Dear applicants and incoming students,

We hope that this email finds you well during this challenging time. We thank you for your continued interest in Boston University School of Social Work’s Worcester Hybrid Program.

We understand that many prospective and accepted students may have concerns about classes, field placements, and tuition for this fall. Boston University continues to carefully monitor the impact of COVID-19 and is responding accordingly.

After a detailed and thorough review of a range of teaching models, BU will adopt an approach called Learn from Anywhere, or LfA for the Fall 2020 & Spring 2021 semesters — a blend of simultaneous remote and in-person learning. In the broadest sense, it is a model in which the live face-to-face components of a course could also be accessible remotely. This new practice will enable students to participate in the classroom or remotely, as necessary. The goal of offering teaching and learning in both modes, simultaneously, is to give our students the flexibility they need to attend Boston University in the fall and potentially beyond.

However, based on several important factors, including that BUSSW cannot predict or control when the off-campus host sites will open to allow for in-person teaching in a way that meets public safety standards, and whether they have the technology to provide the LfA model, we have concluded that the safest and least disruptive option for our off-campus and hybrid programs is to offer our courses remotely, not in-person, through the Spring 2021 semester.

At this time, we will offer the remote-only aspect of the LfA model at off-campus sites and, when it is safe to do so, we will offer students the option to participate in-person or remotely as described in the full LfA model

For more information and updates on how Boston University School of Social Work is responding to COVID-19 please click here. For the most comprehensive coverage campus-wide from Boston University and frequently asked questions, please visit the BU COVID-19 site.

If you have not yet been accepted into one of our Off-Campus sites and have questions related to COVID-19, please email our admissions team at busswad@bu.edu.

If you have already been accepted and plan to begin at one of our Off-Campus sites this fall, you will receive regular communications this summer from our Off-Campus Program (OCP) that will contain helpful information. The OCP team is here to support you. Please contact them with any questions, concerns, or just to check-in and talk. Feel free to email sswocp@bu.edu and they will email you back and/or arrange to call you. 

Sending safe and healthy wishes!

Admissions & Financial Aid, Boston University School of Social Work

• Obtain Login Name and Kerberos Password
• Email Account
• The Student Link
• BUSSW OCP Incoming Student Attestation – Program Requirement Document
• Academic Honesty Tutorial/PowerPoint
• APA 7th Edition
• Worcester Hybrid Information Central
  • Register for Classes
  • Verify Your Account
  • Course Materials
• Netiquette
• BU Terrier Card

———–  PRE-ENTRANCE ACTIVITIES ———–

Tuesday, August TBA, 2021, 6:00-8:00 PM – Worcester Hybrid Program Virtual Pre-Orientation

———–  FALL 2021 SEMESTER ———–

September 7, 2021 – Classes begin for Worcester Hybrid Program

October, 2021 – Registration begins for Spring 2022 Semester

BUSSW School Wide Events: http://www.bu.edu/ssw/news/calendar/

Orientation

Tuesday, August TBA, 2021 from 6:00-8:00pm

Boston University School of Social Work Worcester Hybrid Program students may be eligible for funding in the form of a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Direct Loan, private credit-based loans, tuition reimbursement through employers, and/or veterans benefits.

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Fact Sheet
• SSW Student Expense Budget
• Private Scholarship Resources
• Credit-Based Loan Information
• Financial Aid Checklist
• Financial Aid Award Appeal Process
• Information About Your Financial Aid Award
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
• SSW Scholarship Opportunities
• Scholarship Interest Questionnaire

Tuition Payment Plan

Students and their families may choose to budget all or part of their academic charges in monthly installments with the Tuition Payment Plan.

Veterans Services 

Please click here for information on veterans services.

• Worcester Hybrid Program Information Central
• Medical Insurance and Health Requirements
• Address Change
• Disability and Access Services
• Important Dates
• Request for Transfer Credit Form
• Terrier Card ID

The BUSSW Off-Campus & Hybrid programs offer student services and advisement which includes the following:

• Group and Individual Advising
• Academic Support and Program Planning
• The Professional Development Seminar

GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL ADVISING

Students are assigned to an advisor when they enter the program and they keep the same advisor throughout their enrollment in the program.  Advisors meet with students individual and as a group, as appropriate.  Often, advisors offer group advising meetings to provide students with the opportunity for peer supports and to build relationships with student colleagues, while managing the transition to graduate social work education and learning about the social work profession.

Off-Campus and Hybrid Program Advisors are hired as adjunct advisors on a part-time basis and serve as the primary BUSSW representatives to students and field placement agencies and provide oversight and consultation to the students and field instructors. Advisors mentor students, monitor student performance, and consult to agencies. Students are assigned to an advisor when they enter the program, and students keep the same advisor throughout their enrollment in the program.

• Off-Campus & Hybrid Program Advisors
• Advising Role (LINK)

ACADEMIC ADVISING AND PROGRAM PLANNING

The Off-Campus and Hybrid Program Directors provide academic advising and program planning to students beginning at Orientation and continuing throughout the student’s enrollment in the program.  Students can explore their academic interests and personalize their educational program plan to meet their goals.  The OCP and Hybrid Program Team can also help identify resources for assistance with academic, personal, financial aid, and career planning needs.

Contact: Off-Campus & Hybrid Program Team

THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR

The Professional Development Seminar is comprised of three parts, each part focusing on the students’ developmental phase while enrolled in the MSW program.  The Seminar covers: professional development; an overview of the social work profession including its values and ethics; an orientation to, and integration of curriculum and field education; career preparation and an overview of social work professional licensing.

Students must register for IS100 Professional Development Seminar every semester in order to access the seminar online content.  Although the Seminar is not credit based, it is a required component of the program.  Participation, attendance and completion of the Seminar tasks is required in order to receive a passing grade.

The Seminar consists of 12 sessions and includes a self-paced component combined with live classroom meetings held virtually or in-person. Additionally, a number of First Thursday Virtual Events are offered throughout the year.  Students access the seminar through the Online Campus portal at online.bu.edu.

Seminar Syllabus for Traditional and Human Service Experience Students:

• Part I – For TT & HSE Students Enrolled in their First Year of the Program
• Part II – For TT & HSE Students Enrolled in their Second Year of the Program
• Part III – For TT & HSE Students Enrolled in their Third Year of the Program

 

Seminar Syllabus for Advanced Standing Students Seminar Syllabus for Advanced Standing Students

• Part I   – For AS Students Enrolled in their First Year of the Program
• Part II – For AS Students Enrolled in their Second Year of the Program

Part-time Students (Off-Campus and Worcester Hybrid Programs)
Worcester Hybrid Program students do not enroll in a Field Internship in their first year.  Advanced Standing students enroll in a Field Internship in their second semester in the program.  Additional information regarding field education: https://www.bu.edu/ssw/academics/field/.

University-issued official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate, if applicable, institutions should be mailed to the Admissions and Financial Aid Office or sent electronically to busswad@bu.edu by June 15.  If you are currently completing the final semester of undergraduate study, an official copy of your transcript indicating that you received a bachelor’s degree must be mailed to the Admissions and Financial Aid Office by June 15.

Our mailing address is:

Boston University School of Social Work
Admissions and Financial Aid Office
264 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215

Boston University State Authorization and Distance Education Disclosures site provides a variety of information regarding distance education programs, including:

SARA and Boston University Approval:

• Complaint Resolution process
• The University’s Refund Policy
• Information about distance education programs that lead to professional licensure and certification
• Information about International Distance Education