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Social Work
The online Advanced Standing Master's in Social Work at UNH offers an accelerated path to professional advancement for recent BSW graduates from CSWE-accredited programs. Here you'll be able to build on your existing social work foundation to prepare for impactful careers across healthcare, education, substance abuse treatment, and child welfare services.
With focused coursework designed for students with strong academic backgrounds (3.2 GPA or higher), our program prepares you for licensure as a clinical social worker while developing advanced skills in policy advocacy and human services. This specialized degree path positions you to make meaningful differences in communities while advancing your professional opportunities in social welfare.
*Number of courses and course credit hours may vary, please reach out to your academic advisor for exact requirements.
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If you have graduated within the last five years with a Bachelor of Social Work from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited program with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better, you are eligible to apply for the advanced standing M.S.W. degree at UNH. Professional social workers make a difference in people’s lives, communities and society. An M.S.W. is a professional degree that will prepare you for work in fields such as healthcare, education, substance abuse, child welfare, employee assistance programs, policy and advocacy, and other human services and social welfare related areas. Additionally, an M.S.W. is the first step toward becoming a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW).
At UNH, you’ll earn a CSWE-accredited M.S.W. from a top-tier research university. You’ll learn from full-time faculty who are passionate about social justice and are experts in their fields of practice. The advanced standing option will allow you to finish your degree in a much shorter timeframe than a traditional M.S.W. program — as few as 12 months in Durham or 16 months online. You’ll also gain hands-on experience while making a difference in your community through a local field internship.
The M.S.W. program considers advanced standing for exceptional students with undergraduate degrees from accredited baccalaureate social work programs. This program option is offered in Durham and online. Applicants must have graduated from the B.S.W. program within five years of matriculation into the M.S.W. program with a 3.2 cumulative GPA or a 3.3 Social Work major GPA. Advanced standing students complete required coursework including a 10-week summer practicum and seminar, which students must take prior to their advanced practice and internship placement.
Complete a minimum of 35 credits.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SW 840 | Implications of Race, Culture, and Oppression for Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SW 900 | Advanced Standing Practice and Internship Seminar | 3 |
| SW 930 | Advanced General Practice III: Clinical Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
| SW 931 | Advanced Generalist Practice IV: Community and Administrative Practice | 3 |
| SW 952 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment III | 3 |
| SW 962 | Data Analysis and Statistics | 3 |
| SW 965 | Program and Practice Evaluation | 3 |
| SW 982 | Internship III (seminar and concurrent internship) | 4 |
| SW 983 | Internship IV (Seminar & Concurrent Internship) | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Select two elective courses, six (6) credits. | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 35 | |
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
Historically, cohorts fill up prior to the above application deadlines. If you are looking to apply for a specific term, please submit your application as early as possible for review.
Application fee: $65
Campus: Durham
New England Regional: No
Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.
NC-SARA does not cover professional licensing board approval for programs leading to state licensure or certification. If the online program that you are considering is designed to lead to professional licensure or certification in your state, please read the professional licensure page at the UNH Online website for more information.
If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.
If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
At least one letter must attest to observed skills in an employment setting that would be indicative of success in the social work and outdoor education field.
Applicants must provide a well-constructed double-spaced essay of 4-5 pages. Please respond to the questions below:
Note: The UNH Department of Social Work does not consider protected class identities in admissions decisions. As such, you are not required to share information in your response that would reveal your race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability status, military, law-enforcement, or veteran status.
A current resume is required with your submitted application.
Applicants must have graduated with their Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) with a minimum of a 3.2 GPA from a CSWE accredited institution within the past 5 years.
This program requires an enrollment deposit of $200. If admitted the deposit will be due by the deadline specified in your admit letter. For more information please see our enrollment deposits help page.
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.
For program-specific application questions, please contact the UNH Online Student Success Coaches: unh.online@unh.edu or 855.250.6699
Can I work full-time and be a MSW student?
No and yes. If you have flexibility in your workplace, meaning working evenings or weekends is an option, then yes. If you work a regular 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday job, with no flexibility, then no. Based on student and agency need, some flexibility in the day and time is possible, but remember that most of the agencies we place in are only open or fully staffed Monday through Friday during daytime hours. Additionally, an intern may not structure his/her internship by only working in the evenings or weekends. As students, it is important to participate in the full range of activities in an agency. Since most agencies are not fully functioning on the weekends or evenings this cannot occur then.
What is the internship placement process?
Once a student is accepted into the program they will receive an invitation to purchase our internship database system, Tevera. After registering for Tevera the internship application must be completed and submitted. An internship coordinator reviews all applications and contacts agencies in students' geographic area to assess agency interest as well as appropriateness for placement. Students may develop a list of possible placements to share with the internship coordinator in their geographic area, however, students do not contact agencies directly. The internship coordinator facilitates all internship placement efforts to prevent duplication of efforts.
Do I have to interview for an internship?
Yes. Your internship will be an educational assignment requiring you to interview with an agency. Prepare for your interview as you would for a job interview. Read everything about the agency you can find, prepare questions to ask them, and be prepared for questions they may ask you. Dress as you would for a job interview and bring a hard copy of your resume to face-to-face interviews.
Will I get my choice of internship site or population?
Internship coordinators work very hard to make a good match for students, however, there are no guarantees that a student will receive their choice of placement or population. There are many factors that go into placement decisions, including educational and work experience, future work interests, the geographic area you live in, and the availability of social service placements in that area. Potential placement availability fluctuates on a regular basis. Students in the program are encouraged to ask questions and engage with the internship coordinators throughout the internship placement process.
How far will I have to travel?
Most MSW students, depending on where they live, travel up to an hour to their placement. Much of this is determined by the geographic area (rural vs. urban, saturation of social service agencies employing MSW’s, etc.). Students should consider this when budgeting for their graduate school expenses.