Master of Social Work - Virtual Information Session

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Alright, great. Well, again, thank you all for being here. My name is Jen Radwanski, and I'm the Associate Director for Graduate Admissions here at Stockton University. And I am joined by my colleague, Doctor Robert Barney, who is one of our amazing faculty and our MSW program. And we're here to tell you more about our Master of Social Work program here at Stockton. Before we dive in, a couple of housekeeping items #1 if you are watching or you are here with us Live Today.

OK, there is a chat feature that you'll notice. If you have questions, please feel free to drop those questions in the chat. Umm, 2 items with that one. I would encourage you to maybe wait and hold your questions till the end. Uh, Doctor Barney has a very full, uh, amount of information for you and all of the slides today and we will probably get to all the questions you have. But again, if you have additional things we may have missed, then please feel free to ask those at the end of the session. Umm, and then also, uh, if you have questions of a personal nature.

Please know that we'd be happy to answer those offline. This is being recorded and will be shared out in the general public after this session concludes. So with that being said, I just want to thank you all again for being here. Oh, and anyone who is watching this prerecorded later, we will give you our contact information as well as our live audience to reach out with any questions you have about the program and we'd be happy to assist. So without further ado, Doctor Barney, I'm going to turn things over to you. Thank you for being here today.

Fantastic. Thank you so much. Again, my name is Doctor Robert Barney. I'm one of the faculty members in the MSW program here at Stockton University. The purpose of this session is really to provide you with some information about our program and the admissions process itself. Before we jump into some of that discussion, though, I thought it would be helpful just to begin with a little bit of info about what distinguishes social work from other professions.

So we're going to start off with this slide here. What is social work? Social work really is about helping disadvantaged populations. We operate under a code of ethics which emphasizes the importance of helping to address the unmet needs of members of society. A lot of this will be done through direct service provision. OK, so that one-on-one work with clients. However, it also involves some larger scale or what we call macro level social work where you.

On behalf of marginalized client groups. So it's all about providing direct services to clients as well as advocating on behalf of those client groups. Now the next thing I thought I would just highlight for you is that social workers operate in a variety of different contexts. I think a lot of people hear social work and they often assume that social workers operate exclusively within the field of child welfare and while we do work.

Within the field of child welfare.

That really represents just a small portion of the work that we actually do. You're going to find that social workers operate in a variety of different settings and a variety of different contexts, including in hospitals, providing hospital related social work. We work in school settings, we operate in international settings doing development work, but development work isn't just something that we do in other countries.

Community development is something done here in the United States.

In local communities.

With nonprofits, with grassroots empowerment and so on. I'd mentioned before this whole idea of advocacy related work. So we do political advocacy. You're going to find that the social workers also operate in the field of criminal justice, doing things such as prison social work. We also do military social work, clinical social work, and the list goes on from there. Now, because clinical social work has increased in popularity over the last.

Fears. I thought it would take just a few minutes to describe what an LCSW is. An LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker. An LCSW is somebody who is able to offer counseling and therapy. Social workers who complete their MSW degree can go on to become an LCSW, and what that means is that you would have a license to work independently as a therapist.

In Counseling now in the state of New Jersey, LCS WS can apply and be reimbursed through health insurance companies through Medicare, as well as through Medicaid.

So I know one of the other big questions that comes up whenever we talk about LCSW is how do I become an LCSW? What's the pathway look like? First off, as I mentioned before, you have to have your MSW degree to be able to apply for your LCSW. But in addition to that MSW degree, you would have to go on to complete 3000 hours of supervised counseling. Those 3000 hours can only begin after you have your MSW degree.

Now, 3000 hours translates to roughly about two years of supervised counseling before you can go on to get your license and do that counseling independently. Another big requirement for the LCSW is that you have to have completed 12 hours of coursework focused on clinical social work. Within our program, we have a number of different classes that will help prepare you.

For this and will meet some of those requirements for that clinical coursework.

I'll also just highlight that we've had a number of our graduates who have gone on to complete their LCS WS after graduating from Stockton. So this is something that not only we help to facilitate, but we've had a number of students who have been successful in this regard. OK, so that's a little bit about social work and what distinguishes it from other professions. Next, I wanted to talk a little bit about our program specifically.

