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An Advanced Standing Social Work Program Tailored to BSW Graduates

An Advanced Standing option for the Online Master of Social Work (MSW) gives credit for work already completed in your Bachelor of Social Work. It’s like a fast track to your masters. This degree is characterized by:

  • A 15 month part-time, 32-credit program of online study with two on-campus residencies
  • Hands-on instruction and personal advisement – online and in person
  • Experiential learning grounded in academic theory
  • Engaging, interactive online coursework
  • Rich on-campus learning experiences

The Advanced Standing option for the Online MSW is a part-time, 32-credit program of online study with two on-campus residencies on the Long Island campus.

Upon successfully completing the program, you not only hold a master’s degree, but also are eligible to apply for licensure as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). In order to prepare our graduates for licensure, we offer exam preparation courses that draw on questions from prior New York state exams. Students in these courses can take a practice exam as many times as they would like, and receive immediate feedback on their scores. Exam information is also integrated into the coursework for the online MSW, so our graduates will finish the program uniquely prepared to succeed in becoming licensed.

Program Structure

The Advanced Standing option for the Online MSW is a part-time, 32-credit program of online study with two on-campus residencies on the Long Island campus. Students in the Advanced Standing program hold a bachelor’s degree in social work from a university or college accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). You begin the program in the Summer semester, and earn your degree in just 15 months.

Advanced Standing Course Plan by Term

S1 Summer SWK Elective
SWK 722
502 – Professional Development Seminar
S2 Fall SWK 710
SWK 780
FIELD – SWK 790 (21 hrs/wk) or SWK 778 (14 hrs/wk)
S3 Spring SWK 758
SWK 782
FIELD – SWK 791 (21 hrs/wk) or SWK 779 (14 hrs/wk)
S4 Summer SWK Elective
SWK Elective
FIELD – SWK 689 (14 hrs/wk) **14 hr/wk students only

Any student who opts for the 21-hour week field course will complete field in two semesters, fall and spring. Extended field students complete 14 hours/week in field for the fall, spring and summer terms.

Online Learning Environment

All Online MSW courses are delivered on the Moodle learning management system. It serves as a hub for faculty and students and is the portal through which students access all coursework.

Some courses have no live components, and students can complete assignments largely on their schedule. Other courses are fully or partially live, requiring students to participate online at scheduled times. Online MSW coursework may include reading, viewing video lectures, completing case assessments, participating in multimedia VoiceThread discussions, and working on group projects.

Students typically devote 10 to 12 hours a week to coursework. Though the online format provides flexibility, most assignments must be completed on schedule.

All practice courses, the Professional Development Seminar and the Field Instruction Integrative Seminar are live, meeting between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (ET) on Thursdays. Some of these live sessions are recorded and posted to Moodle for students to view at their convenience.

Before starting the program, students participate in a three-week, online learning orientation that provides an overview of the program and learning technology. The first on-campus learning experience also includes a brief orientation and technology training.

“Without even having set foot on campus, I’m already beginning to feel like Adelphi has a much more personalized approach; and the faculty and administration is more committed to their students’ success than I’ve experienced at other schools.”
—Laurie

On-Campus Learning Experiences

Though the majority of the Advanced Standing option for the Online MSW coursework is online, in keeping with the importance of human relationships in social work, we built the program with on-campus learning experiences. They provide distance learners with an opportunity to interact with and learn from each other and their professors in a dynamic classroom environment.

The intensive residencies are held twice annually in August and January, the week before the official academic start of the corresponding Fall and Spring semesters. Many students tell us that the on-campus training is the highlight of their education.

On-campus visits range from two to four days, always incorporating a weekend to accommodate working professionals. Students attend classes from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and have lunch with faculty members and students from other Online MSW groups.

Residencies take place at the main Adelphi University campus on Long Island in Garden City, N.Y. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for associated lodging and transportation. The School of Social Work provides some meals and snacks, and the nearby Homewood Suites by Hilton Carle Place offers discounted room rates. Students must ask for the Adelphi rate when they book their room. Please call for the most accurate rates.

