Social Work Degree Programs at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University appears in our ranking of the 20 High-Value BSW Degrees in Metro Areas with Top Salaries for Social Workers.
The programs that are available from the university today prepare students for working in major metropolitan areas in the Midwest like Chicago and Detroit, but some students move to other cities across the country.
The undergrad social work program that this university offers includes field practicum work that all students must do. SIU will help students find placements in and around the campus. Students can work for government agencies, shelters, nonprofit organizations or in private practice. The courses that they take go over basic social work ideas and more complex topics. This program features classes like Human Behavior and the Social Environment for Social Work Practice, Generalist Practice, Social Welfare as a Social Institution and Statistics for Measuring Outcomes in Social Work Practice.
Students who have a bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, sociology or a related field can apply to the university's Master of Social Work (MSW) program. While the undergrad program asks students to do 400 hours of fieldwork, graduate students will do 900 hours of fieldwork. They can work in just one location for all their hours or do different placements to gain experience in more than one area. Those who already have a degree can enter the university's advanced standing program, but all other students will enroll in its traditional MSW program. Students take classes such as Advanced Social Work Practice and Families, Groups and Organizational Systems in Social Work.
About Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is just one of the names given to the university officially called Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system and often goes by the abbreviation of SIU, though some also call this campus SIU Carbondale to set it apart from other campuses in the system. Founded in 1869 as the Southern Illinois Normal School, it offered classes for students who wanted to work as teachers. This school slowly changed its curriculum and added more programs outside of teaching, which eventually led to the school becoming a college and then a university.
SIU now offers both professional programs and traditional degree programs. Its professional programs help students meet the requirements for getting their licenses in the state to work in different fields. Students can enroll in one of more than 300 programs, which also includes some joint and dual degree programs that help them earn degrees in two subject areas. U.S. News & World Report ranks SIU within the top 100 of all American colleges, and The Princeton Review included the university on its lists of the greenest campuses and the top colleges in the Midwest. Southern Illinois University also ranks as one of the schools with the lowest average class sizes too.
Southern Illinois University Accreditation Details
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is one of the top professional organizations in the world for social workers. This organization accredits degree programs that prepare students for all their future endeavors, and it granted accreditation to the SIU undergrad program as well as its graduate program. SIU also has regional accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). Not only does this allow students to transfer any credits to the university that they earned while in high school or from another college, but it also gives them the opportunity to apply for federal financial aid from the government.
Southern Illinois University Application Requirements
SIU accepts more than 80% of the students who apply to its degree programs each year. Those applying to the university's undergrad social work program can fill out the online application and select that program as the one they want to study. They will pay a small application fee when submitting the application. Prospective undergrads will then need to supply SIU with both an official high school transcript and an official test score. The university accepts both ACT and SAT test scores.
Graduate students will also use an online application, but they must use the application associated with the semester in which they want to start classes. If a student uses the wrong application, the university may not let he or she start until a later semester. SIU charges a $65 application fee to process the graduate application. It also requires that students submit official immunization records.
The SIU MSW program only starts in the fall. Those applying to this program must submit an official college or university transcript that shows the student maintained a 3.0-grade point average in the last two years of classes taken. It should also show that the student took biology, statistics, humanities and some social work classes. Students enrolling in the advanced standing program will start classes in the summer. These students must have a Bachelor of Social Work degree from an accredited school and meet all the requirements that other students must meet.
Tuition and Financial Aid
As SIU is a state university, its tuition rates are more affordable than those charged by private schools. The university charges both an in-state and nonresident tuition rate. To qualify for the in-state rate, residents must submit proof to show that they lived in Illinois for a full year before enrolling. These students pay around $15,000 a year in tuition and fees, while nonresidents pay a little more. SIU also offers a legacy program for the children of alumni. Those undergrads pay less than $12,000 a year.
The university also offers a resident and a nonresident tuition rate for graduate students. Illinois residents pay around $15,000 a year for tuition and fees. Nonresidents pay more fees, which brings their totals up to around $40,000 a year.
All incoming SIU students can use the FAFSA and see if they get any financial aid for the coming year. The university sends out award packages by the end of spring. Undergrads qualify for more financial aid than grad students do. They often receive grants and loans and can work for the university. Undergrads may qualify for one or more of the university's own scholarships too. Graduate students can get and use loans and grants as well. Southern Illinois University will also accept any external loans or scholarships that students take out or get.