MSW programs in Massachusetts

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Massachusetts is home to 13 MSW programs. Of the available options, 8 of them are traditional, campus-based programs, while 5 of them offer online MSW programs (either online only or hybrid options).

If you are looking for an MSW program in Massachusetts, check out the full school listings below, which provide the latest program highlights, tuition information, and other relevant details designed to help you compare and contrast degree options.

Online MSW programs in Massachusetts

1. Boston University

   Boston, Fall River, Worcester, Bedford & West Barnstable, MA

   
   Credits: 65
   Cost per credit: $1,781
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Multiple cohorts per year, Weekends/Evening, Weekends Only
   Area of specialized practice: Children, Youth, and Families, Clinical or Direct Practice, Health, Mental Health, Aging and Gerontological Practice, Trauma, Macro Social Work
   Dual degree option(s): Doctorate in Social Work, Education, Public Health, Theology or Divinity
   Certification: Child and Family, Gerontology, Trauma, Behavioral Health
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Online classes are small, with no more than 15 students per group
   • Incorporates online lectures, simulations, videos, audio, interactive animations, discussion boards, and weekly Live Classroom sessions
   • Allows students to enroll in regardless of immigration status

   Learn More: Program Details

2. Regis College

   Weston, MA

   
   Credits: 60
   Cost per credit: $850
   Plan of study: Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Multiple cohorts per year
   Area of specialized practice: Clinical or Direct Practice
   Program Highlights:
   

   • No GRE required
   • Complete in 4 to 8 semesters
   • Two segments: generalist practice and specialize in clinical social work

   Learn More: Program Details

3. Salem State University

   Salem, MA

   
   Credits: 62
   Cost per credit: $998 in-state | $1,183 out-of-state
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Weekends/Evening
   Area of specialized practice: Health, Mental Health
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Emphasizes preparation for direct social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and organizations
   • Focuses on integrated health and behavioral health practice for a range of diverse settings
   • Incorporates an ability to address multiple systems levels from micro through macro

   Learn More: Program Details

4. Simmons University

   Boston, MA

   
   Credits: 65
   Cost per credit: $1,148
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Multiple cohorts per year
   Area of specialized practice: Clinical or Direct Practice
   Certification: Child and Family, Mental Health, Other, School Social Work, Trauma
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Prepares students to foster social justice action through thoughtful clinical practice
   • Provides a personal learning experience through an immersive online platform and small live, online classes
   • Takes advantage of dynamic sharing and collaboration features to enhance students’ learning experiences

   Learn More: Program Details

5. Westfield State University

   Westfield & Worcester, MA

   
   Credits: 66
   Cost per credit: $520
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing
   Area of specialized practice: Clinical or Direct Practice
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Students will gain competencies in developing and applying practice modalities
   • Full-time traditional programs of study internships are to be completed in Massachusetts
   • Approximately 20% of the program curriculum is completely asynchronous online

   Learn More: Program Details

MSW programs in Massachusetts

1. Anna Maria College

   Paxton, MA

   
   Credits: 62
   Cost per credit: $945
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing
   Area of specialized practice: Advanced Generalist
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Educates students to become ethical leaders and community-oriented professionals.
   • Offers flexibility and convenience, affordable cost, career-focused education and student-centered approach
   • Grounded in the liberal arts and the person-in-environment framework

   Learn More: Program Details

2. Boston University

   Boston, Fall River, Worcester, Bedford & West Barnstable, MA

   
   Credits: 65
   Cost per credit: $1,287
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Multiple cohorts per year, Weekends/Evening, Weekends Only
   Area of specialized practice: Children, Youth, and Families, Clinical or Direct Practice, Health, Mental Health, Aging and Gerontological Practice, Trauma, Macro Social Work
   Dual degree option(s): Doctorate in Social Work, Education, Public Health, Theology or Divinity
   Certification: Child and Family, Gerontology, Trauma, Behavioral Health
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Students complete a multi-method curriculum guided by faculty experts and dedicated practitioners
   • Students may choose from four specialization areas, as well as one of three dual degree options
   • Offers a dynamic, hands-on learning experience, nestled in the heart of vibrant Boston

