3-2 MSW Program
Designed specifically for Washington University undergraduate students, this program allows students to earn both their undergraduate degree and a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in a total of five years.
The 3-2 MSW program is available to students pursuing any major in Washington University's College of Arts & Sciences. We encourage interested students to take courses relevant to preparation for graduate studies in social work. Examples of disciplines related to social work include (but are not limited to) the following:
- African-American Studies
- American Cultural Studies
- Anthropology
- Cultural Studies
- Economics
- Education
- International Studies
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Urban Studies
- Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
To be eligible to apply to the 3-2 program, applicants must complete all distribution and major requirements by the end of their junior year, with elective credits available to be applied toward MSW course credit during their senior year (i.e., the first year of the MSW program).
Applicants to the 3-2 program must also adhere to the following requirements:
- Complete the Certification for 3-2 Program Eligibility form (PDF), with signatures from the undergraduate advisor(s) and Jennifer Romney, associate dean in the College of Arts & Sciences, to be submitted with the application to the MSW program.
- Review the Application Instructions and the 3-2 Application Instructions and submit all required materials.
- Apply to the MSW program by March 1 of their junior year.
Although all admission requirements for the MSW program apply to 3-2 applicants, special consideration will be given for the level of field experience due to the undergraduate status of the applicants. We strongly encourage applicants to highlight all leadership and service experiences, such as internships, volunteer work, work with social service organizations, study abroad, service learning courses, and so on to demonstrate a commitment to social work and the mission of the Brown School.
3-2 Program Enrollment and Financial Aid
Students accepted into the 3-2 MSW program will remain coded prime in their undergraduate division in university systems (i.e., WebSTAC) for their fourth year of study, even though the student will be completing graduate-level course work at the Brown School. The student will be coded prime to the Brown School MSW program during their fifth year of study.
3-2 MSW students will continue to be charged the standard full-time undergraduate tuition rate for the fourth year of study and, as such, will receive financial aid for the fourth year based upon their eligibility for undergraduate financial aid awards, including Pell Grants.
For the fifth year, 3-2 students will be charged at the MSW tuition rate applicable to that academic year. If a Brown School scholarship was awarded at the time of admission to the 3-2 program, the scholarship will apply for that fifth year only.
Brown School staff and faculty will be available to assist and support 3-2 students in interpreting these policies and identifying any special needs associated with their 3-2 program status.