and child welfare and attendance services as an employee of a K-12 public school in the state of
California. https://chhs.fresnostate.edu/social-work/degrees-programs/graduate/ pps.html
Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend Program
The CalSWEC Title IV-E Child Welfare Program provides a two-year stipend of $18,500 per year to full-
time MSW students who are preparing for professional social work careers in public child
welfare. Students incur a “two year” pay back commitment.
http://fresnostate.edu/chhs/social-work/title-ive/index.html/
SERVE Program
The Indigenous Community Social Workers for Change Program is administered through the California
State University, Fresno Foundation. SERVE is a collaborative project involving the California State
University, Fresno Department of Social Work Education, College of Health and Human Services, and the
Central California Social Welfare, Evaluation and Research Training Center (SWERT). SERVE has three
designated project coordinators at California State University campuses in California's Northern, Central,
and Southern regions who work in collaboration with departments of social work education and Title IV-E
project coordinators. Its goal is to support the Title IV-E graduate and undergraduate social work
programs currently operating within the CalSWEC consortium to achieve the goals of focusing on
decolonizing social work curriculum and pedagogy, creating a more relevant program for Indigenous
students by better understanding the history and needs of Indigenous populations, and striving to shape
child welfare services to better serve Indigenous children and families. The SERVE program also assists
with capacity and relationship building with tribal entities and organizations within each region. Through
SERVE, eligible American Indian students can receive financial support as full- or part-time social work
students with an emphasis on children and families in the Title IV-E Stipend Program. Some of the goals
of SERVE include fostering inclusive leadership development and partnerships between tribal sovereign
nations, Indigenous communities and implementing de-colonization social work curricula to reflect
community-based, culturally appropriate Indigenous values and self-determination.
https://calswec.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/serve_fact_sheet_2022.pdf
41 | Page
Graduation Application Procedures
Before filing a “Master’s Degree Graduation Application,” a student must have achieved
classified standing and have:
1.
An approved “Petition of Advancement to Candidacy” on file in the Division of
Graduate Studies.
2.
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on all work applied to their MSW program.
3.
Completion or in process of completing all courses as listed on your final plan on the petition of
“Advancement to Candidacy.” If you have deviated from this plan you must file a “Program
Adjustment” petition.
4.
No outstanding incompletes (I) in coursework or missing grades (e.g., RP, RD).
5.
No outstanding fees/charges.
All procedures related to graduation will be performed online, including payment. Students will receive an
email regarding these procedures. All requirements must be met or the student will not graduate and will
need to reapply.
Master’s Degree Clearance
The form is submitted to the Department office once all courses and requirement are completed. You will
first get signatures from your advisor and your Project/Thesis Chair, who will also include your grade for
your Project/Thesis. Subsequently, you submit this form to the Graduate Coordinator for their signature.
The Graduate Coordination/Department staff will forward all Master's Degree Clearance forms to the
Division of Research and Graduate Studies.
University Facilities
Fresno State Library
The Library is a center for study, learning, and scholarship at Fresno State. Its collections and services are
central to undergraduate and graduate instructional programs and to research of all kinds. It is recommended
that you check with the designated Social Work librarian. More detailed information is available from the
website: https://library.fresnostate.edu.
University Computer Labs
Check the website: https://help.fresnostate.edu/students/computerlabs/index.php for current lab schedules.
42 | Page
Standards of Student Conduct
Standards of Conduct
The Department of Social Work Education maintains an obligation to hold students accountable not only
for the mastery of academic content but also for the development of professional behaviors generally
expected of those within the social work profession. These behaviors are consistent with high standards of
honesty and integrity and are reflected in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of
Ethics and in the University Policy and Regulations to which all students are subject. They are evident in
responsible social interaction with faculty and peers on campus and in professional interaction with clients
and staff in the field work setting. Professional interactions are based upon respect for the rights and needs
of clients, and regard for the ethical standards of the social work profession.
Students should familiarize themselves with the University Policy and Regulations and particularly with
the behaviors that constitute violations of the policies.
http://fresnostate.edu/catalog/academic-regulations/policies.html#anchor283323
Students should also become familiar with the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers
(www.socialworkers.org) which is considered by the department to embody the ethical standards of the
social work profession.
The Department is responsible to its students, to the social work profession, to the social work clientele,
and to society to promote these standards and to take action when students depart from them.
Standards of Faculty Conduct
The University is committed to providing a learning and teaching environment free from discriminatory,
inappropriate, or disrespectful conduct and communication. Accordingly, university policies require fair
and equal treatment of all students regardless of gender, age, ethnic background, religious preference, or
sexual orientation.
