School of Social Work: Policy and Procedure for Requesting an Exception to the 3-Year MSW Program Generalist Curriculum

This policy document outlines the procedure for 3-Year MSW students to request an exception to the standard generalist curriculum sequence, allowing them to take additional coursework beyond what is typically required in their first two years.

Unit Policy

Title

School of Social Work: Policy and Procedure for Requesting an Exception to the 3-Year MSW Program Generalist Curriculum

Introduction

Purpose

This policy document outlines the procedure for 3-Year MSW students to request an exception to the standard generalist curriculum sequence, allowing them to take additional coursework beyond what is typically required in their first two years.

Scope

This policy applies to 3-Year MSW students at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work.

Policy

3-Year MSW students are expected to take all generalist courses with their cohort during the first two years in the traditional 3-Year MSW curriculum sequence. In exceptional circumstances, the School of Social Work will consider allowing students to take course work in addition to the generalist courses. If a student is considering this, the student should talk with their faculty advisor as soon as possible, and no later than two weeks before the semester(s) affected by the exception. Students should also be aware that additional course work will impact their tuition amount because 3-Year MSW students pay tuition per credit hour.

Procedure

The procedure is as follows:

1. Student consults with their

   • Faculty Advisor
   • Practicum Advisor (if applicable)
   • Practicum Instructor (if applicable)
   • Plan of Study Advisor

2. If the request seems appropriate, the student

   • completes and signs the Exception Form (the student should be sure to explain how the course work he/she is suggesting as an alternative to the typical curriculum relates to his/her educational plan of study and learning goals)

   • obtains signatures from the following people:

     • the faculty advisor, which indicates the faculty advisor thinks the exception and alternative plan proposed for coursework is both feasible and academically sound;
     • the practicum advisor (if practicum education will be affected), which indicates the practicum advisor thinks the exception and alternative plan proposed is both feasible and academically sound;
     • the practicum instructor (if practicum will be affected), which indicates the instructor agrees to the proposed changes in scheduling for the student; and
     • the plan of study advisor, indicating that the exception and proposed alternative meet all requirements for graduation
   • submits the form to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs for review and final approval

3. The Associate Dean has the following options:

   1. Sign and approve the exception request.
   2. Deny the request.
4. The student will be notified of the outcome, and the exception request will be filed in the student's record.

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Name: Andrea Murray-Lichtman, Associate Dean for MSW Education

Email: ajmurray@email.unc.edu