JD students may apply to the JD/MSW dual degree program offered by the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health and the William S. Richardson School of Law. Graduates of the program will have the tools necessary to address the various intersections of the law and social work. Students will be knowledgeable and competent to practice with diverse populations at the individual, family, group, organization, and community levels.
Admissions
Current full-time JD students typically apply to the MSW Program during their first or second year of law school. If accepted, they start their MSW classes in the fall of their second year. Current part-time JD students may apply after they complete their required courses (typically, after their second year of law school). To apply to the JD/MSW program, current JD students must complete the MSW application, pay the application fee, and submit the required documents and forms. Current students should submit the School of Social Work's JD/MSW Dual Degree Form to the SW admissions office to request pertinent law school application material (e.g., transcripts) be sent to the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health.
Entering full-time and part-time JD students may apply for admission to the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health. Admission will be based upon MSW admissions criteria, and enrollment in the JD/MSW dual degree is contingent upon the successful completion of the first-year curriculum at the Law School (30 credits with a law school good standing GPA of 2.00 or higher). Students who do not successfully complete the first-year law school curriculum will not be eligible for the JD/MSW program. If accepted, full-time students would start their MSW classes in the fall of their second year. If accepted, part-time students would start their MSW classes after their second year of law school. To apply to the JD/MSW program, entering JD students must complete the Law School's JD/MSW Interest Form, the MSW application, pay the application fee, and submit the required documents and forms.
Senior BSW students and current MSW students may apply for separate admission to the Law School. See Law School admissions instructions. For more information, please contact the MSW Admissions/Student Services Office at (808) 956-3833 or sswadmit@hawaii.edu.
Tuition
There is no additional cost to full-time law students who take MSW courses during the semesters when they are enrolled in 12 or more law credits. However, after they complete their JD degree, they must pay for any additional MSW credits to complete the MSW coursework.
MSW Curriculum
Full-time JD/MSW dual degree students may earn both degrees within four years. See the Recommended Study Path. JD/MSW students will take a combination of law elective courses and core social work courses. After graduating from the Law School, students also may elect to take their remaining MSW courses on a full-time basis.
Students in the JD/MSW program are encouraged to keep in close contact with their academic advisors at both schools to ensure that they carefully plan out their courses each semester. For social work course descriptions, visit the MSW Course Descriptions.
The MSW program consists of 57 credits designed to help students achieve the aims of the profession of social work.
- Students must earn 48 MSW credits of core courses designed to give them experience in the various functional areas of a social worker to be able to practice with diverse populations.
- Nine MSW credits of electives are also included in the program, allowing students to customize their MSW program to help them meet their personal and professional career goals. Nine JD elective credits may be counted toward the MSW degree and vice versa.
- MSW students are required to complete four (4) semesters of field education (practicum) totaling a minimum of 900 -hours to complete their degree. Students who would like to overlap their Pro Bono hours with their MSW field education must obtain prior approval from both departments.
- MSW degree must be obtained within four years after matriculation into the program.
Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health
The University of Hawai‘i established its first social work program in 1936. In 2008, the UH Board of Regents unanimously approved the naming of the school after Myron "Pinky" Thompson, who received his MSW from UH Manoa in 1953 and was a long-time community activist on behalf of the children and families of Hawai‘i. The Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work MSW program continues to be fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