Sexual harassment of students also threatens this environment and is expressly prohibited of all persons
engaged in teaching at the university, including full-time and part-time faculty as well as teaching assistants.
With reference to behavior between an instructor and students of that instructor, no instructor may make a
sexually suggestive or intimating remark, ask a student for a date or sexual favor, or in other ways make a
sexual advance to the student. In situations where faculty members are not directly responsible for a student
but in a position to influence that student's academic career, an instructor must desist from expressions of
sexual or romantic interest if there is any indication that such interest is unwelcome by the student. No
instructor may indicate, either explicitly or implicitly, that an academic reward or punishment could result
from a student's reaction to an instructor's sexual or romantic
advances.
Students who believe they have been the victim of sexual harassment should bring this to the attention of
the Title IX Director. Complaints of this nature are treated in strict confidence. Threats or other forms of
intimidation or retaliation against students initiating a complaint of sexual harassment in good faith are also
strictly prohibited within the university, and may themselves be cause for disciplinary action. You can find
contact information and submission links here: https://adminfinance.fresnostate.edu/title-ix/ index.html.
43 | Page
Social Work Student Association
Student Organizations
The Social Work Student Association (SWSA) is an organization composed of undergraduate and graduate
social work students. The organization has been recognized by Associated Students Inc. (ASI) since 1981.
The purpose of the organization is to provide the social work student with a forum to facilitate interaction
with the administration and faculty of the Department of Social Work Education, with the community
outside of the university, and with each other to instill the desire for self- improvement, scholastic
excellence, betterment of the profession of social work, and social action in the community.
African American Student Social Work Association
The African American Social Work Student Association (AASSWA) is a student group composed of
graduate and undergraduate social work students. The members of the organization have committed
themselves collectively to the interest of improving social conditions and developing an awareness of the
African American individual lifestyle, the African American family, and the African American community.
The student group also provides academic and other supportive services to its fellow students enrolled in
the department.
Trabajadores de la Raza
Trabajadores de la Raza (TR) is an organization composed of undergraduate and graduate social work
students. Founded in 1969, T.R.’s two-fold purpose is to encourage and promote involvement of Hispanic
social work students in academic, community, and social work issues, and to serve as a support system for
the Hispanic students enrolled in the social work program at Fresno State.
Asian Social Work Student Organization
The Asian Social Work Student Organization (ASWSO) is a group comprised of undergraduate and
graduate students enrolled in the social work program at Fresno State. Founded in 1989, the group's purpose
is to promote the involvement of its members in academic and community-related social work issues.
Additionally, the group serves as a positive educational and social support system for group members.
Note: All students, regardless of race/ethnicity, are welcome to join any of the above mentioned student
groups.
Phi Alpha National Honors Society - Chi Nu Chapter
The Chi Nu Chaptar of Phi Alpha National Honor Society is composed of undergraduate and graduate social
work students. The purpose of this organization is to promote a closer bond among students of social work
and to enter into more intimate fellowship with those dedicated to the promotion of humanitarian goals and
ideals. Thereby, to foster high standards of education for social workers and to invite into membership those
who have attained excellence of scholarship and distinction of achieveemnt as students of social work.
Membership in the organization shall be open to only social work students- enrolled in California State
University, Fresno and at other universities in Fresno County where there is no chapter.There shall be other
requirements for admission to regular membership as deemed by the CHI NU Executive Committee. Each
regular member has equal rights and privileges.
44 | Page
Student Services
Services for Students with Disabilities
The office of Services for Students with Disabilities is located in the Madden Library, Room 1202
(559.278.2811). The office provides specialized resources that help students with physical, psychological,
and learning disabilities to achieve maximum independence while pursuing educational goals. Students who
have temporary or permanent disabilities affecting academic functioning may be eligible for a variety of
support services. The website for Service for Students with Disabilities can be found on the link provided:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/ssd.
Employment & Career Services
The university offers a variety of career counseling and job referral services to all students and alumni.
The Career Development Center is located in the University Student Union (USU) room 306. The office
helps you to develop and implement your career plan. Services include career counseling, part-time
employment, cooperative education, job search workshops, full-time job interviews (held on campus), and
career information. This service is free to enrolled students and is available to alumni for a nominal fee.
To receive assistance, telephone 559.278.2381 for an appointment or see a counselor for consultation on a
walk-in basis. The website for Employment & Career Services can be found on the link provided:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/careers.
Health and Medical Care
The University Health and Psychological Services provides outpatient clinical medical care and, separately,
psychological counseling services to university students in accordance with policies set by the board
of trustees of The California State University.
