Welcome to the University of Michigan

1. Welcome to the University of Michigan School of Social Work MSW/PhD Information Session

2. Session Housekeeping Erin Zimmer, LMSW Assistant Director for Student Services elpena@umich.edu

3. Send Us Questions • Simply type your question into the “question box” • “Raise your hand” if on telephone

4. Joining Today’s Session Lauren Davis, LLMSW Student Services Specialist laurdavi@umich.edu

5. MSW Program Information • Erin Zimmer, Assistant Director for Student Services • The MSW Student Experience • Brittany Sandefur, Current MSW Student • MSW Application Process • Erin Zimmer, Assistant Director for Student Services • Doctoral Program Information • Berit Ingersoll-Dayton, Director of Doctoral Program Today’s Agenda

6. MSW Program Erin Zimmer, LMSW Assistant Director for Student Services elpena@umich.edu

7. Practice Methods: • Community Organization • Interpersonal Practice • Management of Human Services • Social Policy and Evaluation • Practice Areas: • Aging in Families and Society • Children and Youth in Families and Society • Community and Social Systems • Health • Mental Health MSW Concentration Options

8. Child Welfare Scholarship Program • Geriatric Scholarship Program • Global Activities Scholarship Program • Jewish Communal Leadership Program • Community-Based Initiative • National Community Scholars Program • Peace Corps Master’s International • Social Work in School Settings • Social Work in the Workplace • Specialist in Aging Certificate Specialization & Certification Programs

9. Advanced Standing • 16-month • 20-month • Extended Degree • Fifth Term Option Curriculum Schedules

10. Over 475 field sites in southeastern Michigan, nationally, andinternationally. • Students participate in field placement selection • Specialized field placements • View field sites at: http://ssw.umich.edu/programs/msw/ofi/slots/ Field Placement

11. Social Work and Business Administration • Social Work and Information • Social Work and Law • Social Work and Public Health • Social Work and Public Policy • Social Work and Urban Planning Dual Degree Programs

12. The Current Student Experience Brittany Sandefur Management of Human Services/Community & Social Systems barino@umich.edu

13. MSW Application Process

14. Online application preferred • When should you apply? • December 1 • January 31 • March 1 How? Paper vs. Online When? Date to Apply

15. Personal Characteristics • Recommendations • Supplementary Statement • Human Services/SW Experience • Academics Criteria for Admission

16. Bi-lingual skills in relevant language • Commitment to social action/advocacy • Geographic location • Success in another field • Strong commitment to social work values • Work as an undergraduate Personal Characteristics

17. Personal qualifications: • sensitivity • responsiveness in relationships • concern for the needs of others • adaptability • good judgment • integrity Personal Characteristics (part 2)

18. Life experiences which are good preparation for social work practice • Interest in an area with a shortage in social work (macro, aging, child welfare, work with developmentally disabled populations, etc.) • Strong interest in multicultural social work practice/issues Personal Characteristics (part 3)

19. Overall recommendation • Individual category evaluations • Relationship of recommender to applicant • Length of time of the relationship • Status of recommender • Content of the narrative • Forms online (application or download) Recommendations

20. Grammatical quality of the statement • Quality of the content • Success in addressing all four questions • Critical thinking skills • Extent to which social problem/program strategy interests are related to concentrations/specializations Statement

21. Amount/quality of paid social work-related experience • Amount/quality of volunteer social work-related experience • Amount/quality of internship social work-related experience • Participation in CSWE accredited field placement(s) • Extent to which experience is relevant to future goals within the field • Average experience: (one year paid with some volunteer work experience) Experience

22. Undergrad GPA • Average over last 60-75 credit hours: 3.5 • Grad GPA • Course content/major/institution attended • Significant research experience • Quality of academic recommendations • Undergraduate performance in first 2 years • Trainings/continuing education, workshops, professional enrichment activities Education

23. Approximately 90% of MSW students receive some form of grant and/or scholarship assistance from the School of Social Work. • SSW Financial Aid Form • Special Program Applications (due Dec. 1 or Feb. 1) • Child Welfare Scholarship, Geriatric Scholarship, Jewish Communal Leadership Program, Community-Based Initiative, National Community Scholars, Global Activities Scholars • Graduate Student Services Assistant • FAFSA Financial Aid

24. Be sure to watch the SSW Blogs: • http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/SSW/ • Office of Student Services: • 734-936-0961 • ssw.oss@umich.edu Questions?

