The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a professional degree offered in the EWU School of Social Work (SSW) accredited social work program. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) sets the national standards for social work education included in the 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. 

In the standard MSW Program (full-time or part-time), students are required to complete 90 credits of required and elective coursework. A portion of those credits include practicum experience in government agencies, non-profit/profit agencies, and community organizations. The required coursework is delivered fully in-person for the full-time program and in a hybrid format for the part-time programs (partial online and partial in-person). Locations and methods of coursework delivery are outlined in MSW Program Options in the catalog under Social Work-Graduate. 

The course of study is a prescriptive outline of courses for each program option to be completed by students. Successful completion of each quarter is required to move to the next quarter with limited exceptions due to the prerequisite status for social work core courses including practicum and practicum seminar. The core Generalist and Specialized courses listed below are only open to EWU enrolled graduate social work students. The EWU graduate courses have the 500- and 600-level course numbers. Undergraduate courses are not typically counted towards a graduate degree.  

Grade Requirements: must maintain a cumulative GPA ≥3.0.

Generalist Curriculum
SOWK 525	RESEARCH METHODS FOR PROGRAM AND PRACTICE EVALUATION	4
SOWK 530	ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMMUNITY PRACTICE	4
SOWK 531	INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WELFARE AND POLICY	4
SOWK 532	FOUNDATIONS OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE	4
SOWK 533	SOCIAL WORK ASSESSMENT AND PRACTICE WITH INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES	4
SOWK 540	HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENTS	4
SOWK 541	SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY	4
SOWK 550	SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS	4
SOWK 553	SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION AND EVALUATION WITH INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES	4
SOWK 571	FOUNDATION PRACTICUM/SEMINAR	4
SOWK 580	FIELD PREPARATION	1
Specialized Curriculum
SOWK 526	RESEARCH METHODS II	4
SOWK 568	PROSEMINARS IN SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS	4
SOWK 602	CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS AND EVIDENCE BASED TREATMENT	4
SOWK 603	LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS	4
SOWK 671	ADVANCED PRACTICUM/SEMINAR	17
Electives		16
Total Credits		90

Students who successfully earn an MSW from EWU should be able to do the following:​

• demonstrate ethical and professional behavior;
• engage diversity and difference in practice;
• advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice;
• engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice;
• engage in policy practice;
• engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities;
• assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities;
• intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities; and
• evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

(Council on Social Work Education, 2015)