The university underwrites a portion of the costs of operating the center. Students, on a cost-sharing basis,
contribute to the operation of the center by paying at the time of registration each semester a mandatory
health fee, which may be used only to support the student health program.
Thereafter, the student pays nothing further for most services provided within the Health Center. The Health
Center has prepared a brochure that gives more details regarding services available and charges, if any, for
such services. The brochure is available at the center or at various locations on campus. The website for the
University Health and Psychological Services can be found on the link provided:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/health/
Health Insurance
You may purchase an insurance protection plan for emergency illness and accidental injury during hours
that the Health Center is closed. Sponsored by the Associated Students, this program provides coverage for
hospital benefits, medical, surgical, and related services for any illness or accident. For more information,
contact the Health and Psychological Services at 559.278.2734.
Housing
Students have the choice to live at University Courtyard, Fresno State’s on-campus living. Residents have
the opportunity to become part of a community of students who share experiences and support each other
in achieving academic success. For more information, call the Housing office at 800.555.0482 or
559.278.2345. http://www.fresnostate.edu/catoffice/current/housing.html
45 | Page
International Student Services and Programs
The office is located in the Joyal Administration Room 256. The international admission staff members
process your application for admission and evaluate your courses for transfer credit. The program sends
international students information regarding arrival in the United States, visa and immigration, housing in
the Fresno area, and registration after students are admitted. After arrival, the staff guides students through
several mandatory pre-registration workshops, post-admission English testing, and registration.
International students may need to enroll in English as a Second Language course during their first semester
or a course in American culture and society. The website for the University Health and Psychological
Services can be found here: http://www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/issp/ or call 278.2782 for further
information.
Graduate Writing Studio
Graduate Writing Studio
Madden Library, Room 2119
Mondays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom); 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Tuesdays: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom); 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Wednesdays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom); 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Thursdays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom); 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Fridays: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (in person or via Zoom)
Saturdays: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (via Zoom only)
Phone: 559.278.2450
Consultations by Appointment only
For Appointments: fresnostategws@gmail.com
Studio Email: [email protected]; cradke@csufresno.edu
http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/graduatewritingstudio.html
The Department of Social Work Education may be able to refer you to additional writing-related
resources. Contact the Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Randy Nedegaard, at 559.278.6129.
Alumni Association
The Fresno State Alumni Association was incorporated in 1940 to promote higher education; encourage
communication among alumni, friends, and former students; and support bilateral exchange and
participation between community and university. More than 180,000 Fresno State graduates have migrated
to every state in the nation. Additional graduates have settled abroad. The university maintains database
records of more than 200,000 alumni and friends of the university. Annual members number
approximately 3,500 and life members number approximately 1,600. The Alumni Association is governed
by a 30-member board of volunteers who represent all schools and colleges of the university as well as
students, staff, and faculty. The university president, the vice president for University Advancement, and
Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) President each have a position on the Board of Directors.
46 | Page
APPENDIX I
GRADUATE STUDENT ADVISING FORM
Date:
Student’s Name:
ID#
Advisor’s Name:
_____________________________
Cum GPA
Term GPA________
PART-TIME SCHEDULE (Four-Year Schedule)
For MSW Catalog Year 2019-2020
Semester One:
Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Two:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
200
3
SWRK
203
3
SWRK
212
3
SWRK
213
3
Semester
Three:
Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Four:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
210
(required; in lieu of
SWRK 225)
1
SWRK
211
(required; in lieu of
SWRK 225)
1
SWRK
220
3
SWRK
221
3
SWRK
262
3
SWRK
222
(required; in lieu of
elective)
3
SWRK 280 (T,TH)
2
SWRK
263
3
SWRK 281 (T,TH)
2
Semester Five:
Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Six:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