And what sets Stockton's MSW program apart from others?

First off, I'll just highlight that we have a number of full time staff who are dedicated to the program or who are principally assigned to teach full time in the MSW program. These faculty have a variety of different specializations specialized in different practice areas, in different areas of research. We have faculty who have strong focus on clinical social work, some who focus more on advocacy, some.

Focus on child welfare. I myself specialize in international social work and a lot of my research has focused in on international populations, specifically within the context of Africa.

Right. In terms of the program and its history, umm, we started in Atlantic City as an MSW program back in 2009. Umm So we've always offered our classes in Atlantic City a few years ago. Stockton builds a new campus down in Atlantic City, which is where our program is now housed. So all of our classes are offered in the John Scarpa Academic Center.

In AC.

Now, the purpose of our program is to develop practitioners who can creatively develop an understanding of intersectional worldviews, who can incorporate an anti-racist and an anti-appressive perspective into their work, Social workers who can learn approaches to challenging structures and systems that oppress and marginalized. And we want our social workers to be able to advocate for social justice in policies and services, all in the name of.

Holding human rights.

All right, now here are just a few things that set our program apart from some of the others.

OK. First off, we use a cohort model. So when people get admitted into our program, they're admitted with a group and they progress through the program with that group. We also have small class sizes, which means that our student to faculty ratios are smaller, giving you more opportunity to work directly with the faculty who will be supervising you and mentoring you.

I'd mentioned before that we have a core group of full-time faculty who have different research specializations. And I'll also just highlight for you that we have classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

Typically, our classes begin in the late afternoon and progress into the evenings on those two, on those two nights. And our courses are offered in hybrid style. And what that means is that all of our classes have a face to face component. OK, So you're going to have that direct interaction and that time in class with your instructor and your classmates, but a portion of your learning is also going to be online.

So some of the work you're doing is online to help prep.

And augment what you're learning in the classroom.

Now, our curriculum has a variety of different core courses that are involved, OK, So some of those core courses would include things such as social work practice, we have courses in policy and research, and the list goes on from there. But in addition to those core courses, we also offer electives. So you are able to choose from a variety of different classes.

In areas that allow you to specialize in, in different topics. And I'll come back to those electives in just a few minutes.

We also have a practicum component in our program. Basically what that means is that students going through our program are required to complete practicums or internships. So in addition to classroom learning, you are going to be expected to do some of these internships in social work agencies in the local community and be supervised by those who already have their MSW degrees.

Now, another important feature of our program is that we are accredited. We are accredited through the Council of Social Work Education. It is the only accrediting body for social work in the nation. What this means is that after you graduate with your MSW degree from our program, you will be eligible to get a license in social work either as an LSW or as an LCS.

Now our crediting body requires that MSW programs identify their area of practice specialization. Every university has a unique practice specialization. Stockton universities practice specialization is to prepare students to work with marginalized populations using a social justice lens. So regardless of whether you're taking a policy course that focuses in on advocacy or whether you're taking.

In a practice course or a research course, you're going to find that social justice theme infused throughout our curriculum.

Now, I'd mentioned before that we have elective courses. A lot of our electives will include topics relating to clinical social work. I'd mentioned before that we want to help prepare you for those of you who would like to go on to complete your LCSW. Some of those electives include things such as psychopathology, We have courses in cognitive behavioral therapy, and the list goes on from there. Actually, if you complete all of your electives in the area of.

Clinical social work you will have completed successfully our elective track OK another feature I want to highlight something that's new to our program in the upcoming years will be a dual degree option OK for those of you who would like to complete both your MSW degree as well as a masters in.

Criminal justice, you will be able to enroll in a dual degree for MSW and the MACJ. If that's something that you're interested in, I would encourage you to reach out to our program chair and we'll make sure to provide you with some of her contact details on the very last slide of this presentation.

Now, students who are admitted to our MSW program are admitted in two big different ways. OK, you can be admitted as a traditional student, which would require you to complete 60 credit hours of study. It's very common for students who have done undergraduate degrees in fields such as criminal justice or psychology or any number of different fields to enroll in our traditional program.

