Students Accepted for Online

Congratulations on your acceptance to the Online MSW program for the Fall 2023 semester!  To secure your admission, please read through and complete each of the steps below.   

If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to your Admissions Counselor:

A-K   Natalie Flowers    nflowers@ssw.umaryland.edu  
L-Z  Shannon DeGross    sdegross@ssw.umaryland.edu
Step ONE: Deposit and UMID Creation

DEPOSIT: confirm your intent to enroll by paying the $300 non-refundable Confirmation Deposit by June 30th, 2023. 

  • PAY ONLINE HERE - you may pay by credit card or electronic check
    • If you prefer, you may submit a check or money order payable to UMB/SSW and mail to:
      • UMB School of Social Work, Office of Admissions, 525 W. Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
  • All payments can take up to 3 business days to process
  • This non-refundable deposit will be credited to your account on your first tuition bill

UMID CREATION: Set up your UMID Account which is required for the completion of the remaining steps

Here are some critical things to know about the timing and creation of your UMID

  • Your umaryland.edu email account will be the primary source of all SSW and UMB communication.
  • It can take a few days after you have paid your confirmation deposit for your email account to be created.
  • Once created, you will receive an email to your personal email address with the subject "Welcome to Office 365 - University of Maryland, Baltimore - Action Needed"
  • Note this likely will end up in your spam or junk email folder.
  • The email will inform you of your new email address and a specific step you will need to complete to validate and activate your email.
  • You will need to log into https://directory.umaryland.edu with your UMID and password to validate and make your email account active.
  • Once these steps have been completed, you will be able to log in to send and receive emails using your UMaryland account at https://portal.office.com) 

WHILE YOUR UMID IS BEING CREATED YOU CAN COMPLETE STEPS 2 AND 3.

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE STEP 4 UNTIL YOUR UMID IS CREATED

Step TWO: Residency, Tuition, and Financial Aid

RESIDENCY: All incoming students are deemed as "OUT-OF-STATE" residents for tuition purposes. Please review the Residency FAQs for details.

  • In-State Classification information can be submitted between January 6, 2023 - August 19, 2023. 
  • To qualify for "in-state" status, students must submit an Application for In-State Classification 
  • This form should be submitted no later than August 19, 2023, to the UMB Office of the Registrar:
    • Email: residency@umaryland.edu
    • Fax: 410-706-4053
    • Mail to:  University of Maryland Baltimore, Office of the Registrar
      • 601 W. Lombard Street, Ste. 240, Baltimore, MD 21201

TUITION: Online MSW Tuition information is available here.

FINANCIAL AID: SSW Financial Aid information is available here

  • Financial Assistance for Prospective Students is a helpful resource, and additional information is available from Student Financial Assistance
    • UMB recommends that all students complete the FAFSA
    • To be eligible for financial aid, work-study and/or scholarships you must submit the FAFSA
    • Students admitted for Fall should apply immediately
    • The priority deadline for the 2023-2024 application is March 1, 2023
    • Our school code is 002104
Step THREE: Immunization Requirements and Health Insurance Information

IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS: All admitted students, including in the online program, must submit immunization documentation to Student Health. Please refer to the provided link here for detailed requirements. Await further instructions from the Student Health Center regarding instructions to submit your immunization documentation.  

STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN (SHIP):

  • Full information on Student Health Insurance Plan is available here
  • Since you are taking fewer than 9 credits, you will not be automatically billed for SHIP, but are eligible to enroll on a voluntary basis
Step FOUR: Prerequisite Course

Before the first day of classes, all newly admitted OMSW students are required to complete SOWK 690.OM1 which contains three prerequisites.

You can access SOWK 690 (OM1) via Blackboard starting on Thursday, July 6th at noon. 

Watch this video to learn how to Log In to Blackboard for the very first time

Please note that it will take up to 35 hours to complete all THREE prerequisite modules.

  1. Blackboard Orientation (2 hours)
  2. Academic Integrity and Anti-Plagiarism (2 hours)
  3. A Brief History of Oppression and Resistance (15-30 hours*)

A Brief History of Oppression and Resistance provides important context and foundational knowledge for social work students who will be learning and practicing in Maryland.  Completing this course is an assignment for SOWK 610 (Structural Oppression and Its Implications for Social Work) and will help prepare you for your coursework here at the School of Social Work. It should be completed prior to beginning your semester

  • Journal assignments that are integrated into the prerequisite will need to be submitted in your SOWK 610 (Structural Oppression and Its Implications for Social Work) class by Tuesday, August 29th at 6pm (Week 2). 
  • Additional details for submission are provided in your SOWK 610 course.  

*Recognizing that students have different styles of learning and engaging, most students report that it takes somewhere between 15 and 30 hours to complete A Brief History of Oppression and Resistance. Additionally, this course explores a great deal of material and may elicit a variety of strong emotions. Be sure to give yourself enough time and space to engage with the course and also to check in with yourself and prioritize self-care as you need it.

Step FIVE: Fall Courses, Important Dates and UMB One Card

Online MSW Program students will be automatically registered for the following Fall 2023 coursework and SOWK 690 pre-requisite at the end of June:

  • SOWK 600: Social Welfare and Social Policy (Asynchronous)
  • SOWK 610: Structural Oppression and Its Implications for Social Work Practice (Synchronous, Tuesday Evenings)

Fall courses will be available in Blackboard usually a week before classes begin:

IMPORTANT DATES

FALL 2023
August 15 Online Orientation for New Students
August 18

Last Day to Cancel Registration with 100% refund

August 21 SSW Classes Begin
October 20 Last Day to Drop a Class
December 8      SSW Classes End

UMB ONE CARD

After you have been registered for classes, you can submit your photo in order to recieve an Online Student ID (UMB One Card), as you will need the barcode/one card number to access some online services.  

Step SIX: Orientation

Orientation will be held virtually on Tuesday, August 15th, 2023 from 6-8pm and is mandatory for all in-coming online MSW students.  Prior to Orientation, please ensure that you have completed all of the steps as listed above. 

 

Educational Support and Disability Services, and Veterans Affairs

ACCOMMODATIONS: students with a disability may request accommodations for coursework & field education through the Office of Educational Support and Disability Services(ESDS). ESDS works with students with all types of disabilities including physical, learning, sensory, psychological, ADHD, and chronic and acute medical conditions. 

  • To ensure timely and appropriate accommodation, please submit your request as early as possible
  • Information on how to request accommodation is located here
  • Email disabilityservices@umaryland.edu or call (410) 706-5889

VETERANS AFFAIRS: the SSW Office of Records and Registration can assist eligible students with enrollment certification and navigating eligibility for benefits.

Defer Start Term or Decline Admission

DEFER START TERM: if you wish to defer your enrollment please email Associate Dean for Admissions and Enrollment no later than August 11, 2023, and include all of the following:

  • deferral reason
  • deferral status (full-time or part-time)
  • deferral term
  • NOTE: The deferral deadline is August 11, 2023. Please keep a copy of all forms you submit.

DECLINE OFFER OF ADMISSION: if you wish to decline our offer of admission, please complete and submit this survey.  

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