The School of Social Work offers an Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE) pathway from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to the MSW program that allows highly motivated undergraduate students to begin graduate study while completing a bachelor's degree, saving both time and money.  Students will be able to begin taking courses from the core year of the MSW program while they are in the senior year of their bachelor's program, and thus, complete the MSW degree in less time. This program will allow students to be ready for a career sooner, with both a bachelor's and master’s degree.

How to Participate in the MSW Pathway: Meet with a School of Social Work academic advisor to determine if the accelerated pathway might be a good fit for you. Student records will be reviewed to determine eligibility and to assist students to declare the pathway, and guide the course of study. Students will continue to work with their CLAS advisor to ensure all undergraduate degree requirements are met.

Program Guidelines

Student Eligibility: Students enrolled in majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) majors will be eligible to apply for the CLAS-SW AGRADE program in the semester in which they expect to complete 90 credits.  Students must have an undergraduate g.p.a. of a 3.5 (or higher) in their major, and they must earn at least a B grade or higher in each of the AGRADE classes to be applied towards the Master of Social Work degree program.

Application Procedures: Undergraduate students apply for this program using the regular Graduate School application form and admission process (including paying the applicable Graduate School application fee) as well as completing a request to take AGRADE coursework. This form will show courses that the student wishes to use as dual credit for undergraduate and MSW programs. Applicants are required to demonstrate suitability and fitness for the profession and the ability to undertake successfully graduate professional education in social work.  This includes submission of transcripts, resume, and personal interest statement. Applications for admission to the CLAS-SW AGRADE program leading to the MSW degree are carefully reviewed so that those students selected, best fulfill the requirements for professional education in this field. The responsibility for deciding whether a student shall or shall not be admitted rests with the School of Social Work.  The Admissions Committee for the MSW program will review all applications and make a decision about admission into the CLAS-SW AGRADE program.  Acceptance to the CLAS-SW AGRADE program does not commit students to completing their MSW degree.

Maximum AGRADE Course Credits: CLAS-SW AGRADE students may elect a maximum of 15 credits in approved graduate courses, as shown in the table below.  These graduate courses may be used to complete elective courses for their bachelor's degree requirements as well as to serve as the beginning of graduate study.

 Advising/MSW Plan of Work: Students accepted into the CLAS-SW AGRADE program are required to meet with a Social Work advisor each semester.  Students will develop a plan of work which will also require approval by their undergraduate advisor.

This plan of work will essentially eliminate the first-year requirements of the four-year part-time MSW program and significantly lighten the load for the two-year full-time program. Students who successfully complete the AGRADE portion of the program will be better prepared to successfully complete the MSW program and enter the workforce.  

 Awarding the Bachelor’s Degree: The bachelor's degree must be awarded upon completion of the requirements for the bachelor's degree. Students have a six-year time limit to complete all requirements for the master's degree. The six-year period begins with the end of the semester during which the student has taken work which applies toward meeting the requirements of the degree. 

 Approval for regular graduate admissions status: For admission into the MSW program, CLAS-SW AGRADE students are required to:

• Successfully complete their undergraduate degree.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in all course work and in the major, and earn a B or better in all MSW courses.
• Declare their interest in the program during their junior year, and they should apply to the MSW program after achieving 90 credits in their undergraduate program.
• Completed and submitted a graduate application by January 15 of the fourth year of their undergraduate study. This includes a personal interest statement (criteria can be found on the WSU School of Social Work website), three letters of recommendation and a resume.
• Follow the additional guidelines for MSW applicants as outlined on the Graduate Admissions.
• Successfully complete any of the following coursework:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
SW 7560	Lifespan Development in the Social Context	3
SW 7680	Human Rights, Social Justice, and Diversity in an Urban Context	3
SW 7720	Social Policy and Advocacy	3
SW 7820	Evidence for Social Work Practice	3
Elective (See MSW advisor for a list of electives)		3

Graduate Transcripts: Only the AGRADE approved courses in which the student has earned a B or higher will transfer to the graduate transcripts (upon completion of the MSW program). Once in the MSW program students may be required to repeat an AGRADE course in which they earn less than a B grade.