Online MSW Program (Part Time)
UB MSW alums Whitney Marris (Online MSW '20), Kristen Hibit (MSW '20), Hector Chaidez Ruacho (MSW '20), and CRISP President Dr. Charles E. Lewis, Jr., pictured at the CRISP Political Boot Camp and Media Training in Washington, D.C
Our online social work master's degree (MSW) program does not require any time on campus and is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
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.
Program Overview [6:22]
We offer two Online MSW programs: Traditional and Advanced Standing.
- Both programs incorporate trauma-informed and human rights perspectives.
- You can 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.
- Accepted applicants living 50 or more miles from campus will be given priority for seats in the online program. Due to the limited number of seats available, we encourage students who are a commutable distance from campus to apply to the on-campus program options instead.
Traditional MSW Online
- 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)
- Only offered part-time (3 years)
- Courses may have a mix of synchronous (virtual live sessions) and asynchronous (independent) components.
- The number of required synchronous sessions for any given course varies.
- Synchronous session dates will be posted by the beginning of the semester so you can plan ahead.
- Synchronous sessions for foundation courses typically occur during weeknight evenings, Eastern Standard Time.
- Synchronous sessions for advanced year courses vary based on the topics you select.
- Students are required to have routine access to a computer with high-speed Internet and audio/visual capabilities, among other technology requirements.
Online MSW students MUST take all of their coursework fully online in order to be eligible for the lower online tuition/fee rate. If Online MSW students register for a seated or hybrid course, they will be charged the full on-campus rate for ALL courses that semester.
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.
As an online student, you’ll complete these field hours in person at an agency/ organization near where you live, and you'll take an active role in identifying and planning your field placements.
- Placements completed over the course of two semesters each
- Minimum of 15 hours per week
- Completed during weekday daytime working hours
- Students who are working at a social service agency may want to consider an Employment-Based Field Placement
- Due to the time and consistency required for field placements, students should not plan to relocate throughout the duration of study.