Residency Schedule

Fall 2018 Cohort – Residency Dates:

Semester Dates Duration
Fall 2018 August 23-26, 2018 4 days
Spring 2019 January 17-20, 2019 4 days
Fall 2019 August 23-25, 2019 3 days
Spring 2020 January 16-19, 2020 4 days
Fall 2020 August 27-30, 2020 4 days
Spring 2021 January 21-24, 2020 4 days

Spring 2019 Cohort – Residency Dates:

Semester Dates Duration
Spring 2019 January 17-20, 2019 4 days
Fall 2019 August 22-25, 2019 4 days
Spring 2020 January 17-19, 2020 3 days
Fall 2020 August 27-30, 2020 4 days
Spring 2021 January 21-24, 2021 4 days

Fall 2019 Cohort – Residency Dates:

Semester Dates Duration
Fall 2019 August 22-25, 2019 4 days
Spring 2020 January 16-19, 2020 4 days
Fall 2020 August 27-30, 2020 4 days
Spring 2021 January 21-24, 2021 4 days
Fall 2021 September 21-24, 2021 4 days
Spring 2022 January 20-23, 2022 4 days

Spring 2020 Cohort – Residency Dates:

Semester Dates Duration
Spring 2020 January 16-19, 2020 4 days
Fall 2020 August 27-30, 2020 4 days
Spring 2021 January 21-24, 2020 4 days
Fall 2021 August 26-29, 2021 4 days
Spring 2022 January 20-23, 2022 4 days

Fall 2020 Cohort – Residency Dates:

Semester Dates Duration
Fall 2020 August 27-30, 2020 4 days
Spring 2021 January 21-24, 2021 4 days
Fall 2021 September 21-24, 2021 4 days
Spring 2022 January 20-23, 2022 4 days
Fall 2023 TBD TBD
Spring 2024 TBD TBD

Field Education

Field education is a central component of graduate social work programs. It teaches students to apply the theory and knowledge learned in the classroom to social work practice in agency settings. You work at human service agencies–directly with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

You gain exposure to diverse problems and people including oppressed populations. Field work assignments consist of diverse practice opportunities. Assignments include conducting face-to-face interviews with clients both individually and in group settings.

As part of this training, students must also work with organizational and community representatives on behalf of clients. Your assignments may include community work, program development, social action or research.

For more information about the comprehensive field education component of our program, visit the Field Placements page.

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  The online Master of Social Work does not accept international students.

 

Advanced Standing Online MSW Courses

SWK 502 – Professional Development (0)

The Professional Development Seminar is designed to support students in the Online MSW Program. This non-credit course meets online (synchronously and asynchronously) until students start field and will be facilitated by the program director. Social Work faculty and administrators will be invited to present at the seminars on specific topics related to social work. This seminar is expected to guide students through the field placement application process and the transition from the classroom to a practice setting. Invited speakers will focus on advanced practice related topics that will help students make the connections between theory and practice.

The professional development seminar will include topics such as technology tools, networking, writing a literature review, understanding individual learning styles, adult learning and professional education (roles, behaviors, personal attributes), professional and personal values, professional goals, and developing professional identity.

SWK 710 – Social Work Assessment and Diagnosis (3)

This course provides an understanding of psychopathology from a social work perspective. Concepts of mental health and mental illness are viewed from a historical and holistic perspective incorporating the impact of socio-economic, gender, racial, ethnic, and cultural factors. The course discusses classification of mental illness, for example anxiety states, mood disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse, dementia and schizophrenia, as set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (4th edition). Emphasis is placed on the explanatory power of theories to inform practice on behalf of people with mental illness.

Prerequisites: SWK 511, SWK 521

SWK 722 – Organization Context for Professional Practice (3)

This course provides conceptual frameworks for understanding the role of professional social workers in organizational settings and expands students’ capacities to maximize their practice effectiveness in organizations, provide organizational leadership, and contribute to constructive organizational change. Drawing on organizational sociology, social administration, and students’ practice experiences, the course examines the organizational goals, structures, environments, and processes that impact on service strategies, case decisions, and the achievement of professional objectives.

