Certificate programs are available in family therapy and gerontology. The period of study may be extended beyond two years for students who deem this necessary. Classes are held during the week, on weekends, and occasionally in the evenings to accommodate students who are employed. The School offers a one-year Advanced Standing Program for the master's degree, which is available to students entering with an undergraduate degree in social work from a college accredited by the Council on Social Work Education after 1973. Advanced standing students begin in the summer quarter and then begin the concentration-year focus in the fall quarter.
Course work for full-time students is usually completed during the first year of study.
Course work is followed first by the comprehensive examination necessary for advancement to final candidacy and then by dissertation research conducted under the guidance of members of the faculty. The Information Technology Center provides computer facilities for students. Students can access the University's mainframe VAX computer from the center or from other computing access and support labs throughout the University. A limited number of federal grants and tuition scholarships are available to incoming students. In addition, University scholarship funds, administered by the Graduate School of Social Work, are awarded to students who qualify for them.