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Chamberlain University has more than 125 years of history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals.
Whether you're an aspiring nurse looking to launch a rewarding career, a nursing professional looking to advance your career, or a professional looking to impact public health, Chamberlain offers the degree programs, options and resources to help you succeed.
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Chamberlain is committed to providing quality and accessible nursing education. Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.
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Earn Your MSW in as Few as 2 Years
Prepare for Specialized Practice
Six specializations responsive to the needs of the industry and communities
Flexible online learning options available 24/7
Learn from recognized social justice leaders active in the field
Receive up to 20% in tuition savings for courses taken through May 2020
The Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program at Chamberlain University is aimed at developing and empowering students to be agents of social change in their communities and throughout the world. Our MSW degree program prepares students for generalist or specialized practice. Specialized practice builds on generalist practice as described in the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. It emphasizes adapting and extending the Social Work Competencies for practice with specific populations, problem areas, methods of intervention and perspectives or approach to practice. Specialized practitioners advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies within their specialty.
Our MSW degree program’s culturally responsive curriculum prepares graduates in the context of healthcare, mental health and support services to work with:
Learn more about Chamberlain's six MSW specializations or request more information.
Our MSW degree program is designed to meet students where they are in their professional journey, which is why we offer both advanced standing and traditional tracks, along with six specializations. View the Master of Social Work curriculum grid.
Traditional Track is for students who have earned a baccalaureate degree. The track can be completed in as few as 2 years at a full-time pace, or 3 years at a part-time pace.
Advanced Standing Track is for students who have completed a baccalaureate degree in social work from a CSWE accredited program within the last 5 years, or a degree in social work more than 5 years ago, but have an active social work license in good standing. The track can be completed in as little as 1 year at a full-time pace, or in as few as 2 years at a part-time pace.
Chamberlain’s MSW program focuses on developing exceptional social work professionals who maintain a passion for advancing human rights and social, economic and environmental justice.
The Master of Social Work degree can be applied in a variety of roles:
Call 877.751.5783 to learn more, or request information to speak with an admissions representative.
Specializations within our MSW degree program allow students to customize their learning to help meet their professional goals. All the specializations are designed to deliver a focused learning experience, giving students the opportunity to master a specific area within social work that they are passionate about. In addition, the specializations directly respond to contemporary issues affecting at-risk and marginalized populations, communities, organizations and institutions. Students may choose to specialize in any of the following areas:
Mental health and substance abuse social workers help clients with mental illnesses or addictions
Gerontology healthcare social workers specialize in geriatric social work, hospice and palliative care, or medical social work
Crisis social workers help vulnerable populations with crisis de-escalation, emotion management, and therapeutic techniques
Trauma social workers generally help clients cope with traumatic events in their lives through a combination of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing
Medical social workers help patients understand their diagnosis and make the necessary adjustments to their lifestyle, housing, or healthcare.
Military social work provides necessary support and interventions to active duty military personnel, veterans, their spouses and their dependents
Chamberlain's Master of Social Work program is led by diverse, active faculty who serve as thought leaders and experts in the social work field. With many years of experience and a passion for making a global impact, our faculty are dedicated to ensuring our students have a meaningful experience throughout the program.
Meet Our Dean
Dr. Stacey Borasky Ferguson was appointed dean of Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program in May of 2019. She is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the MSW curriculum, course objectives and program outcomes while ensuring Chamberlain’s philosophy of Chamberlain Care® is integrated into the program. In addition, she is responsible for managing and providing support of course development, student assessments, accreditation and the overall daily operations of the MSW degree program.
Prior to joining Chamberlain, Dr. Borasky Ferguson served as Director of Accreditation for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) where she oversaw operations for the Department of Social Work Accreditation. She was responsible for supporting programs prior to application for candidacy and providing consultation and training on accreditation processes and standards to all accredited programs. She planned and led Commission on Accreditation meetings, working closely with the leadership of the Commission and representing the Commission to the public. Dr. Borasky Ferguson also worked closely with government relations staff of CSWE to educate Congressional representatives on issues facing social work education. In addition, she played an active role in many national level accreditation organizations and committees and presented frequently at national conferences.
Dr. Borasky Ferguson has earned many accolades throughout her career, in 2012 she was nominated for U.S. Professors of the Year Award sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation and was a two-time finalist for the Distinguished Teaching Award at St. Edwards’s University. In 2011, she won the Outstanding Advisor Award from Student Life for advising the Social Work Student Association. Dr. Borasky Ferguson is the lead author of Navigating Policy and Practice in the Great Recession, and co-author of Caught in the Storm: Navigating Policy and Practice in the Welfare Reform Era, both published by Oxford University Press. Dr. Borasky Ferguson is also very engaged within the field of social work and has dedicated significant time to community service at various organizations such as Child Protection Roundtable in Texas, the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, Salvation Army and Rutherford County Council for Children and Youth in Tennessee. Dr. Borasky Ferguson earned her Master of Social Work from West Virginia University and her Doctor of Education from Tennessee State University.
“Social workers care. They care about people, their families, communities. Social workers dedicate themselves to service, to making this world a more just, fair and safe place for all.”
Stacey Borasky Ferguson, EdD, MSW Dean, Master of Social Work (MSW)
Prospective MSW degree program students must complete an application for admission and interview with a Chamberlain admission representative. Admission requirements differ for Advanced Standing and Traditional Tracks.
Traditional Track Admission Requirements
Call 877.751.5783 to speak to a representative or request more information.
Advanced Standing Track Admission Requirements
Degrees earned in excess of 5 years require an active social work license in good standing with a state board in the U.S.*
*Chamberlain reserves the right to admit candidates with social work licensure from countries outside the U.S. where equivalent standards can be demonstrated. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis according to the general academic principles of integrity outlined by the Academic Standards committee in the view of the policies regulated by the Council of Social Work Education.
Chamberlain provides you with individualized support throughout your educational journey beginning with the admissions process. Your admissions representative will work with you to build a schedule that will work with your life and finances, whether that's one class or three.
Costs subject to change each session and vary by individual circumstances.
*Military rate is defined as active duty, veterans, retired military, Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs employees and spouses of active duty/veteran/retired military. Effective August 13, 2018, discharge status must not be dishonorable, bad conduct or uncharacterized.
Receive up to 20% in tuition savings for courses taken through May 2020.
Request more information to speak with a student support advisor for deadline details.
Chamberlain partners with healthcare institutions, community colleges and associations to provide accessible educational opportunities for registered nurses.
See if your employer, community college or association has an education partnership with Chamberlain that could provide you with tuition savings.
Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
See accreditation and state authorization information or view a full list of program approvals by state.
Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program is currently in Pre-Candidacy for Accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (CSWE).
Pre-Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation indicates that it has submitted an application to be reviewed for Candidacy. A program that has attained Pre-Candidacy has not yet been reviewed by the Commission on Accreditation or been verified to be in compliance with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. The Council on Social Work Education does not publicly disclose whether programs have currently attained Pre-Candidacy Status until they are granted Candidacy.
Students who enter the program while it is still in Pre-Candidacy will not be recognized as attending a program in Candidacy unless the program attains Candidacy in the academic year in which those students enter. The Candidacy Process is typically a three-year process and there is no guarantee that a program in Pre-Candidacy will eventually attain Candidacy or Initial Accreditation. Students who enter programs that attain Candidacy in or before the academic year in which they begin their program of study will be retroactively recognized as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program attains Initial Accreditation. Candidacy by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation applies to all program sites and program delivery methods of an accredited program. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
