Charles River Campus Information Central

2023-2024 Academic Honesty Tutorial PowerPoint

View or download: Master of Social Work Academic Policies & Procedures

PUMP – PUMP is a student initiative to build community through mentorship at BUSSW. For more information, please email Katie or Maria at pump.bussw@gmail.com

BUSSW E&I Student Group – Connect with other students who are passionate about creating a more equitable and inclusive BUSSW. Contact Julia DeAngelo (juliade@bu.edu) and Megan Nizza (mnizza@bu.edu) for more information

Affinity Groups – Connect with other students with similar backgrounds as you! Here are the various affinity groups and their contact information:

• Asian/Asian American (asianbussw@gmail.com)
• Non-Binary/Gender Neutral/Gender Fluid (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Mental Health Challenges (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Latinx/Chicanx/Hispanic (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Single Parents/Caretakers (singlecargiversssw@gmail.com)
• Community Organization/Engagement (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Lower Income (lowerincomeaffinity.bussw@gmail.com)
• Parents/Caregivers (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• First Generation Student (firstgenaffinityssw@gmail.com)
• Differently Abled (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Northeast Students (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Southwest Students (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Central Mountain Region Students (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Students in Recovery (busswrecovery@gmail.com)
• International Students (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Veterans (busswveterans@gmail.com)
• Spiritual Students (busswspirituality@gmail.com)
• Jewish Students (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Midwest Students (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Returning to School (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Chronic Health Concerns (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Outdoor Enthusiasts (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• Neurodiverse Students (liamfarr@bu.edu)
• LGBTQA+ (busswlgbtq@gmail.com)

• BUSSW Charles River Campus 2023-2024 Academic Calendar
• BUSSW Event Calendar
• Boston University Calendars

Visit our Career Resources page.

For a social work job database, please visit out Job Database & Tool page.

Boston University School of Social Work Commencement

For information on Commencement please visit the BUSSW Commencement page.

Diploma & Transcript FAQ

You can find the diploma mailing and pick-up schedule here.

Each course has a Blackboard Learn site where instructors post syllabi and other pertinent information. Prior to the beginning of each semester, students are sent a course material memo with information on purchasing texts, and accessing the supplemental course readings. Please review this information as soon as it is provided.  Textbooks should be ordered and purchased prior to the beginning of the semester. There are also resource libraries at the Bedford, Fall River, and Cape Cod campuses that have at least one copy of each course textbook that students can borrow. Supplemental course readings are available via the Mugar Library Course Reserves, and sometimes the course Blackboard site. Students are expected to complete reading assignments one week ahead of each class.

• Blackboard Learn
• Mugar Library Course Reserves
• Accessing Supplemental Course Readings

Barnes & Noble University Bookstore

Rent Texts at Barnes & Noble Boston University

Please note that the School of Social Work does not endorse any of the following sites:

Program plans for the Charles River Campus and information about specializations are available here.

Students with disabilities can find specialized services at the BU Disability & Access Services.

To learn more about your field education experience as students, field instructors, or advisors, please visit the Field Education webpage.

To learn more information about financial aid, please visit the Financial Aid webpage.

First Thursday Events offer students across all programs the opportunity to meet with classmates, BUSSW faculty, administrators, advisors, and alumni to make connections and attend presentations by content experts. These events are held on the first Thursday of each month in the evening via Zoom Web Conferencing.

First Thursday Events

Check out recordings of past First Thursdays under “Events” in the Student Resources and Communications Hub.

We encourage you to take care of your physical health. Below are links to help you understand your student health insurance, know the myriad of fitness resources at BU, and know what health services are available to you on campus.

• BU Medical Insurance
• Fitness Center
• Student Health Services

Health Requirements

Boston University is very concerned about the health and wellness of our entire student community. To this end, the University requires that every incoming student (freshman, transfer, or graduate) have a physical examination by a licensed practitioner and be immunized against the following common communicable diseases: measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), tetanus, hepatitis-B, and (bacterial) meningitis.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all full-time undergraduate and graduate students, all full-time and part-time health sciences students, and any full-time or part-time international students submit proof of immunization.

The BU Student Health Services website outlines pre-matriculation requirements and provides instructions for completing and submitting the necessary forms and entering your immunization information on the Immunization Portal (for which you will need a Kerberos username and password issued by the University). When completing the forms, please be sure to include immunization dates as well as the signature of your health care provider. It is recommended that you make a copy of the forms before submitting them to:

Boston University Student Health Services
Attn: Medical Records
881 Commonwealth Avenue, West
Boston, MA 02215

You may also fax the information to 617-353-7224 or 617-353-3557.

For additional health-related information, please go to the BU Student Health Services website.

Counseling

Referral information for counseling resources is available. Students are always welcome to meet with Sonia Mee, Sr. Assistant Dean of Programs and Digital Learning, to discuss their emotional/psychological needs, concerns, and questions, or to learn more about available resources. You can contact Sonia at smee@bu.edu.

University Mental Health Resources

Student Health Services—Behavioral Medicine
Help in addressing emergent psychological issues, short-term psychological issues (generally 3 sessions); provides assessment and referral and helps students connect with support groups across the University

BU Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Center
Professional, rapid, confidential, and free-of-charge advocacy and assistance to BU students who have experienced a traumatic incident. Our particular focus is sexual trauma and rape. We also assist survivors of physical assault, interpersonal violence, and other crimes.

Family Resources
Help for families dealing with the challenges of work life and family life

Danielsen Institute
Help from a mental health clinic with special concerns for the religious dimensions of personality

BU Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Programming for college students living with mental health challenges to develop the health, supports, resilience, and academic skills needed to thrive and achieve their academic, personal, and wellness goals.

Off-Campus Mental Health Resources

Social Work Therapy Referral Service

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) offers Reduced-Fee Therapy for Social Work Students.

Free, confidential referrals to licensed clinical social workers (LICSWs) committed to the personal and professional growth of social work students.
Individual, Couple, Family, and Group Therapy
Boston: 617-720-2828
Statewide: 800-242-9794
www.therapymatcher.org
info@therapymatcher.org

There are 12 libraries at the University. Mugar Memorial Library is the primary library at BU for study, teaching, and research in the humanities and social sciences. Most of the materials related to social work are in this library.

The University has an extensive collection of books and journals online and in the library. If you require special help doing research, please use the Ask a Librarian tool.

The Boston University Libraries website provides access to the library resources available at Boston University, including print and electronic books, online journals, videos, etc.

When doing a literature review and research for an assignment, check the Boston University Libraries website as well as databases and e-journals.  Social work databases and other resources can be found on the Social Work Research Guide. All of our research guides can be found at http://library.bu.edu/guides.

• Online Library Resources
• Find Course Reserves
• Social Work Research guide
• Find Articles using Databases
• E- Journal Locator
• RefWorks allows students to import references from library databases and other sources, organize them, and use them to create papers with citations and bibliographies in standard citation styles, including APA.
• Ask a Librarian
• Interlibrary Loan
• Mugar Library Hours of Operation

BUSSW Licensing PowerPoint

Master of Social Work Licensing Disclosure Boston University offers a number of programs that lead to a professional license or certification. Provided here is state-specific licensure information regarding Boston University School of Social Work’s Master of Social Work program.

Association of Social Work Boards – ASWB provides support and services to the social work regulatory community to advance safe, competent, and ethical practices to strengthen public protection. ASWB’s vision is that all social workers are licensed to protect clients and client systems. For more information, visit their page.

Licensing preparation:

We offer a wide variety of licensure prep resources for students approaching graduation. Additional resources are available to BIPOC, Latinx, and non-native English-speaking students.

View upcoming license prep workshops, study groups and more on our License Prep Resources webpage!

LOAN FORGIVENESS

The Association of American Medical Colleges provides information on loan forgiveness programs in most states. For example, in some places it may be possible for social workers working full time in an underserved area at a community health center to be eligible for a repayment per year of service.

Information about loan forgiveness programs not specific to social workers, but still possibly applicable, are available online. These programs include Americorps, Peace Corps, and National Health Service Corps, as well as other paths to forgiveness.

• MA Loan Repayment Program for Health Professionals
• Federally Designated Underserved Areas
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• MA Loan Repayment Program for Health Professionals
• Federally Designated Underserved Areas
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• NHSC Loan Repayment program (https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/447)
• The federal government income-based repayment plans (https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven)
• NHSC State Loan Repayment Program (https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/state-loan-repayment-program/application-requirements.html

Registration & Student Accounting

Please contact the CRC Student Services Office with questions at sswoss@bu.edu.

Visit our Issues Resolution Page for guidance.

BUSSW host a number of student events to build community within the school. Here are some examples from the pervious semester:

• Writing Workshops
• Arts  & Craft Social
• Ice Cream Social
• Trivia Night
• Dinner with the Dean
• Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series
• Voting Information Session

Boston University also has a variety of events happening around campus. For more information, visit the BU Events Calendar page

Learn more about what it’s like to be a graduate student at Boston University at BU Graduate School Resources.

Click here to find more information about health services, housing, and becoming involved in Student Organizations.

Veterans

Students who are veterans can find specialized services at Veterans Services.

International Students

The International Students and Scholars Office provides F-1 and J-1 students with helpful legal information, travel, transportation, housing, health insurance, and childcare services. Support for BUSSW international students is provided by Sonia Mee, Sr. Assistant Dean of Programs and Digital Learning (smee@bu.edu).

 

Discovering Your Passions

In this interview: First-year clinical student, Marcus Shaw, retells his educational journey and how he discovered his own passions during a time of great personal struggle. In detailing his process of self-discovery during this period, Marcus goes into how self-kindness and wellness played a critical role in the discovery of his passions and career pursuits. In addition to being a Clinical MSW student here at BU School of Social Work, Marcus also supports the student community here at BU through his role as an undergraduate academic advisor for the BU Department of Sociology & African American Diaspora Studies Program. Read Here

Creating an Impact on Queer & Non-Binary Youth

In this interview: Vincent Turnbull, a BU research technician and current part-time MSW student, reflects on their journey from neuroscience education and research to a career switch into social work. Vincent speaks about how their experience with therapy greatly impacted their life and sparked his motivation to pursue a career in social work. Vincent also details their hopes to provide queer and non-binary youth with resources, support, and affirmation in their future career. Read Here

Understanding the lived experiences of others  

In this interview: Osin Ghimire details her interest in the life stories of her clients, her interest  in in-home therapy work with families, and her own lived experiences as a first-generation student from an immigrant family household. She further explains her desire to explore social structures and welfare systems of other countries, ending stigma around therapy, and the importance for advocating for one’s clients. Read Here

Community, Found Family, and Dominoes

In this interview: David Andrade explains his passion for community building and engagement through his lived experience growing up in Latin American communities in Jamaica Plains, his experience as a Graduate Res-Life Assistant, and his long-standing Domino Club at BU.

Andrade also illustrates how his passion for elevating communities feeds into his dream of empowering other voices within the Social Work field and founding a non-profit community center. Read here

How a Career in Nutrition Lead to a Passion in Social Justice

In this interview: Abigail Hammond speaks about how the cumulative experiences of her upbringing in upstate New York, her initial career in nutrition, and work in Binghamton, New York influenced her to pivot towards the field of social work. In her interview, Abigail also gives
thoughtful advice to younger graduate students about letting go of the pressure of ‘needing to know’ your future’s path, and instead embracing the options ahead with an open mind and flexibility. Read here

Please visit the student support page here.

For BU resources for BUSSW students, view the PDF here.

Computing Resources

BU offers support to enable students to use their computers to their full capacity.

• TechWeb
  A resource for all computing resources at the University
• IT Help Center
  A free resource dedicated to helping Boston University’s students, faculty, and academic staff use their computers effectively with consulting services and tutorials
• IT Help Center—Purchasing
  An online store for computers, software, peripherals, and accessories

Email Resources

BU offers support to enable students to use their email to its full capacity.

• Email
  A free service provided to the entire Boston University community
• Email Forwarding
  Forward your email to another email service (e.g., Hotmail, Gmail). Be sure that you DO NOT KEEP A COPY OF INCOMING EMAIL ON ACS.
• Webmail
  Log in to check your email via the web

Information Services

• Student Link
  Access your records at Boston University
• Blackboard
  Faculty build, conduct, and manage courses on the web for students

Students access Blackboard to get course syllabi (with the lists of required books to purchase). Teachers post links to web-based content here and leave messages about assignments for students to read.

• Access your courses on Blackboard.
• For information on printing and saving from CourseInfo and Mugar Course Reserves, see the tips page.

For information about living in Boston, Transportation, Health & Wellness, and Enrichment & Travel Opportunities, please visit the Boston Experience page

BUSSW offers a variety of resources for students including a free Online Tutoring service and tutors.

• BUSSW Writing & Resarching Resources & Tutors
• The Educational Resource Center
• Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)
  • APA PowerPoint Slide Presentation
• Basics of APA Style Tutorial
• APA 7th Edition

For more information, please visit the Research Waiver Exam page.