Academics Overview

Simmons School of Social Work (SSW) is renowned for its curriculum, which focuses on clinical social work. Our online Master of Social Work (MSW) features the same curriculum as our on-campus program, and we set the same high academic standards for all of our students.

A program grounded in direct practice, our MSW curriculum blends education and practice with social justice values and multicultural perspectives. Coursework is created to prepare students for careers in clinical settings and covers a range of content, including clinical social work practice, racism and oppression, assessment and diagnosis, social welfare policy, human behavior, research, and program evaluation.

See featured course descriptions here.

Curricular Pathways

SocialWork@Simmons students can choose one of five curricular pathways, including four Specialized Courses of Study:

Individualized Course of Study (ICS)
Child and Family
Trauma and Interpersonal Violence
Mental Health and Addictions
Health and Aging

Program Requirements

SocialWork@Simmons offers a traditional program that requires the completion of 65 credit hours. The traditional program is available on an accelerated, full-time, and extended (part-time) basis. The accelerated program can be completed in 15 months, the full-time program can be completed in 24 months, and the extended program can be completed in 32 months.

Field Placement

As with our on-campus program, field experience is the cornerstone of SocialWork@Simmons. Students are required to complete a minimum of 1,120 hours of field placement in approved agency settings, located in or near students’ home communities.