MSW/MPH Joint Degree Program
About the MSW/MPH Joint Degree Heading link
Social work and public health take highly complementary and often overlapping approaches to advancing individual and community health and well-being. Public health social work emphasizes prevention, not just intervention after a problem has developed, and it draws on multiple methods and systems to effect change including clinical interventions, education, research, advocacy, policy development, community organizing, and a range of other micro to macro interventions. Given these complementary approaches, it makes sense and adds value when the two degrees are pursued jointly with some shared course work.
The joint MSW/MPH degree allows students interested in the field of public health social work to complete the degree in a shorter period of time and provides students more opportunities to integrate the respective competencies and perspectives of the two disciplines in a deliberate and coordinated way.
Length of Program
Full time students may complete the programs in three to three and one-half years.
In the Words of an MSW/MPH Graduate Heading link
“As an MSW/MPH student at UIC, my academic training was grounded in equity, service and a commitment to working in the margins. I gained valuable skills necessary to examine the world as a complex interplay between the multiple levels of the social ecology, to understand the risk and protective factors for morbidity and mortality and to critically examine oppressive social and structural determinants of health and well-being.
I am proud and grateful for my time at UIC. My learning and experiences both in and outside the classroom enhanced and strengthened my commitment to a career centered on the reduction and prevention of youth violence.”
Emalee Pearson, MSW/MPH ’16
Cost of Attending Heading link
Tuition and fees charged by the two programs differ. Students will be charged MSW tuition and fees for their first year of study and MPH tuition and fees for the second year. In year three, MSW tuition and fees will be applied again. If students must then complete remaining credit hours for the MPH program, the student will be charged MPH tuition and fees for their final semester of attendance. More information regarding tuition and fees is available at UIC Admissions.
Requirements Heading link
Below are the requirements for admission into the program, and for successful completion of the program:
Admission Requirements
Enrollment in the joint degree program is recommended for full-time students only.
Note: Full-time applicants start the joint degree in the MSW program; applicants eligible for MSW Advanced Standing start the joint degree in the MPH program and so should apply to the MPH program and enroll in MPH coursework prior to applying to the MSW program. For more information please contact Dr. Cassandra McKay at cmckay@uic.edu.
Students must apply to and be admitted separately to both the School of Public Health and the College of Social Work master’s degree programs. The policies of each program with respect to admission requirements, degree requirements, and other academic requirements are applicable. To be considered for admission students must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and satisfy other application requirements for each college.
Transferring into MSW/MPH joint degree program
Students who enter either of the individual degree programs and later decide to transfer into the joint program may do so before entering their second year of study if they meet the admissions requirements of the other degree program. Students must apply and be accepted into both individual degree programs. Students entering from the SPH individual degree program will begin the Social Work core sequence immediately.
Students currently enrolled in the MSW program (full-time generalist year) may apply to the MPH degree by submitting the following documentation:
- A Request for Change of Graduate Degree
- A personal statement
- An updated resume
MSW students who are interested in applying to the joint degree should contact Dr. Cassandra McKay at cmckay@uic.edu.
Program Requirements
The Jane Addams College of Social Work (JACSW) and the UIC School of Public Health (SPH) offer a joint program leading to the Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH).
Length of Program: Full time students may complete the programs in three to three and ½ years.
Admission Requirements: Students must apply to and be admitted separately to both the School of Public Health and the College of Social Work master’s degree programs. The policies of each program with respect to admission requirements, degree requirements, and other academic requirements are applicable. To be considered for admission students must take the GRE (required for admission to SPH), have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, and satisfy other application requirements for each college.
Program Requirements: Students must complete a minimum of 42 semester hours of course work at SPH as required by the specific SPH division and must complete 62 semester hours of course work as required for the MSW (inclusive of shared credit hours).
Required Coursework: The coursework for the joint degree will include: 1) Core (generalist) courses in Social Work (1st year MSW); 2) core courses in Public Health; 3) divisional core courses in either Community Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health, or Health Policy and Administration; 4) Specialization courses in Social Work (2nd year MSW), 5) shared electives; 6) field work, optimally at a site which allows the student to integrate his or her training in social work and public health; and 7) a capstone project reflecting the integration of the student’s public health and social work training.
Plan of Study Heading link
The general three-year plan of study is shown below:
Year 1 - Full-time in the MSW Program
Fall Semester
SocW 410 Human Behavior and the Social Environment (3 credits)
SocW 430 Practice I: Generalist Practice (3 credits)
SocW 420 Policy I: Social Welfare Policy and Services (3 credits)
SocW 570 Field Instruction I (5 credits)
Total Credit Hours: 14 or 15
Spring Semester
SocW 411 Critical Social Work in a Multicultural Society (3 credits)
SocW 431 Practice II: Generalist Practice (3 credits)
SocW 460 Research I: Social Work Research (3 credits)
SocW 571 Field Instruction II (5 credits)
Total Credit Hours: 14
Year 2 - Full-time in MPH Community Health Sci.
Please consult School of Public Health Student Handbook
Year 3 - Full-time in the MSW Program
Fall Semester
SocW 586 Practice III: Mental Health (3 credits)
SocW 554 Policy II: Mental Health (3 credits)
MPH Elective (3 credits)
SocW 572 Field Instruction III (8 credits shared with IPHS 650)
Total Credit Hours: 17
Spring Semester
SocW 587 Practice IV: Mental Health (3 credits)
Social Work Research II Selective (requirement met by IPHS 402) (3 credits)
MPH Elective (3 credits)
SocW 573 Field Instruction IV (8 credits)
Total Credit Hours: 17
Additional Information Heading link
Learn more about this joint degree program here. For further information, please contact the following individuals:
Jane Addams College of Social Work
Cassandra McKay, PhD, LCSW
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Services/Associate Professor
cmckay@uic.edu
School of Public Health
Brandon Sieglaff
Assistant Director of Admissions and Recruitment
sieglaff@uic.edu