Department of Social Work Programs

The BSW program at Southern will provide you with a rigorous yet supportive learning environment with small classes, collaborative research opportunities, and expert social work faculty who are committed to your success.

Beyond the classroom, you will gain 400 hours of social work experience in a supervised practicum during your senior year.  With hundreds of practicum sites throughout Connecticut -- including public and private agencies, community-based programs, schools, hospitals, and more  -- the practicum education office will help you find a practicum that meets your educational and professional goals.

With your BSW degree, you will qualify for entry-level professional social work positions and for admission to the MSW Advanced Standing program, where you’ll be able complete your MSW degree in just one additional calendar year. 

The MSW in Clinical Practice  will prepare you to promote the health, development, recovery, and community integration of persons who are living with emotional distress, mental illness, substance use, and/or the absence or loss of positive relationships with their environments. Guided by principles of culturally responsive, anti-racist, anti-oppressive social work practice, you will build specialized knowledge and skills in trauma-informed, community-based, empirically supported clinical practice with individuals, families, groups, and their communities.

Complete the MSW program (60 credits) in two or three years of full-time study, including 950 hours of supervised practicums. Employed students are strongly encouraged to choose the three-year program plan.

Your MSW degree will qualify you for State of Connecticut LMSW Licensure and for professional social work positions in public and private agencies throughout the United States.

The MSW Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

The MSW in Community Practice: Community Organization, Policy, and Leadership will prepare you  to promote the personal and social development of people in their communities based on the values of social justice, human rights, and full access to social participation. Guided by principles of culturally responsive, anti-racist, anti-oppressive social work practice, you will build specialized knowledge and skills in community-engaged research, policy analysis and advocacy, community organizing and development, and human services administration.

Complete the 60-credit program in two or three years of full-time study, including 950 hours of supervised practicums. Employed students are encouraged to choose the three-year plan.

Your MSW degree will qualify you for State of Connecticut LMSW Licensure and for professional social work positions in public and private agencies throughout the United States.

The MSW Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

The Doctor of Social Work (DSW) is a professional doctorate that prepares master’s-level social workers for leadership in organization or academic settings. It is offered in a three-year, part-time format, which allows students to maintain their employment while studying.

The program prepares them to practice ethically, translate research into policy, and assume leadership in the implementation of advanced social work practice. The self-designed externship (240 hours) and capstone project allow students to enhance their expertise in one of the following areas of focus:

• Advanced clinical practice
• University teaching
• Leadership and management

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The MSW -- Clinical Practice and MA in Women's and Gender Studies (MSW/MA) is a 72-credit dual-degree program that may be completed in three years.

MSW/MA students integrate research and theory from Women’s and Gender Studies with their professional social work education. Academic courses, practicum experiences, and mentoring relationships afford interdisciplinary opportunities for scholarly inquiry, critical problem solving, and leadership development.

Supported by faculty advisors from both the MSW and the Women's and Gender Studies programs, MSW/MA students are responsible for meeting the academic, practicum, and professional standards of both the MSW – Clinical Practice and the MA programs. Beyond the classroom, students have 950 hours of supervised social work practicums during their second and third years.  

The MSW – Community Practice: Community Organization, Policy, and Leadership and MA in Women's and Gender Studies (MSW/MA) is a 72-credit dual-degree program that may be completed in three years.

MSW/MA students integrate research and theory from Women’s and Gender Studies with their professional social work education. Academic courses, practicum experiences, and mentoring relationships afford interdisciplinary opportunities for scholarly inquiry, critical problem solving, and leadership development.

Supported by faculty advisors from both the MSW and the Women's and Gender Studies programs, MSW/MA students are responsible for meeting the academic, practicum, and professional standards of both the MSW – Community Practice and the MA programs. Beyond the classroom, students have 950 hours of supervised social work practicums during their second and third years.

Disaster Mental Health Graduate Certificate (Online, 12 Credits) 

The Disaster Mental Health Graduate Certificate is an online program that may be taken concurrently with or independently from another graduate degree. For further information, please contact Dr. Shuei Kozu at kozus1@southernct.edu.