Prerequisites: SWK 501, SWK 521

SWK 758 – Social Work Research II (3)

This course focuses on using and evaluating the knowledge base of social work practice. It applies concepts learned in Research I to the empirical evaluation of one’s own practice, the analysis and evaluation of empirical-based knowledge, and its use in social work practice. The course stresses issues related to the conduct of research in a practice profession, including the relationship between research and practice, the application of principles of critical thinking to both research and practice, and the ethical considerations crucial in research development.

Prerequisites: SWK 521, SWK 557

SWK 778 – Field Instruction III Extended (4 credits, 14 hours per week)

Students are responsible for completing 14 hours per week of In-Field Placement.

Prerequisite: SWK 521

SWK 780 – Advanced Social Work Practice with Individuals in Family Contexts (3)

Building on the foundation year, this course focuses on development of the knowledge and skills needed for advanced clinical social work practice with individual clients. Relying on ecological systems theory, the course will present various models for advanced practice, as well as the integration of these models. Teaching of all models will rely on the strengths perspective and be case-based.

Prerequisite: SWK 521

SWK 782 – Advanced Social Work Practice with Groups (3)

Students examine group work practice in depth with application to social work within an agency context. The course creates a link with the foundation practices courses taught in the first year, as well as content taught in the foundation human behavior and social environment courses. Emphasis will be on addressing conceptual understanding, analytical process and interactional skills necessary for group work practice.

Prerequisite: SWK 521

SWK 790 – Field Instruction III (4 credits, 21 hours per week)

SWK 790, SWK 791, and SWK 792 comprise a three semester, 900-hour field instruction internship for students in the OYR program. Students are assigned to a field agency or complete a work/study field placement under the auspices of their human service employment during which they engage in supervised advanced direct practice with individuals, couples, families and small groups. Students are responsible for completing 21 hours per week of In-Field Placement.

Prerequisite: SWK 521

SWK 791 – Field Instruction IV (4 credits, 21 hours per week)

SWK 790, SWK 791, and SWK 792 comprise a three semester, 900-hour field instruction internship for students in the OYR program. Students are assigned to a field agency or complete a work/study field placement under the auspices of their human service employment during which they engage in supervised advanced direct practice with individuals, couples, families and small groups. Students are responsible for completing 21 hours per week of In-Field Placement.

Prerequisite: SWK 780

SWK 779 – Field Instruction IV Extended (4 credits, 14 hours per week)

Students are responsible for completing 14 hours per week of In-Field Placement.

Prerequisite: SWK 780

Social Work Electives:

SWK 788 Immigrants and Refugees: Issues and Interventions

This course is designed to prepare students for practice with immigrants and refugees. One in five clients of social workers is likely to be foreign-born or have a foreign-born parent. This is a result of growing trends of relocation and increasing numbers of immigrants, refugees and asylees relocating for political, economic, familial and personal reasons. Social workers are required to be knowledgeable about and capable of developing strategies to address immigration-related issues. Building on knowledge acquired in the foundation-level courses, this course focuses on the application of this knowledge. The theoretical underpinnings of the course are stress, acculturation and trauma theories, the ecological approach and the strength perspective. The nature of immigration is discussed from a global and national perspective, deepening and expanding content on immigration taught in the undergraduate level course on the culture of ethnic and immigrant groups.

SWK 717 Evidence-Based Practice with Serious Mental Illness: Paths to Recovery

This course is aimed at developing the knowledge and skills necessary for working with individuals with a diagnosis of serious mental illness, using recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices. It is designed for MSW students and MSW mental health practitioners. Students will become familiar with evidence-based practices within a recovery-oriented paradigm as a general approach to practice. They also will learn about specific evidence-based interventions to use for individuals with a diagnosis of serious mental illness. Though it is assumed that students will have a basic knowledge of serious mental illness as a prerequisite or corequisite, a review will be provided. Students will learn to examine research literature to determine the various levels of support for specific interventions and essential principles for translating research into practice. Additionally, they will identify the appropriate treatment outcomes that reflect effective, quality mental health practice. Each evidence-based practice presented will also be examined for its utility with diverse groups. Providing assessment and treatment to a diverse group of individuals with a diagnosis of serious mental illness is the focus of this course and will be discussed in detail. The prerequisite for this course is completion of the foundation year in the MSW program or equivalent, along with completion of SWK 710, Social Work Assessment and Diagnosis.

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