Berkeley Social Welfare consistently ranks among the top 10 schools of social work and social welfare in the country. Our fully accredited Master of Social Welfare (MSW) Program prepares multi-level practitioners who are trained to:
- Integrate multiple disciplinary sources of knowledge
- Provide service to diverse individuals and communities across the social ecology
- Advance social and economic justice through anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice
- Leverage evidence-informed practice to inform change strategies focused on individual families, organizations, communities, and policies
Program Overview
The Berkeley Social Welfare MSW Program is a two-year, full-time, on-campus degree program. We do not offer a part-time degree plan option, admission with advanced standing status, or an online MSW degree.
Our professional multi-level practice curriculum and MSW degree requirements include a minimum of 23 courses, or 60 units:
- 20 units of Generalist Practice coursework, focused on engagement, assessment, and interventions at multiple levels
- 10 units of advanced, Elective coursework, 2 units of which must be individual and family intervention and 2 units of which must be community and organizational intervention and/or policy
- 6 units of Social Research methods, inclusive of the Berkeley master’s capstone requirement
- 24 units of Practicum Education, which includes two years of practicum placement and concurrent practicum integration seminars
Practicum Placement
MSW students apply classroom learning through supervised practice in agency settings, with two distinct field placements. In addition, we provide educational support from field faculty member(s) and cohort-based field seminar section. For more information on practicum placements, please see the practicum placement page.