But there is a second major option, and that second major option is known as advanced standing. Advanced standing is something that's available to students who have completed their bachelor's degree of social work from an accredited program. OK, so if you've done your BSW degree and you'd like to apply for advanced standing, what that basically means is that you would complete your MSW degree.

With half as many credits. So instead of.

Of the 60 credit hours required of traditional students, you would only be required to complete 30 credit hours of study. And the reason for that is because the first half of our curriculum mirrors what goes on in a traditional undergraduate degree program. OK, so we have traditional and we have advanced standing, but regardless of which program that you're admitted to, you have the ability to complete your studies either as a full time student or.

As a part-time student.

So if you would like to go through as an advanced standing student and do your degree in as little time as possible, you can do it full time in just one year. Or if you wanted to do it part time, you could do it in two years. For the traditional admits, full time takes you about two years of study, whereas part time takes three years. The part time option is a really great option for those of you who are wanting to study while you work full time.

OK. To help you achieve some of the balance that you need to be able to navigate both, especially considering that even though some of our classes are offered in the evenings on Monday and Wednesday, you're still going to be required to complete practicum hours as part of our program. And those practicum hours typically take about two full time or two full days out of the week each semester that you're in practicum.

All right. So why choose Stockton? OK. What sets us apart from some of the other MSW programs? Well, some of the big things that I want to highlight or just remind you of is that we do have smaller class sizes. We use a cohort model. And that cohort model means that you're going to develop good, strong relationships with some of your classmates who will help support you as you go through the program and develop kind of a sense of camaraderie.

Another big feature is that we have competitive.

Tuition costs compared to other MSW degree programs in New Jersey. I'd mentioned before some of the specializations of our faculty. We do have supportive and esteemed faculty who will help you through the program.

Other important features, we have full and part-time options. We also have the hybrid style of learning which incorporates kind of the best of both worlds, which include both face to face modality as well as some online work.

And then we're also linked to the community in Atlantic City. Not only are our classes housed there, but there are a variety of different opportunities to get involved in the local community in terms of volunteer work, practicum placements, research, and the list goes on from there.

All right, so the next thing that we should consider is the admissions process. What does that process look like? And for this portion, I'm going to be joined by Jen, who's going to help talk about this from her perspective as well. I kind of bring the faculty perspective and she's able to talk from the Office of Graduate Admissions as well. So perhaps I'll just start us off with this, and Jen, feel free to jump in as we go.

Some of the first big things that you need to remember, you have to have your undergraduate degree.

To be able to be admitted to the program now, if you are in your final year of study in the undergraduate program where you are, it's OK to still apply for the program.

You'll you can still get admitted to our program contingent on successful completion of your undergraduate degree. If you want to apply for our advanced standing program, you have to make sure that you have a bachelor's degree of social work from an accredited program.

OK. So that's the first big requirement.

And that it must be within the last 10 years as well.

Thank you very much. Yes, for our advanced standing students has to be within the last 10 years. OK, You have to make sure to complete your application. OK. So when you apply to our program, there's all kinds of questions. We want to know demographic information and those kind of things. You're also going to have some required essays that you're going to have to complete. And I think there's about three of those that students have to to go through. So please do make sure to take your time.

In responding to the prompts for those essays.

Ways. Make sure to check in on your spelling and grammar. Proofread it before you submit it. That is something that the admissions committee really does look at and scrutinize as part of the overall application.

OK, You have to make sure that you have a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or above to be able to apply for our program. Now, I would still encourage you if your GPA falls slightly below that, still apply. That is something that you know, we're not just looking at GPA, we look at the entire package. But you may find if your GPA falls much lower than that, you may want to reach out to the program chair just to ask for a little bit of guidance. Sometimes students will take courses.

With us as non matriculated students just to demonstrate their readiness for graduate studies. And that actually kind of brings up another important point. When you complete your application, you're going to want to make sure that you submit transcripts from each of the programs that you have graduated from or where you have completed previous coursework.

