Doctor of Social Work (DSW) Online

• Credit hours: 39
  
• Program length: 3 years (7 semesters), part-time
  
• Program start: Fall semester only

*Electives: Students must complete one 3-credit elective throughout the DSW program. The elective will be selected in consultation with the DSW Program Director. The elective should have a direct relevance to the student’s substantive area and/or enable the student to expand pedagogical skills. In any case, students should have a clear rationale for electives they select.

Suggested elective:

In general, electives should be taken at the graduate level and from within the UBSSW DSW or Master of Social Work (MSW) program. In order to take a MSW course for DSW elective credit:

1. The course must be taught by a faculty member holding a doctorate.
2. The instructor must agree to adjust assignments and expectations to qualify as doctoral-level work.
3. Course content may not duplicate a previous course (including from the student’s MSW program).
4. The student must submit a DSW Elective Permission form, including clear justification, for review and approval by their advisor and the DSW Program Director prior to enrolling in the course.

The Capstone Project is a four-semester process incorporating implementation science principles and strategies to promote the adoption and integration of evidence-based interventions in direct practice settings and advance the trauma-informed human rights perspective. Under guidance from DSW program faculty, students independently identify and pursue a problem, intervention, and implementation research question(s) of their choice. They then implement the intervention at their agency with a target population. The target population can include clients, practitioners, administrators, volunteers, and/or other individuals associated with or served by the student’s agency.

During the first two semesters of the four semester Capstone Project, students will develop an Implementation Research Project Proposal. The proposal must include a literature review; theory, model and/or conceptual framework; implementation science strategies; methodology; analytic strategy; and timeline for completion of work. Students will also need to complete requisite university Institutional Review Board (IRB) steps as well as obtain any agency required IRB (if applicable). 

Provided faculty approval is granted, students will move forward with the implementation, evaluation, and dissemination phase of their Capstone Project during their last two semesters. With faculty support, students implement their proposed project, collect and analyze data, and critically evaluate their results. Students must develop and submit a Capstone Project Final Paper which is a written description of their project. The assignment is designed to provide students with a product that will provide the basis for a manuscript for publication or other means of dissemination.   

• The DSW will require a mandatory orientation session in August before the start of the program. 
• The DSW program can be completed without physically coming to campus. Online courses can have both synchronous and asynchronous components to them. Synchronous sessions will require students to log on at a specific day and time for live video sessions, while asynchronous means students have the flexibility to complete required work within a prescribed time frame and deadline. Faculty members will advise students on the number of synchronous sessions required in any course. 

Select DSW courses are approved for NYSED social work contact hours to renew your license registration. If you have a license in another state, check with your state regulatory board to determine if NY hours will be accepted in your state. Each of the 3-credit online DSW courses listed on the form is approved for 45 NYSED live online social work contact hours.

Use the form below to request a contact hours certificate upon completion of DSW coursework.

Approved tuition rates for fall 2024 are as follows:

DSW students will be required to purchase a stand-alone virtual reality headset that will be used throughout the DSW program. The estimated cost is $300-$400. Details on the specific headset to be purchased will be provided upon acceptance into the program.

DSW students can apply for financial aid via the FAFSA.