Master’s in Social Work Degree Programs in Massachusetts
Earning a degree from one of the highly respected master’s in social work degree programs in Massachusetts will help a future social worker enter the world of public health with confidence and the ability to help those who need help the most. Massachusetts offers several excellent program options at a variety of schools that range from small, private colleges to huge state schools. Earning a graduate degree in social work is the best option for social workers who wish to become officially licensed social workers in Massachusetts.
Boston College
School of Social Work
Established in 1863, Boston College is a private college in Chestnut Hill which is affiliated with the Jesuits, a group in the Roman Catholic Church. There are around 14,250 students attending classes at the college, which has an endowment of $2.5 billion. The school’s suburban campus covers just over 332 acres, and the school has more than 1,300 academic staff. The school’s official colors are maroon and gold, and the sports teams are nicknamed the Eagles. Students who participate on the college’s sports teams do so in NCAA Division I games in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The school’s hockey team is one of its notable successes.
MSW Program
The Master of Social Work program at this Massachusetts school is designed to provide a rigorous education that will help social workers become highly effective and empowering professionals. Students will specialize in clinical or macro practice and choose one of five concentrations. Those concentrations include Children, Youth & Families, Global Practice, Health & Mental Health, Older Adults & Families, and Individualized. Students may also choose to complete a certificate program in one of eight areas, including Child Welfare, Management, Policy & Community Organizing, School Social Work, Veterans & Military Families, Trauma, Refugees & Immigrants, Neuroscience & Social Work, and Latino Leadership.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Boston College School of Social Work
McGuinn Hall
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
1-617-552-4020
admissions@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/schools/gssw/academics/msw.html
Boston University
School of Social Work
Boston University was established in 1839 as Newbury Biblical Institute, but the school would change over time from a bible college to a nonsectarian, private university. The school was affiliated in the past with the United Methodist Church. The university currently has more than 3,900 faculty members and a large student body of almost 33,000 students. As such, the university is one of the city’s largest employers. The university encompasses seventeen schools within which students may earn bachelor’s through doctorate degrees. The main campus is located in the neighborhood of Fenway-Kenmore, and the medical school is in the South End.
Master of Social Work
This MSW degree program in Boston, Massachusetts is described as “hands-on” and offers students a low faculty to student ratio of 10:1. The school boasts that its faculty has more than 100 years of experience in social work education. The program offers full-time, part-time, and an online program, so students can enroll in a format that suits their needs. The on-campus program is held at the Charles River Campus, as well as satellite campuses around Massachusetts. Students may major in Clinical Practice or Macro Practice, as well as one of several specializations. Those specializations include Children, Youth, and Families, Aging, Leadership in Groups, Organizations, and Communities, Trauma, and Violence, and Behavioral Health, Health Care, and Public Health Practice.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Boston University
233 Bay State Rd.
Boston, MA 02215
1-617-353-2000
admissions@bu.edu
https://www.bu.edu/ssw/academics/msw/
Bridgewater State University
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Bridgewater State University is a public college located in a town of the same name. It’s part of the state university system in Massachusetts and is the largest school in the system. In addition to the main campus in Bridgewater, the school also has two satellite campuses in Attleboro and on Cape Cod. The school was established in 1840 and has just over 11,000 students taking classes. The suburban campus hosts resident students, as well as those who commute in for classes. The school’s official colors are white, black, and crimson, and students on the school’s sports teams play as the Bears in NCAA D-III games.