OK. You're also going to want to make sure that you complete some letters of recommendation, OK, There's going to be three of those that have to be submitted. You really do want to make sure that you're getting letters of recommendation from academic instructors, supervisors at work, especially social work related supervisors. And the reason for that is because we're wanting to hear from people who can speak to your academic abilities or your potential abilities as a social worker.

OK, so if you are submitting this from a family friend or something like that, the admissions committee is not going to wait that as strongly. So really you do want to make sure to get those letters from these types of sources.

OK. I will also just highlight that if you're applying for advanced standing, we have a requirement that at least one of your letters be submitted from a practicum instructor or a social work supervisor.

Great. Anything else you want to add about some of those components?

Great.

No, umm, I would. So I'm gonna do 1 little additional thing and I'm gonna drop the MSW, uh, website into the chat. Umm, just because I think it's a great point of reference. All the things that we talked about, you know, from the, uh, admission process to the curriculum and everything else is all on the site. And I think it's a good, good point of reference. Umm, the only other thing that I would add is that, uh, when you start your application, there is a, umm, a $50 application fee or if you do have a waiver.

You would utilize that, that is to submit your application to begin the process. Sometimes people get confused and they see submit and they think, oh, I'm not ready to submit. I haven't done everything I need to. No, you're not submitting for review. You're submitting to begin your application. And once you do that, then you're going to see a checklist of all these items populate. So I see that there's some questions about the essays, the length, all of those things are in the, uh, application and you'll be able to see those once you submit.

Your application to begin OK, the other item that people get hung up on is that when they submit the fee or the waiver code, they expect it to populate immediately. It does take a couple minutes. You may need to log in and log back out or just refresh your page. They will populate though. You will also get frequent reminders about the items that are needed on your checklist. So keep that in mind and the if you are a Stockton student, we will pull your transcripts for you. It's a new service that we are providing to all of.

Stockton students, we will pull your Stockton transcripts, but if you went anywhere else, those transcripts would need to be sent to us sometime. If you were a transfer student to Stockton, we may have access to your transfer um.

Transcripts, if not, will notify you as well. You'll see that, uh, not removed from your checklist yet and you'll need to put those in, but we usually are able to pull those. Umm, but if you, uh, attended a Community College, you have another degree, uh, a mass, another masters degree, uh, all of those items, even if you did not receive a degree from those institutions, we need to have those sent to us electronically. Uh, and you can have them sent, uh, by mail as well, but electronically is really the best way these days, uh, guarantees receipt. It comes very.

Quickly, umm, and, and that's the way that we would recommend doing it and then going back and making sure you really look at your letters of recommendation for this application. That's critical. And the link that I provided you in the chat breaks down what those are, whether you're looking at the general or the advanced standing. So just keep those in mind. Umm, but I think that that covers everything there. So thanks.

That's great. Thank you. Alright, now before I end this portion of our discussion, I thought it would just take a few minutes to highlight some of the people who are most important to the program, which is our students. OK, so I do want to just mention that our program has graduated hundreds of students, well over 500 at this point. Our alumni work in a variety of different social work positions throughout New Jersey.

You're going to find that some of these alumni will actually serve.

As practicum supervisors for existing students, you're going to find that some of these alumni will come back and be guest speakers within the program. So we do really work to keep up some of those connections even after students graduate. They become such an important resource to us in the life of our program. Also, just highlight that during your time in the program, you're going to have an opportunity to not only interact with your classmates in.

The coursework, but we also have a student club known as the MSW Alliance.

That really helps to provide services and assistance in ways to give back to the community, and some of that community is the local community in Atlantic City. We've had this student group participate in activities in the past, such as a suicide prevention and awareness walk. Students in the past have volunteered at the Atlantic City Women's Shelter through giving donations and doing donation drives.

Some of them this year have been involved with Sister Jeans Kitchen, helping to provide.

Volunteer hours there and the members of this group have also helped to facilitate some of the licensure test prep for students to help prepare them for the next step after graduation. OK, so that is a little bit about our students and some of the things that you're going to help build in terms of relationships and activities and service.

In our program and after graduating from our program.

And that kind of brings us to the end of this portion of our discussion, the presentation portion and and and now going to turn it back over to Jen who's going to help facilitate some of the Q&A for us.

