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

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 Mack, 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 135 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