Join Adelphi University’s MSW program, which is one of the country’s highest-ranked master's programs for social work, with flexible schedules, interesting social work courses, helpful learning options and generous new scholarships.
| Starting in Fall 2026, this program will also be offered at our new Manhattan Center. |
Whether you choose to study on Long Island in Garden City (Nassau County), or Hauppauge (Suffolk County), in the Hudson Valley or in the New York City area, Adelphi’s master’s in social work program opens the doors to more career options and a higher salary.
The MSW program provides the preparation necessary for advanced professional social work practice. The social work master’s degree is 64 credits. The generalist master’s in social work curriculum provides the knowledge, skills, values, and ethics essential to all forms and levels of generalist social work practice.
Learn from and interact closely with a distinguished team of faculty members that includes seasoned educators, accomplished researchers, experienced practitioners and advocates.
The Adelphi University School of Social Work prepares students to actively engage in antiracist and anti-oppressive social work practice to promote social justice and human rights for a diverse society. Students will learn to effectively and ethically apply social work knowledge, skills and values and to advocate for social, racial, economic, and ecological justice among diverse and marginalized individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities regionally, nationally, and globally. Through our student-centered curricula, and community engaged programs we provide leadership to advance knowledge and skills to enhance human well-being and the profession.
Our students are phenomenal leaders in the community and the profession. They head agencies and build alliances with organizations to promote well-being and security in society. We are nationally ranked, and that status causes our students to thrive in their fields of practice. Social work is a noble profession. Join us and see what you can aspire to become.
Diann E. Cameron-Kelly, PhD
Associate Provost for Student Success
A year ago, Adelphi received a $1.92 million Interdisciplinary Education and Training Experience (IDEATE) grant. Through our partnerships with premier healthcare institutions, our nursing and social work students work together to help underrepresented children. Read what we’ve accomplished, and how children’s lives were changed.
Making Adelphi’s master’s in social work program more accessible to all is our mission. We offer several options for completing your MSW degree, all of which follow the same sequencing of courses and requirements regardless of whether you are full or part time, at our Long Island locations, the Hudson Valley, the New York City area or online. All programs require you to matriculate in four years and fulfill residency requirements by enrolling in 10 or more credits for two successive semesters. Explore our many social work master’s degree program options to find one that best fits your goals.
Explore the options below to advance your specialization in social work with a graduate certificate program.
Field education is a central component of Adelphi’s MSW graduate program. With this in mind, we offer fieldwork in more than 1,000 diverse health, mental health and social service agencies. Additionally, you’ll gain valuable experience right on our Garden City campus, where the Adelphi University School of Social Work hosts:
By training professionals to treat trauma in youth across the nation, the institute extends the School of Social Work mission far beyond campus.
I joined Adelphi’s MSW program at 53, amidst life challenges, including my daughter’s cancer diagnosis and a global pandemic. Despite uncertainties, the supportive community and dedicated professors made the journey fulfilling. Thanks to my MSW degree from Adelphi, I started working as a social worker at a comprehensive cancer wellness center.
To decide which Master of Social Work degree program is best for you, you should look into accreditation, flexibility, faculty and other important factors.
Applicants for the master’s in social work degree must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and should submit the following:
Note that an interview may also be required at the discretion of the School of Social Work’s Admissions Committee.
All MSW degree applicants are required to have:
Additional information is required from applicants with degrees from non-native English-speaking countries as well as an official TOEFL score of 80 or higher OR IELTS score of 6.5 or higher.
Submit evidence of the following:
With an MSW degree, you can pursue a career as a clinical social worker, school social worker, healthcare social worker, mental health counselor, substance abuse counselor, family therapist, social and community services manager or child welfare specialist. You can also consider a career in research or education or private practice.
Yes. Adelphi’s School of Social Work offers the BSW-MSW Advanced Standing Program here in NY, with which you can earn an MSW in only one year.
You can save on tuition if you receive a Graduate Social Work Scholarship, with awards ranging as high as $20,000. Also, every admitted MSW student at Adelphi is considered for a scholarship of up to $20,000 and each admitted Advanced Standing MSW student at Adelphi is considered for a scholarship of up to $10,000.
Besides these scholarships, you may also qualify for additional stipends through our fellowship programs. Our online MSW students also save—their tuition is 30 percent lower.
We offer several options for completing your MSW degree. All follow the same sequencing of courses and requirements regardless of whether you are full or part time, at our Long Island locations, the Hudson Valley, the New York City area or online. All programs require you to matriculate in four years and fulfill residency requirements by enrolling in 10 or more credits for two successive semesters.
Here are options available at Adelphi:
