Boston University School of Social Work

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The Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW), located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA is one of the 16 graduate schools of Boston University.


BU SSW offers full and part-time programs leading to the Master of Social Work degree, with concentrations in Clinical and Macro Social Work Practice. Advanced Standing programs are also available.

The full-time study program includes two years of full-time study in residence. There are several part-time study programmes. Typically part-time students fulfill the degree requirements in either three or four years. Part-time students can attend the Charles River campus, or attend one of the two off-campus programmes. The off-campus, part-time program in Northeastern Massachusetts is located in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. The off-campus, part-time program in Southeastern Massachusetts, is located in Fall River, Massachusetts and on Cape Cod. The Macro Social Work concentration is only available at the Charles River campus. The off-campus sites and the Charles River campus offer the Clinical Social Work program of study.

The School’s curriculum emphasizes a broad approach to social and personal problems and the differential use of social work methods. During the first year of graduate study, the student is introduced to social work knowledge, values, and practice areas through a series of foundation courses.

Subsequently, students take advanced coursework to develop and deepen their competence according to their special interests and talents, and specialize in a method of social work: Clinical Social Work Practice (with individuals, families, and groups), or Macro Social Work Practice (community organization, management, and planning). In the last semester, students are required to take a social work practice ethics course.


BU SSW offers several Dual Degree programs in cooperation with other BU graduate schools and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Work.

The School of Theology, the School of Education, and the School of Public Health have dual-degree programs with the School of Social Work.

The dual degree programs are as follows,

  • a course of study that lead to both the MSW and Master of Education (MEd) or Doctorate in Education (EdD), and

[edit] History

The School had its beginnings in the School of Education and was later called the School of Religious and Social Work.

In 1937 the Division of Social Work inaugurated a two-year graduate program. In 1939 it was accredited provisionally as a school of social work, and in 1940 became a separate entity as the School of Social Work. Since 1942 it has offered only the graduate program, and since 1943 it has had full accreditation as a school of social work.

The southeastern Massachusetts (SEMA) and northeastern Massachusetts (NEMA) off-campus programs were established in 1982 and 1985, respectively. An additional SEMA site on Cape Cod (Barnstable, Massachusetts) was established in 2002. These programs provide students who live a distance from Boston the opportunity to pursue a Master of Social Work degree in a part-time, weekend format.

[edit] Accreditation

The MSW degree program at the Boston University School of Social Work and its satellite programs in Northeastern and Southeastern Massachusetts are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.