Skip to main content
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals
Menu

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
        • Accelerated MSN
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
  • Financial Aid
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Financial Assistance
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
  • Why Chamberlain
    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni

Mobile Secondary Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Mobile Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Transfers
  • Military
  • Alumni
  • Partners
  • Employers
  • Transcripts

Top Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Information For
    • Current Students
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfers
    • Military
    • Alumni
    • Partners
    • Employers
    • Transcripts
  • Chat
  • 877.751.5783
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
        • Accelerated MSN
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission

    Admission

    Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.

    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Financial Aid

    Financial Aid

    Get support as you navigate paying for your education. Request information to connect with our admission team to discuss your financial options.

    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Financial Assistance
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Why Chamberlain

    Why Chamberlain

    Chamberlain University has a 130-year history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals. 

    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

Secondary Header Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Featured

group of smiling nurses studying and collaborating
Are RN to BSN Nursing Programs Worth It?
caregiver with patient in a home setting
Preparing for Your Career as a Family…
Three male nurses smiling with their hands on each other's shoulders
6 Reasons Men Are Choosing a Career in…

Tags

Browse articles by category
Alumni
Campus News
Careers
Health Professions
Nursing Today
Tips for Students

Share

Blog Social Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Tips for Students
  • Five Highlights of Chamberlain’s Master of Social Work (MSW) Program

Five Highlights of Chamberlain’s Master of Social Work (MSW) Program

August 22, 2023 by Chamberlain University
Smiling women in bright red blouse on her laptop at a local coffee shop

Earn your MSW degree and become an agent of social change. 

There are many types of social workers, providing varied services in diverse settings. One thing they share is their choice of a profession uniquely dedicated to advancing human rights and social justice, and helping children and adults live healthier lives.

“Social work is a calling, a profession that believes each human being is deserving of dignity and respect. It’s our job to make sure [human beings] are not only treated that way, but that systems, policies and practices that deny people basic human rights be changed,” says Dr. Stacey Borasky Ferguson, EdD, MSW. Ferguson is dean of Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program and a social work career professional.

If you are ready to take the next step in your social work career, Chamberlain’s MSW program can help prepare you to serve the greater good. Here are five highlights of our master’s in social work program, which is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation.

1. Degree Options

Chamberlain’s Traditional Option is for students who have already earned a baccalaureate degree. You may be able to earn an MSW in as few as two years at a full-time pace, and three years at a part-time pace.

The Advanced Standing Option is for students who have completed a baccalaureate degree in social work from a CWSE-accredited program within the last five years, or earned a social work degree more than five years ago but have an active social work license in good standing.

Our goal is to meet you where you are. And by helping you to find the MSW program that’s right for you, we do just that.

2. Expert Faculty

As a master’s candidate, you’ll learn from faculty members who are social justice leaders with “a rich diversity of experiences” in social work practice, Ferguson says.

“It was really important for us in our hiring that we bring people in who can tell students stories of real practice in different settings. We didn’t want everyone to have come from the same background or the same type of practice,” she says.

Chamberlain faculty members are social work thought leaders who are responsive, engaged, and committed to helping you find success in your MSW program. Their experience will serve to inspire you to find your social work career calling.

3. Relevant Specialties

In the second year of your online MSW degree program, you may choose a specialty track that prepares you to meet specific needs in your community. The options are:

  • Crisis and Response Interventions: Help vulnerable populations with crisis de-escalation, emotion management and therapeutic techniques.
  • Medical Social Work: Help patients understand diagnoses and make adjustments to their lifestyle, housing or healthcare.
  • Trauma: Help clients process and heal from traumatic events through a combination of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.

Aleatha w/Compliance 8/11/23, a 2021 MSW graduate, says the trauma-focused track was “the best decision for me. Each week, my understanding of trauma strengthened and gave me a better perspective of how trauma affects many across the life-course journey.”

4. Stimulating Online Learning

Chamberlain presents the MSW program’s culturally responsive curriculum in a variety of engaging online learning formats. There are videos, journal articles, virtual simulations, infographics, and discussion questions, to name just a few of the ways you’ll participate in your online social work degree studies.

