Master of Social Work: Registration Letter

M.S.W. Program: Course Registration March 8, 2013

Dear M.S.W. Student:

This letter is in reference to your Summer 2013 and Fall 2013 registration. Please read this letter and the attached FYI thoroughly. Registration errors are typically made when these recommendations are not followed.

Registration for graduate social work students begins the week of March 18th for both summer and fall semesters. The time you can begin registering is indicated below. All registration is done through your my.Fordham.edu account. Please do the following in anticipation of registering:

Check your registration status. Under the Student Tab in your my.Fordham.edu account you will see a link for Registration Status. Clicking on that will tell you if you are on any holds - Bursar, Immunization, or Admissions. Resolve any holds before your registration date.

Print out the schedules that apply to you. You will find the summer and fall schedules for foundation and advanced at Lincoln Center and Westchester on our Class Schedules page. This is important because you can easily see the days and times of the course offerings and be clear that you have the correct campus. Most registration mistakes are made when students go directly to the web to register without looking at these schedules. Also, dates for summer session courses differ and the dates are on these schedules.

Run DegreeWorks - a link on your Student Tab that gives you the ability to do a degree audit. This works well if your concentration is entered correctly. If it is not, Lincoln Center and Molloy students should contact Mr. Johnny Torres at jtorres@fordham.edu and Westchester students should contact Mr. Henry Davis at hdavis8@fordham.edu. An incorrect or blank concentration will not stop you from registering. Other things about DegreeWorks - if you have completed a year of field instruction the IP for the fall semester will drop to the bottom. Your graduation date was automatically generated upon admission. It will be adjusted in your final semester when you apply to graduate. Plans of Study can be found on this website under Current Students. This will assist with registration.

To avoid system overload, registration is staggered based on your earned credits. You can register 24 hours/day but you cannot begin until 7:00am on the date that applies to you.

Monday, March 18th - MSW students who have earned 12 credits & above

Tuesday, March 19th - MSW students who have earned 0-11 credits

Wednesday, March 20th - Non-matriculated students

It is possible to add and drop courses for summer session through May 17th and for fall semester through August 30th.

Summer Session and Financial Aid: The Graduate School of Social Service limits students to only one summer school course. If you take only 3 credits in a semester you are not eligible for a loan. You are, however, loan eligible if you are taking a 3 credit course and continuing in your 14 hour/week internship (therefore being half-time). If this presents a problem for you, please call Dean Susan Egan at (212) 636-6605.

2013-14 Tuition: The tuition for the next academic year is $861/credit. Summer tuition is still $861/credit. You will receive a bill - early May for Summer Session and mid July for fall.

Tuition Assistance/Remission: If you will be in field placement in the upcoming academic year and have not yet applied for tuition assistance, do so as soon as you register. The information and forms are available on the 7th floor at Lincoln Center and Room 106A in Westchester. You will be notified during the summer of the amount of your award.

Research Waivers: Foundation students who entered the program part-time will be taking Social Work Research I and II this coming year. If you think you are eligible for a course waiver, review the process in the GSS Handbook.

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN REGISTERING

Summer Session: Please note the dates of the summer courses on the summer schedule. Most classes meet for eight weeks in 3 1/2 hour time blocks. However, there are variations - some intensive courses are offered. Again, print out the schedule so that you can see the dates the courses meet.

Field Instruction: If you will be starting a field placement in the fall, you must register for it, indicating the course number for the numbers of hours a week you will be doing field work and which campus you will be attending Integrative Seminar. This must coincide with what you put on your planning forms. You will find the field instruction CRN (Course Record Number) on the top of each schedule.

Advanced Clinical Assessment & Diagnosis I and II: SWGS 6420 and SWGS 6431, are requirements for Clinical majors. Part I is a requirement for Leadership Community-based Practice and Leadership majors (Leadership Track B). Human Service Leadership (Leadership Track A) and Research majors may take part I and have it count as an elective. You may take part II also but only if you took part I. It is important to note that if you choose to work as a clinical social worker after you graduate, this is one of the course requirements to apply to be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York State.

Employed Experienced Social Work Practitioners (EESSP): Those of you who are ready to enroll in SWGS 6907 Field Practicum Laboratory in the upcoming academic year, please wait to register for it. It is taken in the year prior to your field placement and in concurrence with Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families and Groups I and II. I will mail you a letter in early June with the registration information and dates it will meet during the year. This is a required three credit course that meets fifteen times over the academic year. You will be charged for 3 credits in the fall and 0 in the spring. The lab will be offered on Wednesday evenings (6:00 – 7:50) at Lincoln Center and Westchester. Please still register for your other courses during the regular registration week.

Fordham/Molloy Students: Students who take courses at Molloy College in Rockville Centre on Long Island cannot register for those courses on my.fordham.edu. You will receive a separate mailing about the courses offered at Molloy on Monday (foundation) and Wednesday (advanced clinical) evenings. If you are also taking courses at Lincoln Center, register for those during registration week. If you are not currently in the Fordham/Molloy program but have questions about taking courses there, please contact me.