Excellent. Thank you so much. I think you provided a lot of really great detail and some of our most frequently asked questions. I see that we have a couple more in the chat. We'll try to get to as many as we can. I will share with everyone that if you have questions of a personal nature, we're not going to tackle those here. So anything that you have about your personal application or your personal circumstances, we're going to give you our contact information in a few moments. And please feel free to reach out to us. We'd be happy to answer those personal questions for you in that space.

I know that there's many, many pieces. This is there's.

A lot of things with this application. So we do want to help you to be successful in that process. So I know that there was a question about the Generals first advanced standing. I think we've covered that extensively as well as the part-time versus full-time. And again, those are mapped out in that link that I posted under the curriculum tab. And you can see the specific courses in particular, when you click on that curriculum tab, it breaks down both the generalist program in full-time and part-time.

Segments.

By semester, so you can see it all mapped out for you by, by course. One of the other things, and I know this isn't one of the questions posted here, but I, I do want to add this in as part of the admission process and the full transparency of the admission process. And I'm something I'm proud of because I don't think a lot of universities put this in the forward facing space is the cost to attend Graduate School. And there is a financial information tab on the MSW site you can click on to see the per credit rate based on if you are in state, out-of-state, et cetera. So just wanted to throw that in.

There is an important component that you can find on the web.

So the curriculum is there. So I'd encourage you to check that space out. There's also, we have some questions about how many words, paragraphs, you know, what are the application essay prompts? Again, you will see those when you begin your application. And so we encourage you to to jump in there. And then if you, you know, you have questions once you get to that point, let us know. But those are in the application specifically. They're different for all each of our programs. But in this one, you in particular, there are three essay prompts.

Within that, making sure you load those as a PDF is critical and Doctor Barney had mentioned proofreading. Do not use AI to write your essays. That is not permitted. What we encourage you to do is to write your essays of your own free will and have a friend, family member, or colleague proofread those for you. Umm, just to make sure there are no errors, but umm, please make sure that you are writing those essays. That's really important. And also make sure that you answer the prompt. I know that sounds ridiculous, but you'd.

No idea how many people either just submit a general essay that they've used for a number of different applications, or they don't read the prompt thoroughly. So please make sure you read the prompts and that you answer the prompts. I think that that's critical.

Umm, I see we have some questions about just overall strength of, of, of applications. Uh, I think that it's important to note, as doctor Barney mentioned that applications are looked at as a holistic component. Umm, so it is everything from your resume to your GPA to your letters. Umm, all of those items are going to be a part of that process. So although GPA is a component, making sure you have really strong recommenders and I see that there's some questions here about who those.

Mentors can be as far as coworkers and individuals you work with. Yes, if they can speak to your ability to work in the field of social work and related social work fields. Like we know not all of you may be social workers right now but are looking to go into the social work field. Things that are adjacent people who can speak to your professional.

Umm, skills and abilities that are related to social work would be fine as well. What we do not want you to do is have your next door neighbor write it. Who who? It's not a a UMM.

Personal character reference We're looking for academic and professional references. How? How will you contribute to the field of social work? How will you do academically within the program?

Would you?

Yeah. It also just highlight as well when you're getting those letters for practice, you do want to make sure that they're from supervisors as well, people who can kind of speak to your abilities, somebody who's who's monitored your progress.

Yep. And specifically for those of you who are planning to advance dating, that is a requirement. It has to be one of your practicum supervisors who is writing that letter. So that's critical. Umm, let's see, uh.

Someone asked if you started your application, where would you go to locate it? Umm, so you could go straight to the social work, the MSW website. You'll click the apply button and when you click the apply button, umm, from there you'll click the apply now and there's two things that are going to pop up. It'll say either returning user or first time user. Umm, So if you've already begun an application, you're going to click on the returning user. It has all the same prompts. If you don't remember your login information and all that, it can help you reset that, Umm, but you would go back into the returning.