223
(required; in lieu of
SWRK 224)
3
SWRK
248
(required; in lieu of
SWRK 247)
3
SWRK
264/274/278
(required; in lieu of
SWRK 246)
3
SWRK
265/275/288
(required; in lieu of
SWRK 227)
3
SWRK 282
(M,W,F)
4
SWRK 283
(M,W,F)
4
Semester
Seven:
Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Eight:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
292
2
SWRK
298/299
2
Elective
3
47 | Page
GRADUATE STUDENT ADVISING FORM
Date:
Student’s
Name:
ID#
Advisor’s Name:
Cum GPA
Term GPA
FULL-TIME (Two-Year Schedule) – Starting AY 2020-2021
For MSW starting Fall 2020 and forward
Semester
One:
Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Two:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
200
3
SWRK
211
1
SWRK
210
1
SWRK
213
3
SWRK
212
3
SWRK
221
3
SWRK
220
3
SWRK
222
3
SWRK
262
3
SWRK
263
3
SWRK
280
(T,TH)
2
SWRK
281
(T,TH)
2
Semester
Three:
Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Four:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
223
3
SWRK
248
3
Sub-Specialization
I
(choose
1)
3
Sub-specialization
II
(choose
1)
3
SWRK
264
SWRK
265
SWRK
274
SWRK
275
SWRK
278
SWRK
288
SWRK
282
(M,W,F)
4
SWRK
283
(M,W,F)
4
SWRK
292
2
SWRK
298/299
2
Elective
3
Elective
3
48 | Page
PART-TIME SCHEDULE (Four-Year Schedule) – Starting AY 2020-2021
For MSW starting Fall 2020 and forward
Semester
One:
Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Two:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
200
3
SWRK
213
3
SWRK
212
3
Elective
3
Semester Three: Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Four:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
210
1
SWRK
211
1
SWRK
220
3
SWRK
221
3
SWRK
262
3
SWRK
222
3
SWRK
280
(T,TH)
2
SWRK
263
3
SWRK
281
(T,TH)
2
Semester Five: Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Six:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
223
3
SWRK
248
3
Sub-specialization
I
(choose
1)
3
Sub-specialization
(choose
1)
3
SWRK
264
SWRK
265
SWRK
274
SWRK
275
SWRK
278
SWRK
288
SWRK
282
(M,W,F)
4
SWRK
283
(M,W,F)
4
Semester
Seven: Fall
Units
Grade
Year
Semester Eight:
Spring
Units
Grade
Year
SWRK
292
2
SWRK
298/299
2
Elective
3
49 | Page
Graduate Writing Requirement Policy
C
alifornia State University, Fresno
Department of Social Work Education
Introduction
Graduate Writing Requirement. All Fresno State graduate degree students must demonstrate their
competence in written English prior to Advancement to Candidacy. The date the student meets the writing
skills requirement must be noted on the Petition of Advancement and verified by the Department Graduate
Coordinator. Refer to approved program requirements. The policy and procedures for the administration and
evaluation of graduate writing competency at the graduate level outlined below are designed specifically for
the MSW degree program. They address the requirement that the advanced social work practitioner
demonstrate competence in reading, writing and analytical/critical thinking.
http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/requirements/advancement.html
Exam Procedure
A writing assignment will be administered in your SWRK 262 course and this assignment will also be used
to satisfy the university’s graduate writing requirement. Students will be evaluated for the writing
requirement separately. Refer to the Department’s Graduate Writing Requirement policy in the Handbook
appendices.
The passing grade for the graduate writing exam is 70% or a C grade. Students must pass the assignment to
be able to petition for Advancement to Candidacy. Students passing the Writing Requirement will receive
notification that they have passed. Students who do not pass the Writing Requirement will be given an
additional attempt to pass the requirement, and if needed, under consultation with the Graduate Coordinator,
a third and final attempt.
Grievance Procedure and Dispute Resolution
In the unlikely event the writing requirement is not satisfied after the third attempt, students may appeal the
findings and request a meeting to discuss the MSW writing requirement. They must submit the request in
writing to the MSW Graduate Coordinator their desire to appeal the evaluation of the exam. The specific
reasons(s) for their appeal must be clearly stated. The MSW Graduate Coordinator will render a decision
within a month of receiving the appeal. If the MSW Graduate Coordinator’s decision is to deny the student’s
grievance, the student has the option of the University appeal procedure. The University procedure is
outlined in the California State University, Fresno Dispute Resolution Policy located in the Academic Policy
Manual 415.
http://fresnostate.edu/academics/facultyaffairs/documents/apm/415.pdf
Disputes arise out of university decisions or actions that are alleged to be arbitrary, capricious, or contrary
to accepted procedures. In nearly all such cases, these disputes are handled through normal academic and
administrative channels. For those few instances when informal resolution has not been possible, the
University has enacted the Dispute Resolution Procedure. Separate protocols and procedures also exist to
deal with incidents involving criminal activity; academic petitions including grading issues; and allegations
of sexual harassment or discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or disability.
APM 415 outlines the dispute resolution procedure.