   Learn More: Program Details

3. Bridgewater State University

   Bridgewater, MA

   
   Credits: 62
   Cost per credit: $70
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing
   Area of specialized practice: Clinical or Direct Practice, Social Justice
   Dual degree option: Law
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Prepares culturally competent advanced practice professionals who are grounded in strengths-based, biopsychosocial practice models
   • Incorporates content on the social work profession's history, purpose and philosophy
   • Emphasizes critical and creative thinking as a requirements to the diverse communities in the region

   Learn More: Program Details

4. Salem State University

   Salem, MA

   
   Credits: 62
   Cost per credit: $140 in-state | $230 out-of-state
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Weekends/Evening
   Area of specialized practice: Health, Mental Health
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Fosters transformative learning experiences producing graduates who are leaders and practitioners for social change and social justice
   • Offers students a comprehensive MSW experience focused on integrated practice for health and behavioral health
   • Flexible program that offers students the opportunity to choose from electives and field placements

   Learn More: Program Details

5. Simmons University

   Boston, MA

   
   Credits: 65
   Cost per credit: $1,148
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Multiple cohorts per year
   Area of specialized practice: Clinical or Direct Practice
   Certification: Child and Family, Mental Health, Other, School Social Work, Trauma
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Promotes innovative, hands-on MSW curriculum that integrates education and with a strong emphasis on field education
   • The only Social Work School in Massachusetts that uses Social Work Simulation Education to facilitate MSW students’ higher level learning
   • Comprehensive clinical focus and flexible enrollment options

   Learn More: Program Details

6. Smith College

   Northampton, MA

   
   Credits: 125 quarter credits
   Cost per credit: $609
   Plan of study: Full-Time
   Area of specialized practice: Clinical or Direct Practice
   Certification: Other
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Pioneers the integration of Clinical social work and social justice for over a generation
   • Alternates ten weeks of intensive curricular coursework with two 8-month supervised internships
   • Students spend almost twice as many hours in practice as any other school of social work

   Learn More: Program Details

7. Springfield College

   Springfield, MA

   
   Credits: 60
   Cost per credit: $1,178
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing, Multiple cohorts per year, Weekends/Evening, Weekends Only
   Area of specialized practice: Advanced Generalist
   Dual degree option: Law
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Prepares students for professional practice through a single concentration in advanced generalist practice
   • Provides guidance regarding licensure
   • Provides students with opportunities to develop advanced clinical assessment, intervention, supervisory, and administrative skills in practice

   Learn More: Program Details

8. Westfield State University

   Westfield & Worcester, MA

   
   Credits: 66
   Cost per credit: $520
   Plan of study: Full-Time, Part-Time, Advanced Standing
   Area of specialized practice: Clinical or Direct Practice
   Program Highlights:
   

   • Students can choose to focus 6 credits of electives and advanced social policy course
   • Prepares graduates to be eligible, upon graduation, to sit for the state social work licensure exam
   • Required field internships are completed in person within a 60-mile radius of Westfield

   Learn More: Program Details

MSW programs in Massachusetts

An MSW or master of social work degree is needed if you want to become a licensed clinical (or similar) social worker in Massachusetts and beyond. These degrees can only be acquired through a Council on Social Work Education accredited program, which ensures that the program in question has enough academic rigor and teaches up-to-date social work concepts and techniques.

CSWE-accredited MSW programs will include:

• • A variety of classes and coursework that goes over the fundamental and advanced social work concepts you’ll need to succeed. Topics may include sociology, ethics, biology, psychology, de-escalation, and more

• • Some programs include specialized class opportunities, allowing you to become a particular type of social worker and ready you for certain clinics or areas

• • All MSW programs include clinical practice experiences. These are real-world opportunities to get the expertise you need to treat patients in a real-world clinical context. After graduation, you’ll need to complete more of these hours to reach a minimum for certification

• • You’ll also be able to take extra electives to round out your education

It should be no surprise that there are a number of top-ranked MSW programs in Massachusetts. For instance, Boston University, a private institution, has one of the best MSW programs in the nation. It’s offered in full or part-time schedules, with the latter being available through satellite campus locations rather than the main Boston campus. You can also complete this program part-time and online with a clinical focus.

Boston College also offers an MSW program. This program allows students to focus on “macro practice” or “clinical” specializations, plus select concentration areas such as “children, youth and families,” “health and mental health,” “older adults and families,” and more. 