25. The Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science Berit Ingersoll-Dayton, PhD Director of the Joint Doctoral Program ssw.phd.info@umich.edu

26. What is the Joint Doctoral Program? • The Program began over 50 years ago and today students work with internationally recognized scholars across disciplines. • The Joint Doctoral Program offers interdisciplinary study and leads to a PhD in social work and one of five social sciences:

27. Why the Joint Doctoral Program? • Interdisciplinary degree in social work and social science • Opportunities to become involved in a broad range of research projects • Active student participation • Faculty with international reputations • Wide range of job opportunities

28. Research Opportunities within the Joint Program • Health and mental health disparities • Gerontology and aging • Interpersonal violence • Evaluation research • Prevention and action research • Child welfare and child resiliency • Family structure and relations • Gender and sexuality • Race and ethnicity • Cross-cultural differences

29. Doctoral Student Groups within Social Work • The School of Social Work has a number of active student groups including • Conversations Across Social Disciplines • ”Lifespan and Cross-cultural Perspectives on Social Relations” • ”Integrating Activism and Politics in Academia” • Interdisciplinary Group on Poverty and Inequality • ”Poverty and Natural Disasters in the Developing World: Haiti and Beyond” • ”’The Other America’ Today: Poverty in the Midst of the Economic Downturn”

30. Where Joint Doctoral Graduates Work • US universities • Columbia University • University of California • University of Washington • International universities • Tel Aviv University • University of Guam • University of Melbourne • Applied settings • Center for AIDS Prevention Studies • Henry Ford Health System • Singapore Department of Statistics • The Urban Institute

31. Key Elements of the Joint Program • A Master’s in Social Work (MSW) • Social work courses • Social science courses • Research internship • Teaching experience • Preliminary exams in social work and social science • PhD dissertation combining social work and social science

32. Length of Time toward Degree • Coursework and preliminary exams: • four years for pre-MSW students • three years for post-MSW students • Dissertation: one to two years • Total program length is four to six years

33. Applying for Admission • All applicants must designate their desired joint social science and demonstrate their potential for PhD study by providing the following materials to the Joint Doctoral Program: • Personal statement • Statement of purpose • Curriculum vitae • Three letters of reference • Transcripts from colleges and universities attended • Results from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) • Results from the TOEFL/METLAB exam if country of origin’s native language is not English and prior education was not earned in an English-speaking country

34. Key Admissions Materials • Personal statement • Discuss your personal background, relevant life experiences • Discuss gaps or issues in your application • How have you been led to this decision? • Statement of purpose • What research questions interest you? • What social science are you interested and why? • How do these interests mesh with those of faculty in each area? • What are your career objectives? • Letters of reference • Academic potential and scholarship • Research experience and background

35. Application Deadlines • Applications for the fall term are due • December 1 • Applicants are notified of decisions by early March • Admit 10–15 per year

36. Financial Support • All students receive four- to six-year funding packages through fellowships or program-related • employment. • A limited number of Rackham Merit Fellowships for students of underrepresented backgrounds. • The Program also features an NIA training program in aging and gerontology whichallocates fellowships for periods of one to three years. • Students are also eligible for other graduate school awards, and awards administered through their social science department. • Most financial aid awards are made at the time of the offer of admission.

37. Questions? • Doctoral Office • (734) 763-5768 • ssw.phd.info@umich.edu • 1080 South University Ave., Room 3704 • Ann Arbor, MI 48109

38. We look forward to seeing you soon In Ann Arbor! Thank you for joining our virtual information session