50 | Page
Guidelines for Enhancing Graduate Student
Performance
California State University, Fresno
Department of Social Work Education
Welcome to Graduate Social Work Education at California State University, Fresno. As entering students,
you no doubt have questions and perhaps some impressions about what to expect from your graduate
education. Graduate Social Work Education has a long, honored tradition in the United States and in
California. There are nearly one hundred accredited MSW programs in the United States, and twenty three
in California, all of which are operating under specific Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
requirements, principles and guidelines. The MSW program you have been admitted into shares the
adherence to CSWE principles and guidelines, and also emphasizes characteristics unique to the San
Joaquin Valley and the DSWE Programs Mission and Vision. Faculty are recruited based on their expertise,
program mission and emphasis on diversity, social justice and empowerment. The three central and
distinguishing dimensions of our graduate program are emphases on cross-cultural diversity, social justice,
and an empowerment perspective.
A more in-depth discussion of these Mission and Goals is found in the course outlines in the five curricular
areas: practice, social policy, research, human behavior and the social environment, and field practicum.
The graduate program’s Advanced Multi-System Social Work Practice specialization embodies
coursework and practicum emphasis on traditional “methods” of social work practice, including work with
individuals, couples and families, groups, and communities, while embracing an approach to professional
education relevant to current practice realities.
The most important goal at the forefront that permeates the curriculum and field components, is that you
are being prepared for the autonomous practice of advanced social work.
The Department is committed to the above and which is the basis for development of guidelines for student
performance. The achievement of the Department mission and vision involves your thoughtful
consideration and fullest commitment of time, energy, and intellectual capacity to the tasks that lie before
you. The course of study is very demanding, and will undoubtedly lead to unexpected coping. Your
commitment to this program must be based on commitment to these expectations of student performance.
These expectations include scholarship, integrity, personal responsibility and self- directed learning.
Below are definitions of these expectations.
Scholarship
Students must be committed to a weekly completion of a significant amount of reading for each course,
careful preparation of all written work required for each course, as well as for the master’s project/thesis.
The minimum standard of class preparation is 3 hours of reading/preparation for every 1 hour of classroom
work. Most graduate course content will require time spent beyond this minimum expectation. Students
must be thoroughly familiar with the resources of the library, and have full access to the internet for the
purposes of course preparation and graduate study. There must be a commitment to perform “quality”
work which involves critical thinking, seeking content appropriate to graduate education, organizing verbal
and written communication in a logical, coherent fashion, and presenting all products in a professionally
acceptable format that is free of spelling, grammar, and structural errors. The American Psychological
Association’s (APA) standard guidelines for reference citations are adopted by the Department of Social
Work Education. The APA Publications Manual (7
th
ed) is a recommended purchase for all incoming
MSW students, however APA style citation and publication information can also be obtained online at
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/researcha_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html.
51 | Page
Faculty are here to promote scholarship befitting graduate education, and are available for academic
advising. They will provide multiple modalities for instruction/pedagogy that involve lecture as well as
experiential activities in the service of learning course concepts. Faculty will provide continuous feedback
regarding student performance and remain current in their respective social work curriculum areas for the
purpose of enhancing student learning of social work knowledge values and skills.
Integrity
Integrity in the profession is guided by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics
in the field practicum manual. This code contains prescriptive and proscriptive value statements that
underscore the commitment of all social workers to personal and professional standards of conduct, that
include our work with clients, agencies, the larger society, and colleagues. Explicit among these standards
is the commitment requiring honesty and fairness in all transactions with instructors and students, as well
as other members of the academic community. As a community of scholars, it is incumbent on each of us
to respect the views of others, while preserving the right to disagree, even vehemently, when cherished
social work values conflict with competing perspectives. It is essential that the creative work produced
during your course of study accurately reflect and attribute authorship/ copyright/ownership. Students must
conscientiously utilize all forms of attribution/citation when drawing from another’s work. This applies to
direct quotations, paraphrases, and the representation of ideas which are not one’s own. Copying another’s
work whether published author or student peer, is unacceptable, constituting plagiarism (a form of fraud).
Students also need to become familiar with the emerging doctrine applying to “Fair Use” of electronic
communications (internet) and rules applying to the duplication of copyrighted material. (See General
Catalog, Policies and Regulations.)
Personal Responsibility/Self-Directed Learning
An equally important component of integrity is personal responsibility. When this value is applied to our
context, it is essential that students fully understand the ramifications of their choice to enroll in the MSW
program. It is a choice that requires a reordering of personal priorities for the duration of the program.
Time management, which also involves choice and the acceptance of self-responsibility, becomes an
essential dimension of success as a graduate student and ultimately as a professional social worker. The
Department recognizes, for its part, the difficulties faced by students who must balance family
and employment obligations with the enormous demands of graduate study. Each of you will make
great sacrifices in pursuit of the MSW degree. We support your choice to be here and we seek to be
sensitive to the struggles you may encounter.
