Simmons University Online MSW (Master of Social Work)

The Simmons University School of Social Work offers an online Master of Social Work (MSW) program with the opportunity to earn a certificate in Mental Health Practice, Trauma Practice, or Clinical Practice with Active Service Members, Veterans, and Families. Students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than social work may apply for the Traditional MSW program. Those with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree may apply for the Advanced Standing MSW program.

Social Work@Simmons is a clinically-focused, direct practice program incorporating social justice values and a multicultural perspective throughout the curriculum. The program prepares graduates to pursue licensure as clinical social workers. Courses cover evidence-based social work approaches and interventions such as cognitive behavioral theory, sociocultural theory, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic theory, and ecological systems theory.

The Traditional MSW program comprises 65 credits plus over 1,000 direct practice hours. Students in this pathway complete an online Simulated Field Experience (SFX), where they practice their skills in simulated client sessions in an immersive, supportive online environment. Subsequently, students in the Traditional pathway complete three terms of community-based, direct-practice field experiences. There are three completion tracks to choose from as a Traditional MSW student:

• Accelerated: 16 months
• Full-Time: 23 months
• Extended: 32 months

The Advanced Standing MSW program comprises 34 credits plus 672 direct practice hours through two community-based field experiences. Students in this program may choose a two-term, 9-month, or a three-term, 12-month completion track. Those who pursue a certificate in Mental Health Practice, Trauma Practice, or Clinical Practice with Active Service Members, Veterans, and Families will choose one elective course and complete a nine-credit certificate program. This MSW + certificate pathway comprises 40 credits and can be completed in as few as 16 months but can be extended to 20 months.

Social Work@Simmons is a cohort-based program; therefore, students complete courses in a prescribed order depending on the pathway and completion track chosen. Start dates land in January, March, May, September, and November.

Coursework for the graduate MSW program is fully online and delivered in live, weekly class sessions, with assignments and assessments to be completed outside of class times. Face-to-face online classes may include small-group breakout rooms, live chats, video-sharing, surveys, polls, and screen-sharing. Student support services include academic advising, the field placement team, the library, technical support, and career counseling.

The Simulated Field Experience includes 10 hours per week of online learning with immersive, live lab sessions, role-play, simulated client interactions, and support and feedback from faculty and peers. Community-based placements include 24 hours per week of generalist practice in a community setting. These field experiences allow students to engage with clients, apply learned concepts to client interactions, assess, evaluate, and carry out interventions, and apply evidence-based practices. Students must be able to commute up to 60 miles to a placement site.

MSW Generalist courses completed by Traditional MSW students include Social Policy and Social Work in Communities and Organizations; Dynamics of Racism and Oppression; Human Behavior in the Social Environment; Social Work Practice I-II; Substance Use and Social Work; and Social Work Research.

Both Traditional and Advanced Standing MSW students complete specialized courses, including Assessment and Diagnosis; Social Welfare Policy; Advanced Clinical Practice; and Program Evaluation in Social Work Practice.

Traditional students choose 12 credits of electives or pursue a certificate. Advanced Standing students choose 12 credits of electives or take one elective course and pursue a certificate. Elective courses include Crisis Intervention with Children and Adolescents; Human Sexuality and Social Work Practice; Best Practices in Group Work; Advanced Group Work with Diverse, Vulnerable, and Resilient Populations; Understanding Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention; Family Approaches; Evidence-Based Practice; Narrative Approaches to Social Work Practice; Social Work Practice and Healthcare; Cognitive Behavioral Approaches and Treatment; Child and Adolescent Trauma; Lifespan of Trauma and Treatment: Adults and Families; Advanced Standing Seminar; Perspectives on Severe Mental Illness; Attachment, Neurobiology, and Social Work Practice; and Essential Elements of Telebehavioral Health.

The Trauma Practice certificate includes the courses Child and Adolescent Trauma, Lifespan of Trauma Treatment: Adults and Families, and Attachment and Neurobiology in Social Work Practice. Mental Health practice courses include Social Work Practice and Healthcare, Evidence-Based Approaches in Social Work Practice, and Cognitive Behavioral Approaches and Treatment. The Military certificate includes the courses Military Social Work Practice: Introduction to Systems, Culture, Health, and Social Issues; Military Social Work Practice: Therapeutic Interventions within Military Cultural Context; and Understanding Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention.

Simmons University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).