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2024-2025 Binghamton University Academic Guide
Social Work, MSW
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 Return to: College of Community and Public Affairs
Social work is built upon a strong foundation of social justice advocacy, activism and a commitment to the worth and dignity of all. The mission of the Binghamton University Master of Social Work program is to contribute proudly to the profession as leaders in our work for equity, justice and inclusion by educating and empowering advanced generalist social work practitioners to promote social, economic and environmental justice and support for individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
Binghamton University MSW students:
- Will become critically conscious, reflective, and autonomous thinkers and practitioners;
- Are equipped with skills to respond to the inter-connected matrix of social justice-related privileges and oppressions to educate, advocate for, and promote social equity and well-being;
- Integrate research and respect for the wisdom of clients and consumers to inform their social work practice;
- Base their social work practice on a foundation of paradigms that include social constructionism, critical consciousness, anti-oppression, and strengths and empowerment-based theories and models of macro, mezzo and micro systems; and
- Develop social work practice and intervention skills informed by ecological systems, developmental, trauma recovery, cognitive, behavioral and relational theories.
The program that may be completed on either a full- or part-time basis. The full-time program may be completed in two traditional academic years (four semesters). The part-time program may be completed in three and a half academic years and requires taking summer semesters.
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Program Admission
Successful performance in graduate social work education requires maturity, emotional stability, sensitivity and responsiveness in relationships, capacity for self-awareness, a concern for the needs of others, ability in abstract reasoning, conceptual and critical thinking, and strong communication skills. These attributes are crucial to practice ethically and competently. These are the attributes that will be assessed in the admissions process. Applicants should also evidence a genuine interest in working with disenfranchised people and a readiness to assume professional responsibilities.
Requirements are:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university of recognized standing;
- A cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of at least a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale);
- A personal essay;
- Two letters of recommendation;
- CV or Resume showing paid or volunteer human service experience; and
- Signed Social Work Contract
Applicants will be required to participate in group or individual interviews.
Course Requirements
Students pursuing the MSW must complete 64 credits of graduate level coursework. This coursework is divided into two levels: The generalist practice (32 credits) and advanced generalist practice (32 credits). Students are required to follow the listed sequences below. Under no circumstances are students able to take advanced generalist year coursework without satisfying the entirety of the foundational MSW level prerequisite coursework. The generalist practice courses are typically completed in the first year of study, and the advanced generalist practice courses in the second. The MSW coursework includes the following:
MSW Curriculum for Full-Time Students
Generalist Practice Curriculum (32 credits)
Advanced Generalist Practice Curriculum (32 credits)
MSW Curriculum for Part-Time Students
Generalist Practice Curriculum (32 credits)
Advanced Generalist Practice Curriculum (32 credits)
Advanced Standing MSW Program
Binghamton offers an advanced standing option for graduates of an undergraduate social work program accredited by CSWE. The BSW degree must have been received within five years of beginning the MSW program. Exceptions to this five-year limit may be made by the Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis for those applicants who have worked consistently in the field of social work since obtaining their BSW degree. Advanced standing students will be given credit for up to 29 hours of coursework, if they can demonstrate that they received comparable educational content in BSW courses for which they received a grade of “B” or better. The courses for which students may apply for advanced standing credit are:
- Human Behavior in the Social Environment I
- Foundations of Scientific Inquiry
- Social Work Generalist Practice I, II, III
- Research Methods in Social Work
- Social Welfare Policy and Programs
- Diversity and Oppression
- Field Instruction I, II
Students requesting advanced standing need to submit class syllabi for the courses which they believe provided them with similar content to that found in the above listed courses. The Director of Admissions and Student Services then reviews the syllabi for comparability to Binghamton University MSW courses and makes a decision as to how many hours of advanced standing credit will be granted. All non-Binghamton BSW advanced standing students participate in the Advanced Standing Seminar the summer prior to their beginning the program.
All offers of advanced standing admission are contingent upon a B or better in all BSW social work courses from the student’s undergraduate institution. Students are required to provide their final semester’s grades to the Director of Admissions and Student Services in order to receive a final offer of advanced standing admission and to process credit waivers.