Student responsibility also includes recognition of your commitment to be present and to learn what it
takes to be an effective, competent social worker. Anything less diminishes your command of knowledge,
learning at the expense of the clients that we serve. A major expectation is that you recognize the
significance of your learning by your attendance and participation in all teaching- learning transactions.
Accordingly, all students are expected to attend every class session and field placement obligation from
beginning to end. Unexcused absence or tardiness from classes or field placement may result in sanctions
just as they would in any employment situation. Similarly, all written work and reading assignments should
be completed by the due dates. This is part of the student’s contract with the University and instructors.
Instructional faculty and field instructors bear equal responsibility for the clear delineation of assignments,
for providing timely and explicit feedback and opportunities for improvement of performance, and for
promoting a learning environment that deepens your knowledge, skill and appreciation for social work
values.
52 | Page
Adequate class and field preparation, along with consistently high levels of participation in one’s
own learning is a central element of the Master’s program. Student initiative and peer group learning
are essential elements of graduate education. Faculty are a resource that can be utilized to promote the
fullest development and expression of student learning. Synthesis of theory and practice most easily occurs
in the context of a fully engaged, participatory environment that stresses cooperation and collaboration
between peers and faculty.
The ideal classroom environment respects and nurtures curiosity, inquiry and the process of discovery.
This requires mutual support as well as critical analysis of ideas and ideologies. Critical thinking is an
essential aspect of this process. Students and faculty must come to each class prepared to participate fully
and freely.
The Department seeks your active engagement in a discussion of this document and equally commits itself
to ongoing dialogue and support during your period of study. With great respect and enthusiasm, we
welcome you all in this adventure of graduate social work.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), if you have, or expect you have, a condition
or that may impact your performance in class, it is necessary to contact the Students with Disabilities office.
Consult with the instructor within the first week of the semester to implement the specific accommodations
to enhance your success. They are located in the Freno State Library, Room 1202, and can be contacted at
559.278.2811.
53 | Page
APPENDIX II
Social Welfare Policy and Services
SWRK 200 Social Welfare Policy I
•
Philosophical/historical foundations of social work profession
•
Federally-sponsored social policies/programs
•
Relationship between social problems and programmatic responses
SWRK 203 Social Welfare Policy II
•
Analysis of social welfare policies
•
Linkage of social, economic, cultural, political, legislative administration and legal domains
•
Review of policy analysis frameworks
Human Behavior and the Social Environment
SWRK 212 Human Behavior in the Social Environment
•
Bio-psychosocial System’s perspective
•
Transactional view of behavior (Person x Environment)
•
Adaptive, coping view of human development over the life span
•
Theories of small groups, organizational, and community behavior
•
System’s perspective
SWRK 213 Cultural Diversity and Oppression
•
Theoretical base for practice with diverse populations
•
Understanding the “Ism’s” (racism, sexism, ableism, etc.)
•
Social power as a dimension of social identity
Social Work Research
SWRK 262 Research Methods
•
Logic of empirical inquiry
•
Ethics and procedures
•
Quantitative and Qualitative research methods and designs
SWRK 263 Program Evaluation
•
Evidence-based practice
•
Evaluations of programs and services
•
Applied understanding of statistical analysis tools
SWRK 292 Project/Thesis Seminar
•
Critical analysis of empirical reports/literature
•
Identification and development of a study question
•
Development of a written research plan (study design) for the thesis/project
54 | Page
Social Work Practice
SWRK 210 Law and Ethics I
•
Social work profession’s code of ethics and the standards
•
Laws and regulations for professional social work practice
SWRK 211 Law and Ethics II
•
Ethical decision making
•
Ethical standards and risk management
•
Laws and regulations for professional social work practice
SWRK 220 Foundations of Social Work Practice I
•
Generalist Practice – Problem Solving Model
•
Assessment
•
Interviewing
•
Crisis Intervention
•
Practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations
SWRK 221 Foundations of Social Work Practice II
•
Generalist Practice – Problem Solving Model
•
Assessment
•
Interviewing
•
Crisis Intervention
•
Practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations
SWRK 222 Advocacy in Social Work Practice
•
Systemic oppressions, dimensions of power and advocacy
•
Social change through social movements and policy advocacy
SWRK 223 Advanced Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families
•
Advanced practice methods with individuals
•
Clinical interventions with families
•
Diagnostic assessment for common behavioral disorders
SWRK 225 Advanced Social Work Practice with Task and Treatment
•
Theory and Practice with treatment groups
SWRK 248 Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities
•
Theory and practice of social work intervention with organizations and communities
•
Organization and community assessment, designing programs, fundraising, grassroots and large
scale organizing
55 | Page
Sub-specialization Classes
SWRK 264 Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice I
•
Theory and Practice in behavioral health and integrated care settings
SWRK 265 Advanced Practice in Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice II
•
Advanced Practice interventions in behavioral health and integrated care settings
SWRK 274 Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Schools I
•
Theory and Practice in school settings
SWRK 275 Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Schools II
•
Advanced Practice in school settings
SWRK 278 Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Child Welfare I
•
Theory and Practice in school settings
SWRK 288 Advanced Policy, Theory, and Practice in Child Welfare II
•
Advanced Practice in school settings
Culminating Experience
SWRK 298 (Project) / SW 299 (Thesis)
•
Implement study design development in SW 292
•
Procedure written report of the study and its results
Field Practicum
Full Time Students
4 Year Part-Time Option
Year 1: SWRK 280, 281
Year 2: SWRK 282, 283
Year 1: (Coursework only)
Year 2: SWRK 280, 281
Year 3: SWRK 282, 283
Year 4: (Coursework only)
*Please note that part-time students enrolled in more than 6 units pay full-time fees.