Social Work, MSW
The MSW program at Bridgewater State helps students enjoy a wide range of potential careers in Massachusetts, as well as in the Greater Boston Area. The faculty is described as diverse with experience in many settings within social work. The program features strong clinical training taken alongside an interdisciplinary knowledge base. Classes are offered at a variety of times in the late afternoon, evenings, and Saturdays. Students may enroll as part-time or full-time students and will enjoy learning in a small class environment. The university boasts that this master’s in social work degree program in Massachusetts offers its students affordable tuition rates whether the student is from Massachusetts or from out-of-state.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Graduate Admissions
Bridgewater State University
Maxwell Library, Room 019
10 Shaw Road
Bridgewater, MA 02325
1-508-531-1300
gradadmissions@bridgew.edu
Salem State University
School of Social Work
Salem State University was established in 1854 and was originally meant to offer education to future teachers and was originally a college for women. It would become coeducational in the late 1800s. The school has around 7,600 undergraduate and 1,600 post-graduate students enrolled in its Salem, Massachusetts location. The suburban campus covers 115 acres, and there are five distinct campuses within that acreage. The school’s official colors are blue and orange. In addition to degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the school also offers continuing education courses for professionals. There is also a maritime campus located next to Salem Harbor.
Master of Social Work
Students applying to this MSW degree program in Massachusetts must submit a $50 application fee, official transcript, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and a resume to be considered for the program. There are a variety of different program options available to students ranging from a Saturday program, an Advanced Standing program where students must have previously earned a BSW, and a traditional MSW full-time program. Students may also enroll in the MSW Part-Time Program or the MSW plus School Adjustment Counselor License program. Application deadlines vary from October for the Saturday program to February for the MSW plus School Adjustment Counselor License program.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Salem State University
352 Lafayette Street
Salem, MA 01970
1-978-542-6000
admissions@salemstate.edu
Simmons College
School of Social Work
Simmons College was established in 1899 and offers undergraduate education to women and graduate education as a coeducational facility for men and women. The school was created through a donation from John Simmons, who was a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston. Located in Boston, the school has a population of around 2,000 women attending undergraduate classes and more than 2,800 students attending classes at the postgraduate level. The school’s sports teams are nicknamed the Sharks, and the school is affiliated with the Colleges of the Fenway consortium. The school was an early admitter of African-American students, as well as a college available without quotas for Jewish students.
Social Work (MSW)
The MSW program at Simmons College is available in a variety of formats, from a full-time option, a 16-month accelerated option, a part-time option, an online option, and an advanced-standing option. Some of the classes students will take include Social Work Practice, Advanced Clinical Practice, Field Education, and Dynamics of Racism & Oppression. There are four clinical specializations available to students which include Child and Family, Specialization in Mental Health and Addictions, Trauma and Interpersonal Violence, and Specialization in Health and Aging. Alumni have gone on to a variety of rewarding careers with titles like Ombudsman for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and Director, LGBT Services, MIT Office of Student Life.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Simmons College
300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
1-617-521-2000
https://www.simmons.edu/academics/graduate-programs/social-work-msw
Smith College
School for Social Work
Smith College is a private college in Northampton that is the largest college in the “Seven Sisters” group of universities. The school is considered one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country, and it’s also part of the Five Colleges Consortium, which allows students to take classes at any of the member colleges in the group. There are around 2,900 students attending classes at the college’s rural campus. The school’s official colors are blue and gold, and the school’s sports teams participate in NCAA Division III games. The school is named after its founder, Sophia Smith, who helped the school open its doors in 1875.
M.S.W. Program
The Master of Social Work program at Smith College offers its students a balanced curriculum of clinical theory and practice that covers essential sociocultural and social service concepts designed to turn graduates into learned clinicians. The curriculum includes classes like Theories of Individual Development, Introduction to Social Welfare Policy, and Agency and Community Practice. Students in this master’s of social work degree program in Mass usually meet about twice a week for each class, but some classes meet three times a week. The degree is designed in blocks where students complete five unique sessions on campus and through internships. The school describes its faculty as experts in the field from a diverse number of backgrounds.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Smith College
School for Social Work
Lilly Hall
23 West Street
Northampton, MA 01063
1-413-585-7950
admissions@smith.edu
https://www.smith.edu/ssw/academics/msw-program
Springfield College
School of Social Work
Springfield College is a private school located in a town of the same name. Founded in 1885, the school is known by locals as the “birthplace of basketball,” which was invented in the 1890s by a graduate student. At its founding, the school was known as the Young Men’s Christian Association and became a degree-granting institution in 1905. The school has around 3,600 undergraduates and 1,400 postgraduates attending classes at its Springfield campus. The school’s official colors are maroon and white, and students who participate in sports do so in NCAA Division III games. The school’s endowment is approximately $64.4 million.