For students who graduated from Binghamton Unviersity’s BSW program, and applied for advanced standing MSW admission, they do not have to take SW 575, and can count SW 506 as their Spring term elective, allowing the program to waive 32 credits toward their MSW.
Field Practicum Requirement
Field instruction is a pivotal and integral part of the MSW curriculum. In the field, students acquire practice experience, developing competence in the skills that will help them attain their personal and professional goals within a framework of social work values and ethics.
Capstone Project
The capstone project will offer students the opportunity to integrate and apply learning in order to demonstrate mastery of social work knowledge, skills, practice behaviors, ethics and values necessary for evidence-based advanced generalist practice. The capstone project is required coursework for SW 520: Evaluation of Social Work Practice.
Advancement Policy
The faculty and staff of the Binghamton University Department of Social Work are responsible for creating an educational environment that fosters student growth, academic success and professional development. When students apply to the program, they sign an academic contract agreeing to advance their professional development and to have it assessed by social work faculty and staff throughout their time in the program. The Social Work Department Advancement Policy supports this responsibility by addressing criteria including academic, professional and ethical conduct (e.g., being respectful; displaying integrity and honesty; addressing concerns in a clear and constructive manner; and responding to evaluation and criticism with appropriate self-reflection and modification of behavior) to ensure that graduates of the program have the necessary professional conduct to effectively serve clients. When there are concerns about a student’s academic/professional conduct, the Social Work Department may institute the Advancement Policy as a way to address such behavior.
The nature of the social work profession demands that practitioners use sound professional judgment and exercise professional and ethical conduct in all aspects of their work. When there is evidence of unprofessional behavior, the Social Work Department has the right and responsibility to terminate the enrollment of the student. Alternatively, any student who, at any time in the program is determined by the Social Work Department faculty and administration to have engaged in unprofessional behavior may be required to participate in the Social Work Advancement Process to assess and support their professional readiness for social work practice. Students will not be approved for graduation if they have unexecuted/unresolved concern(s) in relation to the Advancement Policy on file.
For more information about the Advancement Policy and Process, please see the current MSW handbook.
Additional Information About the Program
Changing Between Program Tracks
MSW students who wish to change program tracks (e.g. part-time to full-time, seated to exclusively online) should make their request known to the Director of Admissions and Student Services. Students may also need to follow specific policies and procedures outlined within the current MSW handbook. Decisions on whether to approve such requests are determined on a first-come, first-serve basis and whether there is space available in the desired cohort.
Transfer Credit
Graduate courses successfully completed at another institution’s CSWE-accredited MSW program may be accepted for credit toward the MSW degree, in lieu of any of the required courses, provided such courses covered content similar to that taught in Binghamton University’s required courses. A minimum grade of B is required for transfer credit. Graduate courses for which transfer credit is sought must have been taken within the last five years in order to be considered. Requests for Transfer Credit Forms are available from the MSW department office. Course syllabi must be submitted with the form to the department office for consideration.
Academic credit is not given for life experience or previous work experience.
Withdrawal
It is the policy of the Department of Social Work that students who are considering withdrawal from the program meet with the Director of Admissions and Student Services to discuss the challenges they are facing and explore options that may help support their continuation in the program. Any student wishing to withdraw from the program should take the following steps:
1. If the decision is made to withdraw, the student must provide, in writing, to the academic advisor their wish to withdraw, a brief description of the reason(s) they are withdrawing, an effective date of withdrawal and they must complete the Graduate Student Withdrawal Form.
2. The student must also submit a copy of the letter and the Graduate Student Withdrawal Form with the appropriate signatures to the Graduate School, who will then forward the information to the appropriate campus departments (i.e., Student Accounts, Registrar, etc.).
3. The student must inform all faculty from whom they are currently receiving instruction (i.e., for the courses in which the student is currently enrolled).
For more additional information on the MSW program, refer to the Department of Social Work website. To apply to the Social Work MSW program, please visit the University Admissions website.
Addendum: Added Advanced Standing MSW Program information 9/12/2024
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Return to: College of Community and Public Affairs
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