3.6 Certificate Requirements

Berkeley Graduate Certificate in Aging

To be eligible for the Berkeley Graduate Certificate in Aging, students must be enrolled in a UC Berkeley master's or doctoral degree program, and successfully complete all of the following requirements:

  1. Required anchor course:
    • SOC WEL 210C: Aging Process (2 units)
  2. ONE of the following courses in advanced social work practice:
    • SOC WEL 244: Direct Practice in Community Behavioral Health and Recovery Services across the Adult Life Span (2 units)
    • SOC WEL 245: Direct Practice in Health Settings across the Adult Life Span (2 units)
  3. At least one additional, professionally relevant elective course, offered in Social Welfare or other campus units, valued at 2 units or higher. For a list of courses currently approved to satisfy this requirement, please see the Graduate Certificate in Aging program page.
  4. A least 120 hours of field experience with or on behalf of older adult clients. Current MSW students can satisfy the field experience requirement as part of the normal field work hours required for the MSW (SOC WEL 410A&B or 412A&B). Students in other graduate programs can obtain credit for their field work experience by enrolling in one unit of SOC WEL 198: Service Learning in Aging. Students must have completed the anchor course SOC WEL 210C before beginning their field experience, or be taking this course concurrently.

School Social Work Credentials (PPSC)

To be eligible to receive a recommendation from the School of Social Welfare for the Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Social Work, issued by by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), students must successfully complete:

  1. All requirements for the Master of Social Welfare (MSW) degree
  2. Three courses required for the school social work credentialing program:
    1. SOC WEL 212: Child Development from Infancy to Adolescence in Its Social Context (2 units)
    2. SOC WEL 232: Social Work and Education Policy (2 units)
    3. SOC WEL 250T: Social Practice in School Settings (2 units)
  3. 1000 clock hours of field experience. For more details please visit the School Social Work Credentials page.
  4. Additional eligibility requirements of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). For a list of these requirements and instructions for how to satisfy them, please visit the School Social Work Credentials page.

Social Work with Latinx Certificate

To be eligible for the awarding of the Social Work with Latinx Certificate, students must be enrolled in a UC Berkeley master's or doctoral degree program, and successfully complete all of the following requirements:

  1. Required anchor course:
    • SOC WEL 250J: Social Work with Latinos (2 units)
  2. Two additional elective courses totaling a minimum of 4 units and chosen from an approved list. For a list of courses currently approved to satisfy this requirement, please see the Social Work with Latinos Certificate program page.
  3. A minimum of 120 hours of direct practice in an agency serving predominantly Spanish-speaking Latinx clients. A field placement required for the MSW degree may also fulfill this requirement.
  4. Demonstrate Spanish language proficiency at an intermediate level.