Master of Arts in Women’s & Gender Studies / Master of Social Work
Graduate School – MSW Program Information
The College of Letters and Science and the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare collaboratively offer a program designed to provide students with theoretical and practical exposure to evolving professional practice and the field of feminist research and scholarship.
The Master of Arts in Women’s & Gender Studies / Master of Social Work Coordinated Degree Program consists of combined Women’s & Gender Studies (WGS prefixed or cross-listed) and Social Work coursework. Candidates for the coordinated degree program will be expected to fulfill the degree requirements of both programs within seven years, in compliance with Graduate School policies. Degrees will be awarded simultaneously.
Admission
Students are admitted to both graduate programs separately, and admission requirements are consistent with those specified by the UWM Graduate School, the MA in Women’s & Gender Studies Program in the College of Letters and Science, and the MSW Program of the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare.
Credit and Courses
The MA in Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) normally has a minimum requirement of 30 credits from Women's and Gender Studies courses. For the coordinated WGS MA/MSW degree program, however, students can substitute 6 credits in Social Work courses for 6 credits of WGS courses. Similarly, the Social Work master's program will accept 6 credits of WGS course work to satisfy the 6 required elective credits for the MSW degree. Because the MSW degree has a distinction in the number of credits required depending on bachelor's degree type, the total number of credits required to complete the Coordinated WGS/MSW program will range from 52 credits (24 from WGS and 28 from MSW when holding a bachelor's in social work) to 74 credits (24 from WGS and 50 from MSW when a bachelor's degree is from another discipline).
Women’s and Gender Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| WGS 700 | Feminist Issues and Scholarship | 3 |
| WGS 701 | Transnational Feminisms | 3 |
| WGS 710 | Advanced Feminist Theory | 3 |
| WGS 711 | Feminist Epistemologies and Research Practices | 3 |
| Select one G or U/G WGS course 1 | 3 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 elective credits in WGS or WGS cross-listed courses (not SOC WRK), in consultation with the WGS Director of Graduate Studies. Of these electives, 3 credits may be thesis credits (WGS 990). | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
| 1 | Excluding WGS 497, WGS 599, WGS 700, WGS 990, and WGS 999. |
Total WGS credits: 24 (maximum of 6 U/G cr; and maximum 3 cr of WGS 999)
Master of Social Work
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Social Work Foundation Curriculum | ||
| SOC WRK 604 | Social Systems and Social Work Practice (U/G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 662 | Methods of Social Welfare Research (U/G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 665 | Cultural Diversity and Social Work (U/G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 705 | Individual Behavior and Social Welfare (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 708 | Social Work Methods I: Individuals and Families (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 709 | Social Work Methods II: Groups, Organizations and Communities (G) | 2 |
| SOC WRK 721 | Field Instruction I (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 750 | Social Welfare Policy Development and Implementation (G) | 2 |
| Social Work Advanced Practice Curriculum | ||
| Practice | ||
| SOC WRK 711 | Direct Social Work Practice I (G) | 3 |
| or SOC WRK 713 | Community Organization, Planning and Human Service Administration I | |
| SOC WRK 811 | Direct Social Work Practice II: (Subtitled) (G) | 3 |
| or SOC WRK 915 | Human Services Administration II | |
| Select one additional Social Work practice course | 2 | |
| Field | ||
| SOC WRK 722 | Field Instruction II (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 821 | Field Instruction III (G) | 4 |
| SOC WRK 822 | Field Instruction IV (G) | 4 |
| Human Behavior Content | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
SOC WRK 685 | Social Gerontology (U/G) | |
SOC WRK 753 | Adult Psychopathology (G) | |
SOC WRK 771 | Development of the Family Over the Life Span (G) | |
| Research | ||
| SOC WRK 793 | Evaluation of Practice (G) | 2 |
| SOC WRK 794 | Evaluation of Programs (G) | 2 |
| Social Policy | ||
| SOC WRK 851 | Social Issue and Policy Analysis: (Subtitled) (G) | 2-3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 6 credits from Women’s and Gender Studies courses in consultation with faculty advisor | ||
| Total Credits | 50-51 | |
Minimum Total Credits for Coordinated Program: 52 (for those admitted to the MSW Social Work Advanced Curriculum).
For students without a social work baccalaureate or otherwise needing the Foundation Coursework, the total credits will sum to 74.
Additional Requirements
Time Limit
Students in the coordinated MA/MSW degree program must complete all degree requirements within seven years of the first enrollment semester as a degree student.
For more information about the Women’s & Gender Studies Graduate program contact the Director of Graduate Studies.
Xin HuangDirector of Graduate Studies
Curtin Hall 525
Email: huang32@uwm.edu
Graduate Student Grievance Procedures
UWM policy requires programs and departments to have procedures for graduate students to appeal academic decisions such as grades or scholastic standing. These procedures ensure the protection of students’ rights. The following link serves as a reference on procedures for graduate student academic appeals.