Why Elms College for your Master of Social Work degree?
- Career-Focused Tracks – Choose from primary care clinical social work or macro social work practice tracks to align with career goals.
- Accelerated Path for BSW Graduates – Social work graduates can fast-track their degree through the advanced standing option.
- Comprehensive Support – Access Elms College’s academic and career services online to excel in your studies and career.
Master of Social Work (MSW) at Elms College
The MSW program offers flexible scheduling to fit your needs. Classes may be taken on Saturdays or weeknights.
An Elms College MSW allows you to choose a specialization that will equip you with the knowledge and skills to work in diverse settings. Elms College offers the only program in the region that has the primary care clinical social work specialization. This prepares students for in demand careers in both medical and non-medical settings.
The macro social work specialization is ideal for students interested in nonprofit management, policy practice, and community-focused social work. Students also have the flexibility to take electives in other graduate programs, such as nursing, bioethics, education, and business.
Admission requirements
To gain admission, you are required to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0. No GRE is needed.
For more information contact mathiasa@elms.edu
Applicants with an undergraduate degree in social work are eligible for advanced standing and may begin with courses focused on their area of interest. Students without advanced standing will begin a generalist practice, or the foundation curriculum for social work, which is intended as an introduction to broad concepts in the field.
An Elms College MSW emphasizes practicum experience, in which students apply what they learn in classroom in the field. Students are required to have 900 hours of practicum experience, although those with advanced standing need only 500 hours.
Faculty assist students in selecting practicum sites and providing ongoing support from a faculty liaison. Elms College has long-standing relationships with dozens of suitable practicum sites.
Elms College has a diverse faculty with years of professional experience in different aspects of social work.
Tuition discounts are available if you are employed by any of our partner organizations. For a full list, go to https://www.elms.edu/partnerships/
Application deadline: July 15th for both full-time and part-time options
Application deadline: June 1st for students who may be interested in the full-time advanced standing option; July 15th for part-time advanced standing.
The Elms College MSW program has achieved candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education.
Learn more about accreditation here.
Statement about the Elms College MSW Program’s Application for Accreditation with the Council on Social Work Education (updated July 2025)
The Elms College MSW program has achieved candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA).
Candidacy status indicates that it has made progress toward meeting standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. A program that has attained candidacy status has demonstrated a commitment to meeting the accreditation standards but has not yet demonstrated full compliance.
Students that are admitted to candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Candidacy is typically a 3-year process and attaining candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain initial accreditation. Candidacy applies to all program options, which include locations and delivery methods.
Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
Review our program’s candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs: https://www.cswe.org/accreditation/about/directory/?. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation: accreditation@cswe.org.
The Elms College MSW program has achieved candidacy for accreditation by the Council’s Board of Accreditation.
~ SLU Revocation Notice ~
Elms College is proud to announce the launch of its Master of Social Work (MSW) program for Fall 2025, reflecting our continued growth and commitment to serving our students.
Our collaboration with Saint Louis University in offering its MSW program is concluding. In accordance with Massachusetts Department of Higher Education guidelines regarding program and institutional closures, here is the required Notice of Comment Period public disclosure announcement: SLU Revocation Notice June 20, 2025 (PDF)
Curriculum
Click to view course requirements for the Master of Social Work.
Generalist Practice Curriculum (students entering the program without a bachelor’s degree in social work) (33 credits):
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 5002 | SW Practice with Individuals and Families | 3 |
| SWK 5003 | Mental Health and Illness | 3 |
| SWK 5007 | SW Practice with Groups | 3 |
| SWK 5104 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Lifespan | 3 |
| SWK 5105 | SW Practice with Communities and Organizations | 3 |
| SWK 5005 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Macro Theories | 3 |
| SWK 5100 | Social Work Research | 3 |
| SWK 5101 | Social Welfare Policy and Services | 3 |
| SWK 5301 | Generalist Practicum Seminar | 3 |
| SWK 5500 | Generalist Field Practicum (300-400 practicum hours over 2 semesters) | 6 |
Specialized Practice Curriculum (students with a bachelor’s in social work who receive advanced standing begin with this curriculum. Choose on area of specialization:
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical/Primary Care (Medical) Social Work Specialization (24 credits) | 3 | |
| SWK 5200 | Assessment & Diagnosis in the Clinical Setting | 3 |
| SWK 5401 | Clinical Practice in Healthcare | 3 |
| *Electives (3) *Students may take two graduate-level electives outside of the social work program with approval from the program director | 3 | |
| SWK 5321 | Clinical Practicum and Seminar 1 (250-300 practicum hours) | 3 |
| SWK 5322 | Clinical Practicum and Seminar 2 (250-300 practicum hours) | 3 |
| SWK 6100 | Advanced Research Methods | 3 |
Macro Social Work Practice Specialization (24 credits)
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 5402 | Macro Practice in Government | 3 |
| SWK 5403 | Nonprofit Management | 3 |
| *Electives (3) *Students may take two graduate-level electives outside of the social work program with approval from the program director | 3 | |
| SWK 5331 | Macro Practicum and Seminar 1 (250-300 practicum hours) | 3 |
| SWK 5332 | Macro Practicum and Seminar 2 (250-300 practicum hours) | 3 |
| SWK 6100 | Advanced Research Methods | 3 |