School Social Work Graduate Certificate

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The University of Memphis Graduate Certificate in School Social Work is the curricular pathway to the state level school-based licensure offered through the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE). Students who complete all of the requirements below will be eligible for the state level educational licensure (which is similar to the teacher education licensure in the state). This licensure will support the student in pursuing employment in the state of TN public school system. The UofM cannot guarantee employment after graduation and we cannot guarantee reciprocity of this licensure to other states. Students seeking this certificate who live outside of TN should inquire about reciprocity through the department of education in the state in which they wish to be employed post graduation. This certificate and licensure are for individuals who are pursuing a social work degree or who already have a conferred social work degree from an accredited university.

Admission Requirements

The certificate program in School Social Work can be pursued concurrently with the Master of Social Work program or after completion of the Master of Social Work. Concurrent or prior enrollment in an accredited Master of Social Work program is required. Students may fulfill admissions requirements in one of the following two ways.

Admission into the Master of Social Work at the University of Memphis.
Completion of the Master of Social Work at any university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Program Requirements

Completion of 12 semester hours distributed as follows:

SWRK 6937 - School Social Work ** Credit Hours: (3)
Completion of one of the following two courses:
SPED 7000 - Introduction to Critical Foundations of Inclusive Education in the 21st Century Credit Hours: (3)
SPED 7517 - Func Anlys/Treat Prob Behv Credit Hours: (3)
Completion of 6 semester hours in an approved school social work setting:
SWRK 7051 - Field Placement I Credit Hours: (3)
and
SWRK 7052 - Field Placement II Credit Hours: (3)
OR
SWRK 7053 - Field Placement III ** Credit Hours: (3)
and
SWRK 7054 - Field Placement IV ** Credit Hours: (3)
OR
ELC 7115 - Experiential Learning Credit Credit Hours: (1)
NOTE: The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) stipulates that students in the Master of Social Work program may not receive credit for work or life experience. Due to this policy, ELC 7115 may not be completed by students currently enrolled in the MSW program. Under no circumstances may students attempt to substitute ELC 7115 for SWRK 7051 , SWRK 7052 , SWRK 7053 , or SWRK 7054 or any other course in the MSW degree program. ELC 7115 may only be used by certificate students who have completed the MSW degree.

Retention Requirements

Retention requirements are the same as those in the Master of Social Work Program.

Graduation Requirements

Students must complete all four required courses with an average grade of B (3.0) or higher for a total of 12 credit hours.
Students may earn no more than 3 credit hours of C+, C, or C- grades.