Online MSW programs in Massachusetts

Online MSW programs can be found both at universities in Massachusetts and schools outside the state. Furthermore, online MSW programs are usually better for those with busy schedules or students in need of a part-time pace to juggle multiple extracurricular responsibilities.

As mentioned, BU’s excellent online MSW program is a favorite throughout the state for its rigor and scheduling flexibility.

Regardless, online MSW programs still require students to complete the clinical practice requirements needed for licensure and/or graduation. These hours will be completed at local clinics or medical facilities rather than at clinics associated with the university’s campus-based programs. This allows students to complete all the requirements needed for graduation without having to travel vast distances. 

How to become a social worker in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Work handles the requirements for social work licensure throughout the state. There are four types of licensed social workers in Massachusetts, each with different requirements.

Licensed Social Worker Associate (LSWA)

This basic credential allows beginner social workers to find employment within the profession. However, an LSWA is restricted from practicing clinically. This license is often used as a stepping stone credential.

• • Submit your LSWA application to the Board, along with a $173 fee

• • Take the Board’s Associate Exam. This is comprised of 170 multiple-choice questions and costs $230

• • If you pass the exam, then you will be eligible for a license

Licensed Social Worker (LSW)

This is a more advanced form of license that allows practicing social workers to offer basic services, like consultations, while still avoiding clinical services. However, these professionals can offer clinical services under the supervision of a higher licensed social worker.

• • Submit your application to the Board and pay the $173 fee

• • Take the ASWB Bachelor’s exam. This is 170 questions and costs $230

• • You’ll receive your license if you pass the exam

Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW)

This form of licensure allows social workers to provide independent non-clinical social work, plus achieve higher social work positions at facilities.

• • Obtain an MSW from a CSWW-accredited program or a Board-approved doctoral degree in social work

• • Submit your LCSW application to the Board, plus a $173 fee

• • Take the ASWB Master’s exam, which is 170 questions and costs $230

• • Receive your licensure if you pass the exam

Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

This is the highest form of social work licensure you can acquire in Massachusetts. It allows holders to provide clinical or nonclinical social work services without supervision. You must become an LCSW before achieving this licensure in addition to the following requirements.

• • Obtain the required clinical practice experience (detailed below)

• • Submit your LICSW application to the Board and pay the $173 fee

• • Take the ASWB Clinical Exam, which is 170 questions and which costs $260

• • You receive licensure if you pass the exam

Even after acquiring licensure, you must renew your license every two years by completing a certain number of hours of continuing education dependent on your licensure level. Continuing education hours can range from 10 hours to 30 hours, and those hours must include at least one course in domestic and sexual violence.

Social work license requirements in Massachusetts

To become a LICSW, social workers must have a certain amount of clinical practice hours under their belts. Candidates must complete 3500 hours in no less than two years. Furthermore, 100 hours must be supervised by an overseeing LICSW.

Massachusetts is rare in that its Board offers licensure by reciprocity to any applicants that are licensed and in good standing in other states. This means existing social workers and other states can become license in Massachusetts without having to complete other requirements or retake the exam. An additional application must be completed for this process.

Social worker jobs and social worker salary in Massachusetts

Determining social worker salary in Massachusetts is best done through data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which separate social workers into four categories:

• • Child, family, and school social workers can expect annual salaries of $54,980 and hourly wages of $26.43. There are currently around 9,380 in the state.

• • Healthcare social workers receive average annual salaries of $61,650 and hourly wages of $29.64. This group is comprised of 10,280 healthcare social workers in Massachusetts.

• • Mental health and substance abuse social workers have an average annual salary of $53,760 and an hourly wage of $25.85. Currently, 5,790 of these professionals are employed in the state.

• • All other social workers collectively receive an annual average salary of $85,730 and an hourly wage of $41.22. There are only 410 of these licensed in Massachusetts at this time.

These salary levels are, in general, a little higher than average social worker salaries throughout the country, which hover at just over $50,000. This makes sense considering that Massachusetts has a higher than average cost of living compared to many other states.

Job outlook for social workers in Massachusetts

The job outlook for social workers in Massachusetts is promising. As discussed earlier, Massachusetts prioritizes mental health more than many other states in the country and has a high number of open social work and mental health clinics. Furthermore, national projections indicate that social worker positions across the country should increase by about 11 percent over the next eight years.

In other words, social workers everywhere are experiencing new opportunities. Massachusetts alone should also offer a number of new positions over the next few years. 

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