Are not the new, so just make sure you click that one after you click the apply button. You should also be receiving emails. So if you have begun an application, you will get e-mail, automated e-mail reminders and automated text reminders asking you to go in and complete seeing if you have questions. Umm, and so I'd, you know, please feel free to utilize our services here and graduate admissions to, to uh, if you have questions, uh, someone asked if these slides, uh, are, will be available. We will be posting this presentation.

In recording to our website, uh, tomorrow usually, uh, maybe ready by the end of the day, but uh, most likely it'll be tomorrow, so you can keep an eye out for that as well. Um.

Let's see.

Uh, someone had asked if there is an online only option for classes. There is not. This is considered an in person program, but hybrid as Doctor Barney mentioned. I don't know if you want to talk any further about about that.

Yeah. So for years we've operated as a face to face in person program. We recognize that some people do have that have that desire to complete some some of their coursework online. We don't have an exclusively online program, but there is kind of that new blending that we've we've kind of piloted and that we're experimenting with which includes a bit of online to supplement the work that we're doing in the classroom.

Great. Uh, how late in the evening do the Monday Wednesday classes start?

Typically we are finished by about 8:45 PM. Some of those could change, some of that could change slightly. So we might end a little bit earlier, a little bit later than that, but like right now, we finish at 8:45 in the evening.

OK, there's another question about specifically on the word count. If there's no word count exactly on that prompt, then use your best discretion to answer the question. And again, I go back to remind you just to really make sure you answer the prompt, umm, and to to utilize your best discretion on the lengths. So.

Yeah, and and I will share that for our essays, a couple of them do specify 500 words, but do make sure that you are following the props that are provided on the application itself.

No, umm, I know this wasn't, is not one of the questions, but I feel like this is a really key piece to to add in. Umm, I know that, you know, we've talked about there being evening courses in Atlantic City, Umm, and I just wanted to share with you, if you've not visited our Atlantic City campus, please stop by.

I absolutely love our AC campus and I'll be perfectly honest, I am not, umm, I'm not a city girl. I love being in Atlantic City, I love being at this campus. And I'll give you a couple of things just to keep in mind. And, and This is why I'd really love for you to go and see the campus. Umm, parking #1 is amazing. Uh, you, there's parking right at the facility. This is our brand new campus. These buildings are just a few years old. I think what I think you'd mentioned it's about 667067.

Yes, I know any of you young children. Anyway, fantastic parking. The the academic building is absolutely gorgeous. It's a fantastic place for academic learning. It is the classrooms are state-of-the-art. They're beautiful. They all have beautiful views of of not only the city, the beach and all of that, but it's a it's a just a really beautiful academic facility. And then not to mention the wonderful eateries that are right around the building as well, coffee houses.

You know.

Sandwich places is just, you name it, there's all kinds of really great places to eat. So it's a wonderful place to learn to, to go to school and very safe. Umm, I've been there late at night, I've been there early in the morning. Umm, and it is a very uh.

Conducive place for learning for for.

Individuals pursuing a master's degree, especially UMM, so I'd love for you to go stop by the campus and check that out.

So I just wanted to add that in there because we do get that questions a lot someone had asked.

I think we touched upon evening classes for part-time option. Again, same same idea. It breaks down on the MSW webpage as far as what courses are needed. And again, courses are in late afternoon, basically early evening into mid-even.

Uh.

Yeah. And I can also share that for our courses, if you're doing full time study, it's five classes that you're completing each semester. If you're a part-time student, you're looking at about two or three classes a semester.

Yep, umm, someone had asked about dual degree. Uh, Darrell, we would be happy to talk with you about that in, in a separate conversation. We are still working out the details but are very excited to see that you are interested in the dual degree option with MACJ and the MSW program. With that being said, I'll keep asking questions, but I do want to put our contact information on there. So Darrell, please reach out either to the program chair or to myself. We'll get you connected, but we'd love to talk with you about that further.

It is an option for advanced standing. So, umm, we can talk about what that curriculum would look like for you and how we would go about that. Um, someone had asked, I think it says, I think the question is, uh, how does practicum work? Umm, I think we touched upon that a little bit, but umm, you know, one of the things that I also would share with all, all of our programs for the programs that have a clinical placement, a practicum, things like that. There is an individual in each one of our programs that helps with that. And to my understanding, there are a lot of institutions that do not have.

