Editor’s Choice: Top Picks for Our Favorite Social Work Degrees in New York 

Social work isn’t a career that any New Yorker picks on a whim. It’s a tough job and it takes a long time and a lot of training to get into the field. You don’t walk this path unless you have a drive to make a difference in the lives of people struggling in this world.

So it’s equally true that no one gets into social work to do anything less than their very best. When you recognize the stakes of the game, you understand that giving your all is the only option.

To be the best social worker you can be, it’s wise to get the preparation you need from the best program you can find.

And right here on this list is a collection of MSW, BSW, and associate degrees offered through New York’s most respected schools of social work.

Putting Top Options at Every Level of Social Work Study in New York in One Place

Since we’re presenting options at the undergrad and graduate levels, you’ll notice a few of the BSW and MSW programs are offered at the very same schools. That’s no accident. The ability to offer excellence in social work education at the graduate level is an effort that builds on a strong BSW foundation.

And since most students are ultimately aiming for licensed positions as an LCSW or LMSW, there’s every chance you’ll be working your way up through degree levels before you get to that key Master of Social Work degree required for licensure.

While there are plenty of differences between the social work training you get in a two-year associate degree and the high-end graduate education of a master’s, it’s possible to look at many of the same qualities to assess how good these programs can be.

For bachelor’s and master’s programs, our first necessary step is to ensure they hold specialty accreditation from CSWE, the Council on Social Work Education. That ensures that each school has gone through the wringer of an intensive third-party evaluation focused on the quality of their social work education.

The Points We Considered When Selecting Our Favorite MSW, BSW, and Associate Programs for Future New York Social Workers

But that’s true of every program that leads to New York state social work licensure, so we dug even deeper. Our considerations for program selection for this list at every level included factors such as:

Excellent Instructors and Support Staff

Something you’ll learn in any social work program is that personal connections are important. Empathy, encouragement, and genuine interest are crucial in bringing out the best in anyone. That’s just as true in social work education as it is in social work practice… so that’s a quality we look for and find in these elite degree programs. Faculty who have a strong reputation in the community or have been honored with induction into organization like the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare are good signs for schools with excellent programs.

The Right Resources to Boost Your Studies

Everyone needs and deserves sufficient resources to achieve their goals. When you’re on the job, you’ll work yourself ragged to get people what they need to find housing, to get clean from dangerous substances, to get childcare for their kids. As a student, you need a university that delivers research materials, access to advisors, and tutoring to help you across the finish line to a degree. These schools all deliver.

Extra Special Experiential Learning Opportunities

Social work is a field you can’t learn entirely out of a book. On-the-job experience is the only way to connect the classroom lessons to real-world practice. So we look for schools that meet and exceed requirements for getting you out to get your hands dirty in practical, on-the-streets social work training. A campus that has students devoting volunteer hours on their own time to help vulnerable individuals, that offers unique internships at places like the UN, or delivers overseas study options to enhance your cultural appreciation has a good chance of making the list.

Strong Social Justice Relationships and Community Connections

Social work is ultimately about connections. Just as you will cultivate one-on-one relationships with your clients and other providers, social work schools should have strong and deep ties to community assistance organizations and social services organizations in the area. These relationships help you network before you even graduate, opening up chances to participate and learn from ongoing justice and outreach efforts along the way.

Abundant Research Opportunities and Centers of Excellence

Master of Social Work degrees require at least some level of individual research and original thinking about hard problems in human services and society today. That process is made easier by schools that have a notable reputation for research, professors who regularly publish in reputable journals, campus centers for social justice, and partnerships with organizations like the Administration for Children’s Services. For undergraduates, these offer a taste of advanced social work education before you even enroll in a master’s program.

The Information You Need To Make the Best Choices When Preparing To Become a New York Social Worker

All these schools are absolutely first rate places to learn the business of social work. And being among the best schools in New York, the place where American social work was born, means being the best in the nation.

But as you’ll learn every day on the job, there’s no universal fit. Every one of us, as individuals, has our own wants and needs. Those preferences have to be acknowledged and respected.

So we give you a lot of extra detail about each of these programs to help you find the right fit. There’s no one top school in the game; each of them may be the best for any given student.

You’ll make that call for yourself on the basis of information about: