Social Work

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Full-Time Study

The full-time program includes two years of full-time study on the Charles River Campus in Boston. The usual program in the foundation year includes 27 semester credits in coursework and 6 semester credits in field education. The advanced-year program includes 24 semester credits in coursework and 8 semester credits in the field. To view sample full-time program plans, please visit www.bu.edu/ssw/academic/msw/curriculum/educational/index.shtml.

Part-Time Study

Charles River Campus—Boston

The School offers an on-campus, extended part-time program to incoming students each year. Part-time students fulfill the degree requirements in either three years (plus summers) or four years (without summers). Students take two to three courses per semester.

The first year of study consists of academic coursework only. (Most foundation courses offer a class section scheduled in the 4 to 6 p.m. and/or 6 to 8 p.m. time blocks.) In subsequent years, two field placements are required in conjunction with the academic course curriculum. During Fall and Spring Semesters, students must have time available during the regular workweek for both field placement and coursework. Students must be available (during regular weekday hours) for 16 hours a week for their first field placement and 24 hours a week for their second placement. (For their second placement, students may choose the option in some field settings of a 16-hour/week placement for a full year.)

If there is sufficient interest (this fluctuates from year to year), part-time students who have had previous social work experience and for whom the plan is considered educationally sound may meet the requirements of the first field experience in a summer block placement after their first year.

To view sample part-time program plans, please visit www.bu.edu/ssw/academic/msw/curriculum/educational/index.shtml.

Off-Campus Programs

Boston University School of Social Work’s off-campus programs (OCP) offer a graduate clinical social work education in a nontraditional structure. Part-time, weekend off-campus program sites are located in Chelmsford, Fall River, and on Cape Cod. The off-campus sites are geographically situated to provide accessible, more affordable graduate education to individuals within their communities. Students complete their Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in three years at the off-campus sites.

The School of Social Work has nearly 30 years of off-campus teaching experience using the cohort model of graduate education. These programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and provide the same quality education as the programs offered at our main campus. Consistent with the School’s urban mission, the programs’ goals are: to further social and economic justice in the urban environment, to offer opportunities rooted in each community, to provide internships in students’ geographic areas, and to deliver support tailored to adult learners.

Off-Campus Program Structure

Classes are held on Friday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Courses are taken sequentially, each lasting for four to five weekends. The first year of study consists of academic work. Students have a foundation field placement (16 hours/week) during the second year in the program, and an advanced field placement (24 hours/week) during the third year in the program. Although classes are held on weekends, the field internships occur during the week. Field internships are available throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont. Students can fulfill all the requirements for the MSW degree by taking courses at the off-campus sites and doing the field internship within their communities.

Off-Campus Program Sites

Students from southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island can pursue a Master of Social Work degree in Clinical Social Work Practice at the Fall River campus. This program was established in 1982 and is housed in the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Professional and Continuing Education Center in Fall River. Both the standard program plan and the Advanced Standing program plan are available at this site.

The program at the Chelmsford campus (previously located in Tyngsboro) is ideal for individuals who live and work in northeastern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Established in 1985, this program is located near routes 3, 495, and the Lowell connector, and is minutes from Lowell, Massachusetts, and Nashua, New Hampshire. Both the standard program plan and the Advanced Standing program plan are available at this campus.

The School’s Cape Cod off-campus site was established in 2002 to serve under-resourced communities on the Cape and the Islands. Courses are offered at Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable.

Additional information regarding off-campus programs is available online at www.bu.edu/ssw/ocp. Sample program plans (standard and Advanced Standing) for off-campus programs are available at www.bu.edu/ssw/academic/msw/curriculum/educational/index.shtml.

Please note: Admission and degree requirements for the off-campus programs are the same as those for the Charles River Campus in Boston. Applications for the Fall River and the Chelmsford campuses are accepted each year. Applications for the Cape Cod Campus are accepted every other year, on even years.

Advanced Standing

The School offers an Advanced Standing program for graduates of an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. A minimum undergraduate academic average of 3.0 (B) is required for admission. The Bachelor of Social Work degree must have been received within six years of entry into the program.

Students accepted for Advanced Standing are given credit for 24 credit hours. The additional 41 credits required for graduation must be taken at the School of Social Work or as part of a School of Social Work approved course of study. No additional transfer credits will be accepted toward the MSW degree.

The Advanced Standing program consists of 11 courses, 
plus advanced fieldwork (24 hours a week, which is usually scheduled for three days per week). However, students who pass a written examination exempting them from the first required research course take 10 courses to complete the program. Full-time students spend two semesters and part of the following summer fulfilling the degree requirements. Part-time Advanced Standing students can complete the program in four semesters plus the summer between the academic years. Summer school tuition is not included in the academic year tuition (September to May). It is separate and additional.

For selected prospective students with extensive background and experience, a special request to pursue Advanced Standing and dual degree programs (with Education, Public Health, or Theology) will be considered. Special requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and require approval of the director of the dual degree program for which the student is applying and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Applicants interested in learning more about the Advanced Standing and dual degree programs should contact the director of the appropriate dual degree program to discuss their application at www.bu.edu/ssw/academic/msw/dual. Persons interested in the Advanced Standing program should contact the Admissions Office for detailed information on the application procedure at www.bu.edu/ssw/admissions.

To obtain more information about the Advanced Standing program and sample program plans, go to www.bu.edu/ssw/academic/msw/advanced/.

MSW Degree Requirements

Boston University confers the degree of Master of Social Work (MSW) on candidates recommended by the faculty of the School of Social Work and approved by the President and Trustees of the University. The faculty’s recommendation is based on the candidate’s development of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for social work practice and on the student’s commitment to the values and the ethical base of the social work profession.

A degree candidate must complete 65 semester credits as indicated below. For students not continuously enrolled, all degree requirements must be completed within six years of
 initial enrollment.

Classroom Coursework

Students must complete 51 semester credits in classroom coursework, including the following required courses:

  • Social Welfare Policy I and II (6 cr)
  • Human Behavior in the Social Environment I (3 cr)
  • Research I and II (6 cr)
  • Implications of Racism for Social Work Practice (3 cr)
  • Social Work Practice Ethics (3 cr)
  • Methods (concurrent with fieldwork) (15 cr)
  • Required electives (9 cr)
  • Guided electives (6 cr)

Field Education

Students must complete 14 semester credits in field education (480 hours in the first placement and 720 hours in the second placement).

To view sample program plans, please visit www.bu.edu/ssw/academic/msw/curriculum/educational/index.shtml.