✓ Dedicated field placement team
✓ Accelerated and traditional routes
✓ Hands-on, immersive courses
✓ Fully accredited program
Earn your Master of Social Work (MSW) Degree
Application for SVSU’s Master of Social Work Program Opened October 1, 2025!
- Early Decision: Submit all application materials by December 1, 2025 to receive an admission decision by late December 2025.
- MSW Advanced Standing: Applications close on February 28, 2026. Admission decisions will be released by March 13, 2026.
- Regular MSW Program: Applications remain open until April 30, 2026. Admission decisions will be released by May 22, 2026.
Graduate Admissions Office
The Graduate Admissions Office is here to guide you to your SVSU graduate degree. We can help with application requirements and deadlines, program fit, and next steps — transcripts, recommendations, and funding.
To connect with a graduate admissions representative, use the Schedule Meeting button or text/call (989) 461-2025 or email gradadm@svsu.edu.
MSW Program Coordinator
Our MSW program provides the foundational knowledge social work professionals need to successfully work in the mental health field. Contact me at tjcoker@svsu.edu or (989) 964-4978 for questions about the MSW program.
Teresa Coker, PhD, MSW, Associate Professor
Choose Your Path
SVSU has two different paths for applicants to earn an MSW from SVSU. Our Advanced Standing MSW cohort begins each Spring (May) semester while our MSW cohort begins each Summer (June/July) semester.
No matter which MSW path you choose, SVSU's Master of Social Work program prepares students to take either the clinical or macro license exam.
Advanced Standing MSW
Those interested in the Advanced Standing MSW program must have earned a CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). This program can take 1-2 years to complete.
MSW
Those interested in the MSW program must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. This program can take 2-3 years to complete.
A Difference Maker
Social workers are life-changers, advocates, and go-getters who are constantly there for those in need. And right now, they’re in high demand. And when you enroll in the Master of Social Work program at SVSU, you’ll not only be on the fast path to earning an MSW, but you’ll be equipped with the tools and the knowledge to empower others, make a difference in your community, and change the lives of those who need it most. SVSU MSW graduates are working in areas such as private counseling centers, substance abuse centers, health care centers, VA hospitals, schools and private practice clinics.
Practicum (Field) Placement Opportunities
Our unique, immersion-based teaching method gives you real-world experience by placing you within 1 of over 200 local agencies and clinics, including clinical practice, community work, program development, and agency research. Plus, students can take electives in their field of interest.
Cost-effective and Competitive
With the lower SVSU tuition, our MSW is one of the most affordable programs available and offers a variety of scholarships and financial aid options.
Accredited Generalist Program
SVSU's CSWE-accredited advanced generalist MSW program combines courses in both micro-level/clinical and macro-level social work to prepare students to engage with vulnerable populations at multiple levels, from direct practice with individuals and families to larger-scale community programming and social leadership.
Industry Outlook
SVSU's MSW offers working adults a flexible solution for earning their degree from a highly ranked and nationally recognized program.
Average Job Growth*
18%
Average Salary Range*
$38K/year to $74K/year
Average Job Placement Rate for SVSU MSW Graduates
95%
*Stats are approximations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor
Assessment of MSW Student Learning Outcomes
The Council on Social Work Education requires all programs to measure and report student learning outcomes. Students are assessed on their mastery of the practice behaviors that represent competencies that comprise the accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work Education. These competencies are dimensions of social work practice which all social workers are expected to acquire during their professional training. A measurement benchmark is set by the School of Social Work for each group of practice behaviors that represent social work competency. An assessment score at or above that benchmark is considered by the School to represent mastery of that particular set of practice behaviors.
2022-2023 Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes for the MSW Program (21KB)
College of Health and Human Services Social Work Program Organizational Chart (111KB)
Saginaw Valley State University is a fully-accredited institution with our MSW program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE).
CONTACT US.
Graduate Admissions
Wickes Hall 230
gradadm@svsu.edu
(989) 964-6096
Teresa Coker, PhD, MSW
MSW Program Coordinator
Associate Professor, Department of Social Work
Health & Human Services 237
tcoker@svsu.edu
(989) 964-4978