Dual MSSW-MBA Program, Social Work - Business Administration

Offered through a collaboration between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business and the College of Social Work, the dual degree program of a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) and Master of Business Administration Online (OMBA) prepares students for careers in nonprofit management, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and corporate diversity and inclusion. This full-time or part time weekday program expands career opportunities, allowing students to incorporate business skills such as accounting, marketing, management, and strategic planning into various social work settings in the nonprofit and government sectors. Or students can put their social work skill sets to work in the corporate world.

Concentrations and Options Available

For Business Administration Major (concentration required)

Online MBA concentration (Coursework Only Without Comprehensive Exam Option)

For Social Work Major (concentration required)

Clinical Practice – Coursework Only With Capstone Option
Organizational Leadership – Coursework Only With Capstone Option

Campus Code

Distance Education

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for MSW and OMBA programs include:

Bachelor’s degree in social work (can apply for Advanced Standing), business administration or a related field.
Professional experience: The OMBA/MSW program prefers that candidates have at least one year or more of professional experience in either social work or business administration.
Written statement: A written essay gives the applicant the opportunity to express their unique interest in pursuing this dual degree.
Transcripts from previous degree programs: OMBA/MSSW program that requires candidates to have a bachelor’s degree typically also request their official transcript from that university. Transcripts from previous graduate coursework are also required.

Admission Standards/Procedures

Applicants for the OMBA/MSSW program must make separate application to, and be competitively and independently accepted by, each of the following:
- the Haslam College of Business for the OMBA degree, and
- the Office of Graduate Admissions and the College of Social Work for the MSSW degree.
Students who have been accepted by both colleges may apply for approval to pursue the dual program any time prior to or after matriculation in either or both colleges.
- Such approval will be granted, provided that dual program studies are started prior to entry into the last twelve credit hours of OMBA course work and prior to the third semester of the MSSW program.
Students interested in entering the dual degree program should submit an application to the Dual MSSW/OMBA program to the UT Office of Graduate Admissions (https:// gradschool.utk.edu)

Academic Standards

The Haslam College of Business will award up to nine credit hours for MSSW courses that have been approved by the program and in which the student has earned a 3.0 or B grade or higher.
The College of Social Work will award up to nine credit hours for OMBA courses that have been approved by the Program and in which the student has earned a 2.30 or C+ grade or higher.
A dual program candidate must satisfy the graduation requirements of each college.
Students withdrawing from the dual program before completion of both degrees will not receive credit toward graduation from either college for courses in the other college, except as such courses qualify for credit without regard to the dual program.

Credit Hours Required

96 credit hours
- 45 credit hours for the MBA
- 60 credit hours for the MSSW, including nine credit hours from the Haslam College of Business, for 51 credit hours

Required Courses

Business: See the requirements for the Master of Business Administration, Online MBA Concentration
Social Work: See the requirements for the Master of Science in Social Work.

Undergraduates

Graduate Students