Minimum number of credits required to complete the program: 56
Minimum cumulative GPA required: 3.0
School: School of Education and Social Policy
Learn more about the program
Rooted in Augustinian values and social justice, Merrimack’s two-year graduate degree in social work is designed to prepare you to be an agent of positive change and transform the society in which you live. You will graduate with a master’s degree in social work ready to meet initial social work licensure requirements.
The mission of the Master of Social Work program is to educate autonomous, anti-oppressive graduate-level social workers who come from a strong liberal arts foundation and whose professional identity is grounded in the values & principles of the social work profession. Students will be prepared to serve others with dignity and respect, while being agents of positive social change to transform the local and global society in which they live and work.
The regional location of the MSW program - the only one in the Merrimack Valley (north of Boston and on the border of New Hampshire) has several cities and towns with majority people of color, English language learners, without enough resources - which allows the MSW students a unique opportunity to be engaged in communities with a variety of organizations (local, regional, and state) that engage the social work profession’s purpose and values in meeting the needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities.
Students are guided to be attentive to and professionally curious about people and their environments while promoting human and community well-being, analyzing and applying evidence-based interventions to solve local and global problems that affect the human condition. Students engage in interdisciplinary transformative learning experiences in and out of the classroom that promote the building of positive human relationships with individuals, families, groups, agencies, and communities.
Students focus on strengths, people-in-their-environments, and utilize a variety of culturally humble anti-oppressive prevention and intervention methods. Our focus is on access, equity, diversity, social and economic justice, and ethical, competent, and reflective practice.
The MSW program is dedicated to educating future social work professionals for advanced generalist social work practice-across a variety of systems and levels with a variety of diverse populations. The Program aims to produce leaders who demonstrate and build upon the knowledge and skills of advanced direct social work practice; who exemplify the values and ethics of the profession; and who are responsive to the need for services which display the respect, dignity, and worth of all people, promoting social, economic, and political justice for all groups, especially those confronting discrimination and oppression. The Master of Social Program supports the missions of Merrimack College and the School of Education and Social Policy.
The MSW Program at Merrimack College aims to:
1. build upon students’ liberal arts foundation to help them form a professional identity as an autonomous, anti-oppressive, ethical social worker.
2. equip students to practice with cultural humility while promoting human rights, social and economic justice with respect for diversity.
3. show students how to use strengths-based and people-in-their-environment theories and models to engage with and assess their client systems.
4. foster the use of a wide range of social work knowledge, values, skills, and ethics in all aspects of their professional practice.
5. develop social work practitioners who will engage in scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and use of information technology to inform evidence-based practice.
6. help students recognize the role of social work in responding in a professional manner to socio-political, economic, and environmental issues at the local, national, and global level.
Our Master’s of Social Work is a two-year, 56-credit advanced generalist program with many elective options. We also offer a three to four-semester, 36-credit advanced standing program for students who have earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited institution. Students can also complete the program on a part-time basis in three years (four years maximum). Most courses are offered in the evening to accommodate working students and field education placements, which are primarily during the day.
Merrimack’s social work graduate program creates and provides students with transformative learning experiences in and out of the classroom that positively impact children, youth, families and the greater society. You will engage in a minimum of 900 hours of hands-on practical experience in a local school, community agency, nonprofit, health or mental health center, or another relevant social service-type agency or institution.
The MSW program is divided into required foundation year courses (28 credits), required specialist year courses (20 credits), and electives (8 credits). Foundation year courses and specialist year courses must be taken in a specific sequence. Students should consult the MSW advising forms and meet with their advisor to ensure they are taking the correct courses at the correct time.
Courses taken in summer 2021 through summer 2022 are considered pre-MSW. Students who successfully complete these courses will receive full credit for these courses towards their fall 2022 M.S.W. enrollment.
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