Master of Social Work (MSW)
2017 MSW alumni Kathryn Leonard and Promise Bruce with Assistant Professor Elizabeth Bowen at the Black Business Boom community event they organized.
At UB, you’ll be immersed in a highly ranked MSW program that will prepare you to create transformational change in clients and delivery systems.
Our curriculum statement articulates our commitment to the promotion of social justice, the protection of human rights, and the necessity of addressing structural oppression and inequities in power and resources.
Why UB for your MSW? [3:50]
We offer two MSW programs: Traditional and Advanced Standing.
Both programs incorporate trauma-informed and human rights perspectives and allow you to personalize your advanced-year coursework to focus on the populations and issues you are passionate about.
If your goals include obtaining your clinical social work license (LCSW), you can easily earn the 12 required clinical course credits to work towards that goal through our program.
Traditional MSW On-Campus
- For students with a bachelor's degree in any undergraduate major
- 60 credits
- 900 total field placement hours (420 hour foundation placement + 480 hour advanced placement)
- Offered full-time (2 years) or part-time (3 years)
Your field placement hours are built right into the program requirements and are specialized field training opportunities that allow you to explore the practice areas that interest you.
- Completed over the course of two semesters each
- Minimum of 15 hours per week
- Completed during weekday daytime working hours
- Students who are working in a social service agency may want to consider an Employment-Based Field Placement
- Hundreds of agency partners in Western New York, including but not limited to: schools, hospitals, healthcare and clinical agencies, community agencies, local government, research, and more!
During the MSW program, you may also choose to apply for one of our enhanced curricular opportunities:
- Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education
- Micro-Credential in Excellence in Aging or Serious Illness Care
- Veteran and Military Family Focus via the Joining Forces-UB program
- Child Welfare Leaders Initiative
- Behavioral Health Workforce and Education Training Fellowship (BHWET)
- Opioid Workforce Expansion Program (OWEP)
You can also choose to complete coursework requirements to become a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) or get involved in our international opportunities.
