Social Work, M.S.W.

(64 credits)

NY State Program Code: 29270
HEGIS Code: 2104.00
CIP Code: 44.0701

Highly ranked M.S.W. programs at convenient locations.

The Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program offers the preparation you need for advanced professional social work practice. Our foundation curriculum provides the knowledge, skills, values and ethics essential to all forms and levels of generalist social work practice. In your advanced year, you will complete a concentration in advanced, contemporary direct practice, —and prepare to be a social work practitioner using sophisticated clinical skills in work with individuals, small groups, families and couples. In addition to the concentration, students entering the advanced year of study may opt to specialize in one of four areas: Health Across the Life Course; Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Trauma in Context; Children & Families or Human Services Management and Organizational Leadership. Descriptions of these specializations follow the M.S.W. curriculum section.

Organization and Structure of the Curriculum

All students in the foundation year of the Adelphi University M.S.W. degree program are required to take the same ten courses. Eight of the ten are academic courses, and two are supervised field internships where you apply theories learned in class to direct practice with clients. The ten required foundation classes are distributed as follows:

• two courses in social welfare policy
• two courses in human behavior theory
• two courses in foundations of social work practice
• one course in diversity, oppression and cultural influences in social work practice
• one course in methods of empirical research
• a foundation year supervised field internship

In the advanced year of the Master of Social Work program, all students must complete ten courses, two of which are supervised field internships. The eight remaining second-year classroom courses are distributed as follows:

• two courses in advanced social work practice
• one course in assessment and diagnosis from a social work perspective
• one course in advanced social work research
• one course in the organizational context for professional practice
• an integrative elective 
• a clinical elective
• one additional elective
• an advanced year supervised field internship

Courses of Study

Our practice methods sequence will prepare you for direct work with individuals, couples, families, groups and communities. The courses cover:

• theoretical models
• empirical bases
• values and ethics
• professional skills

There’s also a field education component to all Adelphi social work programs. The field practicum is where you put your practice methods to use—integrating your knowledge as you assess needs, set goals and intervene with clients to achieve those goals.

Our human behavior and social environment courses provide foundational knowledge about the determinants of human behavior, including:

• biological determinants
• psychological determinants
• social determinants

Our social work research courses instill a scientific approach to practice and provide the tools required to:

• systematically evaluate a social work practice and its services
• build a professional knowledge base
• critically evaluate professional literature, as well as the literature of other disciplines
• assess the effectiveness of one’s own practice

Finally, social welfare policy and organization courses teach you about the social policies, programs and organizations that provide services and shape a professional practice. You’ll learn to direct social programs through:

• development
• design
• implementation
• evaluation

The Master of Social Work program provides the preparation necessary for advanced professional social work practice. The degree is 64 credits. The foundation curriculum provides the knowledge, skills, values, and ethics essential to all forms and levels of generalist social work practice. In the advanced year of the program all students complete a concentration in contemporary, direct practice and are prepared to be advanced social work practitioners using sophisticated clinical skills in work with individuals, small groups, families, and couples. Students may select an optional specialization in the advanced year of study.  Currently, specializations will not appear on the final transcript.  Specializations include:

• Health Across the Life Course
• Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Trauma in Context
• Children & Families
• Human Services Management and Organizational Leadership

Organization and Structure of the Curriculum

All students in the foundation year of the Adelphi University M.S.W. program are required to take the same ten courses. Eight of the 10 are academic courses and two are supervised field internships in which students apply theories learned in class to direct practice with clients. The ten required foundation classes are distributed as follows: two consider social welfare policy; two examine theories of human behavior; two present theories of social work practice; one teaches about diversity, oppression, and cultural influences in social work practice; one teaches the methods of empirical research; and two provide supervised Field Instruction.

In the advanced year of their M.S.W. program, all students at Adelphi University must complete ten courses, two of which are supervised field internships. The eight remaining second-year classroom courses are distributed as follows: two courses in advanced social work practice; one course in assessment and diagnosis from a social work perspective; one course in advanced social work research; one course in the organizational context for professional practice; an integrative elective course; and two electives.

The social work practice methods sequence teaches the theoretical models, empirical bases, values and ethics, and skills that are required for direct work with individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities. These courses are reinforced by the field practicum as students put to use and integrate their newly gained knowledge about how to assess needs, set goals, and intervene with clients to achieve those goals. The human behavior and social environment courses provide foundation knowledge about the biological, psychological, and social determinants of human behavior that are essential to assessing the needs clients have, understanding their situation, and selecting intervention strategies. The social work practice methods and human behavior and the social environment courses are interrelated: a method of practice could not be taught without understanding the complex underpinnings of human behavior. The social work research courses instill a scientific approach to practice and provide the tools required to systematically evaluate social work practice and services, build the professional knowledge base, critically evaluate the professional literature as well as that of other disciplines, and assess the effectiveness of one’s own practice.

The social welfare policy and organization courses impart knowledge about the social policies, programs, and organizations that provide services and shape professional practice. They teach the theory, empirical data, values, and skills necessary to the development, design, implementation, and evaluation of social programs.

There is also a Field Instruction component to all Adelphi Social Work programs. Please read the Bulletin section on Field Instruction or go to socialwork.adelphi.edu/field for more information.

M.S.W. Program Options

The plan of study for the Full-Time Two-Year M.S.W. Program listed is the standard program for students who maintain full-time status over two years. While many students take courses on a part-time basis, the sequencing of courses and requirements is universal. All students must complete requirements within four years of matriculation and fulfill residency requirements by enrolling in ten or more credits in two successive semesters.