“We’re really committed in the curriculum in our MSW program to giving students different ways of learning. I think we’ve designed a program that lets us have the best of both worlds,” Ferguson says.

“We have the flexibility and the convenience of having online coursework. And in that coursework, you’re going to get challenging questions, and you’re going to have to solve problems. You’re going to be given case studies that you have to read and figure out what would you do. So, your coursework is really setting you up for the knowledge and values component.”

Because Chamberlain’s online MSW coursework is available 24/7, you can log on and participate in your studies on your schedule. The flexibility of online learning can put earning a social degree within your reach.

5. Immersion Experience

This three-day MSW component helps set Chamberlain’s program apart from other social worker degree programs. In fact, Ferguson says it’s what sold her on Chamberlain’s program.

“The immersion experience is a good opportunity for students to work through and apply what they’ve learned in their courses to real-life practice,” explains Amanda Morgan, MSW, LCSW-C, director of MSW Field Education. “It’s an opportunity to think about theories, approaches and strategies in a very real scenario, and we hope to see students accessing [what they’ve learned] and using it in the immersion.”

This experience helps lay the groundwork for the MSW practicum, a hands-on opportunity to apply the skills you’ve learned in a social work setting.

Learn More About the MSW Program

These are just five highlights of our CWSE-accredited MSW degree program. You can get more information online or by calling 877.751.5783. You can also learn more about the master’s program and social work careers in our MSW eBook.

Social work is a fast-growing career field with diverse opportunities. If you’re a problem-solver and life-changer, our master’s in social work program can help provide the knowledge and experience you need to find the career opportunities you seek.


Chamberlain University, an accredited institution, offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in nursing and healthcare professions. With a growing network of campuses and robust online programs, Chamberlain continues to build on more than 130 years of excellence in preparing extraordinary healthcare professionals.

Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation. 

Accreditation of a master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process.  An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals and the Commission on Accreditation has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all sections of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. 

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.  

For more information about social work accreditation, you may contact Accreditation.

 

By Chamberlain University

More from Tips for Students

View all >
caregiver with patient in a home setting
Preparing for Your Career as a Family Nurse Practitioner
Read more
nurse smiles while using a smartphone
7 Great Apps for Nursing Students
Read more
nurse holding a patient's hand
The Power of Touch in Nursing
Read more
chamberlain nursing student in scrubs
Chamberlain Student Macartie St. Louis: Small Steps, Heroic…
Read more
Show more >

Request More Information

To receive the Chamberlain University Program Guide, including associated career paths, please select a program of study.

Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Student Portal Login

Main Campus
Addison Campus
1221 North Swift Road
Addison, IL 60101 

National Management Offices
233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800
Chicago, Illinois 60606

All Campus Locations
Contact

Footer Menu Column 1

  • Online Programs
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
  • Alumni Association
  • Chamberlain Marketplace
  • Military
  • Leadership
  • Catalog & Viewbook
  • Transcripts

Footer Menu Column 2

  • Student Portal
  • Student Consumer Info
  • Accreditation
  • Parent Organization
  • CA Performance Fact Sheets
  • CA BPPE Annual Report
  • CA BPPE Website
  • Cost of Attendance

Footer Menu Column 3

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Student Disability Services
  • Office of Nondiscrimination and Access
RELATED CONTENT
  • Master of Social Work (MSW) Online
  • What CSWE Accreditation Tells You About an MSW Program
  • What Can I Do With a Master of Social Work...

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

2025 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.

Footer Menu Line 1

  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • *Students who apply and qualify for the Aspiring Nurse Program must graduate from Chamberlain University’s BSN program, pass the NCLEX-RN, and fulfill employment obligations with SSM Health of up to four years to receive loan repayment. Full coverage requires funding 100% of tuition and fees with student loans. Benefits such as loan repayments may be subject to taxes. 

    † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, ccneaccreditation.org. The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation, www.cswe.org. Detailed accreditation information for Chamberlain’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) programs can be found at this link

    Certified to Operate by SCHEV. 

    To report unresolved complaints to the Illinois Board of Higher Education visit their webpage at https://complaints.ibhe.org/ or by mail to 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, IL 62701-1377. View Chamberlain's complaint process.

    Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.

    Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education Inc. www.adtalem.com
    ©2025 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.