Preparing leaders to help improve lives, redress injustices, improve systems, and prevent social problems and suffering.
The MSW curriculum is designed to encourage innovative responses to human and social needs. Small classes and field seminars, award-winning faculty, and a diverse range of field practices place students at the very heart of social work’s premise: promoting the personal and social development of people in their communities.
MSW students gain important experience in a field practicum, the cornerstone of a social work education. The internship is with an agency-based field instructor, and field practice opportunities exist in more than 200 agencies throughout Connecticut. Graduates are qualified for professional social work positions in public and private agencies at the local, state, and national levels. THE MSW PROGRAM (MSW) is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). MSW graduates qualify for professional social work positions and for taking the Connecticut LMSW licensure examination.
Program Highlights
- 60-credit program
- 1,100 hours of supervised field practice in two different internships that extend through the fall and spring semesters of two academic years
- Highly-regarded faculty who are experts in their fields, and agency-based field instructors who provide individualized guidance and supervision.
- With more than 200 field practice settings throughout the state, the MSW program arranges internships for students based on their professional interests and goals.
MSW Features
MSW - Clinical Practice
Promote the health, development, recovery, and community integration of persons who are living with emotional distress, mental illness, substance use, and/or the absence or loss of positive relationships with their environments.
MSW - Community Practice
Promote the personal and social development of people in their communities based on the values of social justice, human rights, and full access to social participation.
Program Formats
2-year program (60 credits): Includes 5 classes a semester, a 500 hour first year internship (roughly 18 hours/week), and a 600 hour second year (roughly 21 hours/week)
3-year program (60 credits): The first year is just taking classes. The second year is classes and a 500 hour internship, and the third year consists of classes and a 600 hour internship
Qualified BSW graduates earn the MSW in one calendar year.
MSW applicants who have graduated from a CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program within the past six years are eligible to apply for admission with Advanced Standing. Advanced Standing students have demonstrated competencies in generalist social work (21 credits) through exemplary performance in their BSW courses and field practice. In addition, they have shown professional maturity through voluntary or employed experience in human services.
Advanced Standing students complete 39 credits, including a clinical field placement of 700 hours (about 24 hours per week) in their specialized field of practice. The MSW Advanced Standing program may be completed in one calendar year of full-time study (summer, fall, and spring semesters) or in two academic years of full-time study (two fall semesters and two spring semesters). Employed students are encouraged to select the two-year plan.
Applicants to the MSW Advanced Standing program complete the regular MSW application process, and in addition, they submit a third educational or professional reference letter and their final BSW field evaluation (for BSW graduates) or mid-term field evaluation (for current BSW students).
The dual degree program in the Master of Social Work and Master of Arts in Women’s Studies (MSW/MA) allows students to prepare for clinical social work practice while exploring and applying research and theory in women’s and gender studies. Academic coursework, field practice experiences, and mentoring relationships afford interdisciplinary opportunities for integrating methods of scholarly inquiry, critical problem solving, and leadership development.
The Disaster Mental Health Graduate Certificate is a 12-credit, online program that may be taken concurrently with or independently from another graduate degree. Core required courses include Trauma and Disaster Mental Health, Introduction to Post –Traumatic Growth and Disaster Mental Health: Children and Families, with a direct elective course, Grief and Loss: A Multidimensional Understanding, or another approved graduate elective.
Admissions Criteria
- Regionally accredited bachelor’s degree
- Grade point average of 3.0 or higher (Grade point average of 2.5 to 3.0 will be considered for conditional admission)
- Human services experience is a plus
- Commitment to the values and goals of the social work profession
Contact Us
School of Graduate and Professional Studies
501 Crescent St. New Haven, CT 06515
Buley Library, BU 444-448
GradAdmissions@SouthernCT.edu
(203) 392-9670
Department of Social Work
Email: SocialWork@SouthernCT.edu
Phone: (203) 392-6551