See the current schedule of courses for more specific information.
56 | Page
2023-2024 Program Deadlines
You are responsible for knowing about and meeting all deadlines. They are posted in the various documents you
receive and can be can accessed at the DSWE Graduate Student Handbook, www.csufresno.edu/socialwork,
and the Graduate Studies section at the end of the University Catalog. Here are some of the “essential” deadlines
that affect whether you graduate on time. In most instances the student needs to petition the university (not the
department) for any exceptions.
EVENT
DATE
INFO
August
Tile IV-E Orientation
Wed, Aug. 16. 2023
9 – 4pm
PHS
114/129
PPS
Orientation
Thurs,
Aug.17,
2023
1:00 - 3:00pm
PHS
122
MSW Field Orientation
Thurs,
Aug.17,
2023
2:00 - 4:00pm
PHS
102
MSW 1 Program Orientation
Thurs,
Aug.
18,
2023
10 - 12pm
PHS
102
MSW 2 Program Orientation
Friday,
Aug. 18, 2023
1:30 – 3:30pm
PHS
102
Fall
2023
Instruction
Begins
Monday,
Aug.
21, 2023
Advancement to
Candidacy forms
due to Department
You may apply for Advancement to Candidacy when you have completed the
following:
Achieve Classified
Standing (complete all conditions
of admission)
Completed
9
units
with
GPA
of
3.0
Pass graduate writing requirement
Revise your petition/file a program adjustment if your course plans (e.g.,
electives offered) change. You will receive a copy of your advancement
petition approved by the Dean of Grad Studies.
End of
Day
August 31, 2023
September
Last
day
to
add class w/o
permission or
by waitlist
Friday,
Sept.
1,
2023
Labor
Day
Mon, Sept. 4,
2023
Campus
closed
Last
day
for
Graduate
students
to
apply
for
Advancement to Candidacy to be eligible for
graduation
Spring 2024
Monday,
Sept.
11,
2023
Last day to drop/withdraw online w/o permission
Friday,
Sept.
15,
2023
Census
Date
Last
day
to
add
class
w/permission
Monday, Sept. 18,
2023
October
MSW
application
opens
for
Fall
2023
Sunday,
Oct.
1,
2023
2023
International
Colloquium
on
Social
Well-being
and
Behavioral Health, in Mexico and the United States:
Agendas,
Public Policies, and Interventions
October 5 to 7
Resnick Student
Union
57 | Page
Spring 2024 Registration open
Monday,
Oct.
30,
2023
November
Last
Day
to
file
edited
Master’s
thesis
for
Dec
2023
Graduation
Friday, Nov. 3, 2023
Veterans
Day
Friday, Nov. 10, 2023
Campus
closed
Last
day
to
drop
classes
or
withdraw
–
serious/compelling
reasons
Monday,
Nov.
13,
2023
Thanksgiving
Break
Nov. 23-24, 2023
Campus
closed
December
Open Registration begins for Spring 2024
Tuesday,
Dec.
5,
2023
Last
Day
of
Instruction
Wednesday,
Dec.
6,
2023
Faculty
Consultation
Days
Dec.
7-8,
2023
Semester
Finals
Dec.
11-14,
2023
Register
for
SWrk
289/299
with
your
SWrk
292
instructor.
SW292: Complete your committee assignment form.