Masters of Social Work (MSW)
Students may choose from a variety of formats in this MSW program in Springfield, Mass that include a weekday option, a weekend program, an Advanced Standing option, a dual degree program that pairs the MSW with a JD, or a dual degree program that pairs an MSW with a bachelor’s degree. Applicants have some options for becoming licensed social workers after graduation and should check with the school to confirm requirements are met. Depending on the program option in which a student enrolls, courses taken in the series include Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Social Policy, Social Work Practice, and Human Behavior in the Social Environment.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Springfield College
45 Island Pond Road
Springfield, MA 01109
1-413-748-3065
Admissions@springfield.edu
Westfield State University
Social Work Department
Once known as Westfield Normal School in the 1800s, Westfield State University is now a comprehensive, coeducational public school in Massachusetts. The school was originally founded by Horace Mann who was a social reformer of his day. The school was the first school in the United States to provide education to students no matter their race, gender, or economic standing. Approximately 4,900 students attend undergraduate classes at the school, but the total enrollment is around 5,500 students. The residential campus is located in Westfield, and the school’s official colors are gold, white, and blue. Students who participate in sports do so as the Owls, and the school’s mascot is named Nestor.
Master of Social Work (MSW)
The MSW program at Westfield State is designed to provide students a concentration in clinical practice with the option to specialize in one of four areas based on what electives the student chooses to take. Those practice areas include Substance Abuse Treatment, Practice in Health Care Settings, Practice with Children, and Gerontology, School Social Work. The program is designed to ensure students have the necessary education to sit for the official test to become an LCSW in Massachusetts. The program begins with a general curriculum that eventually changes into advanced study of clinical knowledge, skills, and values. The courses are designed as hybrid models where students experience both in-person and online learning.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Westfield State University
577 Western Ave.
Westfield, MA 01086
1-413-572-8020
wsucgce@westfield.edu
http://www.westfield.ma.edu/academics/degrees/msw-programs-in-massachusetts
Wheelock College
School of Education, Child Lie, and Family Studies
Wheelock College was originally designed as an early childhood education facility and was opened in 1888 by a woman named Lucy Wheelock. Today, the college operates as a private, liberal arts college in Boston. There are approximately 800 undergraduates and 350 postgraduates attending college, which will soon become part of Boston University and become Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Humanitarian Development. The college is a member of the Colleges of the Fenway consortium, as well as a member of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Sports teams participate in NCAA Division III games as the Wildcats, and the school’s official colors are yellow and blue.
Social Work Graduate Programs MSW
The Master of Social Work program at Wheelock College requires that students complete 60 credits over the course of study. Students will take classes in five core areas that include social research, social work practice, social environment, and social policy, as well as time spent in field practicum experiences. When students complete this master’s in social work degree program in Massachusetts, they will be eligible to sit for the licensing exam to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Students who require a part-time schedule may choose to participate in the three-year and four-year programs that are designed for off-campus students who will take classes in the evenings and late afternoons.
Accreditation
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Contact
Wheelock College
200 Riverway
Boston, MA 02215
1-617-879-2000
graduate@wheelock.edu
Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Social Work Degree Programs
Social workers are some of the most dedicated individuals in health care, and the rigorous nature of their educational programs is evidence of the dedication one must have to pursue a career in the field. Many of the schools are located in and around Boston, and it may benefit a student to visit these campuses in person to decide which master’s in social work degree programs in Massachusetts are most appealing and may offer the student the best educational experience possible.
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