That you have to go find your practicum experiences on your own. Now, that's not to say that you cannot be involved in that process to, you know, if you have some recommendations, but I do really love that the that our university actually has a professional staff or faculty member assigned to the programs to help facilitate that process. But Doctor Barney, do you want to talk a little bit more about, about that facilitated process?

Absolutely. So for applicants who are admitted to the program after getting that admissions letter, you're going to be contacted by members of our practicum staff. They're going to send you a separate application for the practicum placement. And that's going to be asking you questions about your areas of practice interest, where you geographically live so that they can try and match you with a practicum placement where you can complete some of those hours.

In a place that's close to you. In a place that you know you.

You, you know, you have practice interest in. So some of that is going to be negotiated. Again, if you have an agency where you would like to work, they can look into facilitating some of that. We do have to make sure that they're checking a couple of those important boxes that are accreditation requires of us, such as do they have somebody who has an MSW degree who's had that degree for two or more years.

So that we get you adequate supervision.

We also want to make sure that as part of those practical placements you're addressing all of the required competencies that are accrediting body requires you to do. And then as I've mentioned, it typically takes about two days out of your week.

To do those practicum hours, we do have a minimum number of hours that you're expected to work or or do your practicum placement each semester.

Yeah.

Great. And then we had a question about application fee waivers. If you are eligible for one, you'll receive notification from us, so.

We'll figure that out after the session, but if you are eligible, umm, you'll receive information more about that fee waiver.

Alright, I do believe that has brought us to the end of our questions umm. So I just wanted to take a moment again to remind everyone to jot down our contact information. Umm, if you happen to lose it or anything like that, please don't hesitate to go on our website and also find that information umm.

Oh, we have one more question. Sorry, uh, currently graduating May.

Umm, sorry, we can, uh, we will be happy to talk with you about that, you know, one-on-one conversation, umm.

Oh, so let's go back to the practicum. So yes, any personal questions about your application process or about your letters or things of that nature, please reach out to us with that contact information there. I'll also drop my information into the chat as well, so you can reach out to me directly after the session if you would like or.

But there is a question, if someone is already employed in a relevant field, can their paid work count towards practicum hours?

That is possible. Since COVID, the our accrediting body has begun to allow some of that. However, you would want to make sure that that gets approved before starting the MSW program. Again, we want to make sure that any place that you're working checks all of those required boxes. So we have to make sure that you get supervision, you're going to be able to cover all the required competencies and so on. So it's not guaranteed, but it is something we've been successful.

In helping students do in the past.

Great, thank you. I also wanted to so my my e-mail address is there in the chat. You have our general grad school information here as well. And then our office and graduate admissions offers an opportunity for virtual one-on-one sessions. So if you would like to do that as well, we can schedule that under the contact us button. It is if you go to the MSW page will be on the left hand side. So I would I would encourage you to do that for the dual degree program you can reach out directly to.

Doctor Robin Hernandez Makonnen, who is listed here, or you can reach out to me, copy and paste whichever e-mail or both you would prefer and we'll get you in contact with with the folks that can assist. So I'm again excited that you're interested in learning more about that.

So with that being said, the last thing I'd like to close out on is when I am asked as someone that helps to recruit for our programs and someone says what's the main reason I should come to Stockton. Without hesitation, my answer is always our faculty and this program is truly one of the the stellar ones when it comes to that. You have faculty who truly care about you are looking out for you. I talked to with the student a few weeks ago.

Asking about his experience in this program, I saw him actually at his practicum site.

And he said, you know, I love that the faculty stopped me and asked me how I am. They generally, they genuinely care about me as a student. They want to see me succeed. They want to see me be, umm, excel at what I'm doing. And they, they want to help me get there and to be successful. And he just was really touched by umm, the caring nature of the faculty and how invested they are in seeing their students succeed. So Doctor Varney, thank you for all that you do for our students. Thank you for being here today to share your experience with the program and.

I hope you all are are interested in coming and joining us here and let us know if there is anything else we can do to help you through the application process. Wishing you all a wonderful day and take care everyone.

Thanks again.

Bye bye.

Bye.