If
you are doing a thesis, your form is filed with Division
of Research & Graduate Studies
December
20
Permission number to register for SW298/299 in
Spring
2023 semester issued by your 292 professor.
Fall
2023
Semester
Ends
Thursday,
Dec.
22,
2023
WINTER
RECESS
Dec. 25, 2023 –
Jan 1, 2023
Campus
Closed
January
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
Holiday
Mon, Jan. 15, 2024
Campus
Closed
First day of Spring semester
Tuesday,
Jan
16,
2024
First day of Spring instructions
Thursday,
Jan.
17,
2024
February
MSW
Graduation
Application
Period
The filing period for graduate degrees is approximately the first two weeks of each semester.
Graduate
students must apply for graduation online at their Student Center. The online application link is only
available during
the graduation application filing period. Students will receive automated emails once their
graduate
program coordinators have approved their graduation applications online.
A $35.00
non-refundable
graduation application fee is required.
http://fresnostate.edu/academics/gradstudies/deadlines.ht
ml.
January
18,
2024
–
Feb
2,
2024
President’s
Day
February 20, 2024
Campus
Closed
58 | Page
March
Spring
Break
March
25
-
29
April
Cesar
Chavez
Day
April
1,
2024
Campus
Closed
Final
Thesis
Due
Final date to submit fully edited and approved final thesis to DRGS and Social Work
office.
April
2,
2024
Final
Project Due
to
your
project
chair
and to
the
graduate
coordinator.
Your SWRK 292 instructor is your project/thesis chair. The project/thesis chair is also
your
advisor. They will:
1.
Verify
that
you
completed
all
required
academic
work.
2.
Give you
a
grade
for your
project/thesis.
3.
To be cleared for graduation, the transcript needs to match your
advancement to candidacy petition on file.
May
8,
2024
May
Graduate
Degree
Clearance
forms
are
due
to
the
Social
Work
office.
Submit MSW Degree Clearance form and Clearance and Reproduction form to the
Graduate
Coordinator. A copy of your abstract is required with this form.
Department
staff
secures
project/thesis
chair/advisor
and
Graduate
Coordinator
signatures on the Graduate Degree Clearance form.
May
8,
2024
Last
Day
of
Spring
Instruction
May
8,
2024
Final Examination Days
May 13
-16, 2024
Department
Clearance
Deadline
to
DRGS
Forms must have final grade and have all needed signatures except for Graduate
Coordinator
and DRGS approval
May
17,
2024
Graduate
Degree
Clearance
forms
are
due
in
the
Division
of
Graduate
Studies
on behalf of all graduating students. Grade reports for all "I", "RD", and "RP" graded
courses
(other than thesis and project) must be on file with the Academic Records Office. Last day to
submit paperwork to the Division of Graduate Studies for graduating students
May
17,
2024
59 | Page
Forms and the Signatures needed:
After obtaining signatures, submit to the department office (some need the chair’s signature as
well). Office will make a copy for your file and send forward.
FORM
Advisor Signs GNS
Graduate Coordinator
Change from conditional to
classified standing
√
Advancement to Candidacy
petition
√
√
Program adjustment (to
approved program on
advancement to candidacy
petition)
√
Overload Petition
√
√
Graduate Clearance Form*
√
√
*also needs signature of Project/Thesis Chair who issues the letter grade for 298/299
PLEASE NOTE:
This
handbook
is
updated
regularly
to best
meet the
needs
of
students,
faculty, and
staff.
60 | Page
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Professional Human Services Building
FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE:
•
DIAL 911 from a campus phone line.
•
DIAL 278.8400 from a cell phone.
•
Utilize emergency blue phones located in various locations outside the
building.
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY REQUIRING EVACUATION:
•
Quickly exit the building utilizing the nearest and safest marked EXIT.
•
Proceed to the following building evacuation assembly point and wait for further
instructions:
•
PEACE GARDEN, GRASSY AREA BETWEEN THE PHS BUILDING AND
THE LIBRARY
•
Report the location of individuals unable to exit the building.
•
DO NOT LEAVE the assembly point without notifying the building safety
coordinator or emergency response personnel
•
Tune radios to 1040 AM for campus emergency information.
EVACUATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Persons with mobility difficulties should observe the following procedures:
•
All persons shall move towards the nearest marked EXIT.
•
When the physically challenged reach an obstruction such as a staircase, they
should request assistance from others in the area.
•
LIFE SLIDER is available for trained individuals to provide assistance to those
unable to exit via stairwells.
LOCATION OF LIFE SLIDER: FFS building, third Floor-west side stairs-by men’s
restrooms, room 300
61 | Page
62 | Page
63 | Page