Fall 2013 Start Dates: Classes that meet on Mondays begin before Labor Day - 8/26 (with no class on Labor Day 9/2). Tuesday 9/3, Wednesday 9/4, Thursday 9/5, and Saturday 9/7 are the first days of class.

If you need to speak with someone about registration, Lincoln Center and Molloy students can contact me at (212) 636-6605 or egan@fordham.edu or Ms. Polly Kaplan at (212) 636-7352 or pokaplan@fordham.edu. Westchester students can contact Dean Janna Heyman at (914) 367-3030 or heyman@fordham.edu or Dr. Linda White-Ryan at (914) 367-3017 or whiteryan@fordham.edu. Fordham is open during the week of spring break.

Professor assignments can change all summer long. This website will be updated as changes are made and TBAs are filled in. Please be sure to read all of the material thoroughly and call us only after you have reread everything!

Sincerely,

Susan Bair Egan, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Assistant Dean
egan@fordham.edu
(212) 636-6605

FYI

AUGUST GRADUATES - If your course and/or field work will be completed this summer, you will be an August 9, 2013 graduate. If you have not yet filed for graduation, please email Polly Kaplan at pokaplan@fordham.edu. August graduates are encouraged to attend the May ceremony but will receive the actual diploma when it is mailed to you in September. April 7^th is the deadline for ordering your cap and gown if you are participating in the May 20^th ceremony at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

LICENSING EXAM REVIEWS - For 2013 graduates, reviews for the Masters Level Licensing Exam (LMSW in New York and LSW in New Jersey) have been scheduled. At Lincoln Center there will be two offerings of test taking strategies - Wednesday, May 29th from 6:00pm - 9:00pm and Saturday, June 1st from 1:00pm - 4:00pm in Pope Auditorium. There will also be three identical "Targeted Learning Reviews" that will include practice, assessment and ethics on April 2nd from 3:00pm - 5:30pm, May 1st from 10:00am - 12:30pm, and June 6th from 2:00pm - 4:30pm. Sign up sheets are on the door of Ms. Tello's office - 717E. At Westchester there will also be two offerings of test taking strategies - Thursday, April 4th from 3:00pm - 6:00pm and Tuesday, June 11th from 3:00pm - 6:00pm. "Targeted Learning Reviews" will be on April 11th from 3:00pm - 5:30pm, May 14th from 10:00am - 12:30pm, and June 20th from 2:00pm to 4:30pm. A sign up sheet will be with Henry Davis. Applications forms to apply for the LMSW are available from the New York State website - www.op.nysed.gov/prof/sw/lmsw.htm. The NJ website for the LSW form is www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/social/swlic.htm. If you are interested in licensing in other states go to the Association of Social Work Board's website at www.aswb.org.

FIELD INSTRUCTION - All students who will be doing field placements in the 2013 - 2014 academic year should by now have received Field Work Planning forms. The forms for those of you going into your first/foundation placement are due in the Field Instruction Office by March 31st. Those of you going into your advanced placement (this includes Employed Experienced Social Service Practitioners and Advanced Standing students who began part-time this year) should by now have scheduled appointments with a coordinator. Work-study students do not need to schedule a coordinator appointment but need to have your work study forms (lilac) in by June 30^th. If you do not have these forms yet, please go to the Field Instruction Department at Lincoln Center or Westchester immediately.

NON-MATRICULATED STUDENTS - If you are currently non-matriculated and are in the process of applying for matriculation, please do not register for the fall semester now. You will be informed of the fall registration process in your decision letter.

MASTER'S IN PUBLIC HEALTH COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS - We are continuing to work with the Master's in Public Health program with Mt. Sinai's School of Public Health in Manhattan. This gives an opportunity for some advanced year students to take electives toward their MSW. You can look at the course offerings on that school's website. If you are interested in this MSW/MPH collaborations, contact Dean Elaine Congress at congress@fordham.edu.

GRADES - You will be able to view your spring grades on my.Fordham.edu the day after your professors post them. If you are in field instruction and successfully complete it, the grade is S for Satisfactory. The grade for field will not be posted until your final evaluation is received. Please note that all nine credits of field (or the 15 credits for EESSP students) are credited when the final grade is posted. On DegreeWorks the midyear grade if IP drops to the bottom and stays there.

NASW - If you are not already a member of your professional organization, the National Association of Social Workers, now is the time. Join on-lineat www.socialworkers.org. Joining while you are still a student ensures the transitional fee for two years after you graduate. It's the best deal in town!

KEEP CURRENT - The Current MSW Student section of this site has information that is helpful to all students. In addition, Dean Egan at Lincoln Center has a Blackboard site for announcements, conferences, and events of interest to students. To enroll for the 2013-2014 academic year please e-mail Mr. Johnny Torres at jtorres@fordham.edu. Even if you are enrolled now you need to enroll again for the new academic year. Dean Heyman at Westchester has a blog. Check out www.gssnewsandviews.blogspot.com on a regular basis. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.