Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the Wurzweiler Master of Social Work program is an affordable and rigorous graduate program designed for a student who wishes to enter the field of Social Work. This 60-credit graduate degree will shape your passion for social work through a methods-based curriculum and guide you toward new opportunities to live your purpose in social and clinical casework, social group work and community social administration.
The program features dedicated and exceptionally culturally sensitive professors with years of expertise in the field of social work and the Jewish community. This ensures a program that is practical, rigorous, and appropriate for the frum male. If social work is in your future, this is the program for you.
The Wurzweiler 60-credit MSW offers two tracks:
Accelerated Track: 5 semesters (18 months) — begins each January
Part-time/ Leadership Track: 7 semesters (24 months) — begins each May
The Accelerated Track is geared towards individuals who are ready to earn their degree in the shortest amount of time possible. Students who join this cohort need to invest in the program and the internships time constraints in order to complete their degree at a faster pace. This program is five semesters long.
Please note: The Accelerated cohorts begin each January.
The Part-time/ Leadership Track is designed to accommodate individuals who are seeking to balance an existing career with a college workload at a manageable pace. While the Leadership program will take additional months to complete (7 semesters total), students will receive the same elite-level learning experience. If you are busy with a career but have your heart set on becoming a social worker, this is the entry point for you.
Please note: The Part-time/ Leadership cohorts begin each May.
The MSW program is offered entirely online. The online courses are offered through our unique Sara Schenirer Anywhere live-online format. This platform allows us to offer all classes online in a synchronous format where students and professors see, speak, and hear each other in real time.
Wurzweiler’s experienced practicum coordinators maintain a vast network of contacts and do their utmost to ensure suitable placements for you. We recognize that the quality of the practicum experience is important to you from a professional and hashkafic standpoint, and every effort is expended to locate opportunities for our students that will complement their needs and standards. Students will also benefit from ongoing contact and support from our highly attentive practicum coordinators.
Partner college(s):
Program Location(s):
- Live Online
Unique Features
ACTIVE PRACTICES
CARE CAFES
Learning isn’t just in the classroom. Free, ongoing monthly seminars called Care Cafes are offered to all our students and alumni. Hosted and enriched by leading experts, Care Cafes address special topics and interventions that may not be extensively covered in the classroom. They constitute another layer of learning that takes your educational and career experience to the next level.
COACHING IN YOUR INTERNSHIPS
Social work students spend extensive amounts of time working in the field, gaining valuable hands-on experience that complements their learning. Our field planners are successful clinicians themselves who are there every step of the way to provide unparalleled, responsive guidance and support.
EMBEDDED CASAC CERTIFICATION
GOALS FOR EACH STUDENT
We know our students. If you’re here, it’s because we believe in you. We’re committed to ensuring you are the very best you can be until graduation and beyond. Our individualized student plans are designed to promote every student’s learning, growth and development to maximize their strengths and work through their challenges.
HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSORS
Having the opportunity to learn from professors who are leaders in the field, yet humble, down-to-earth, and relatable, creates unparalleled opportunities for learning. You simply can’t compare learning from a teacher to learning from a role model who’s been there and is eager to share his wisdom and expertise with you.
INDIVIDUALIZED FEEDBACK
Our professors, student counselors, and field planners consistently provide specific feedback to each student, intended to help them develop as professionals in the best possible way. We deliver the messages you need to succeed in a way that is sensitive, thoughtful, and always for the purpose of helping you reach your dreams.
PRIVATE SUPERVISION
Students receive individual, ongoing supervision for all of their cases in the field, ensuring the tools and skills they learn in the classroom are transferable to their day-to-day work. Their field experiences, both successes and struggles, are brought back to the classroom, resulting in an unmatched 360-degree environment of learning.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID
We partner with Project Chai to offer our students a unique extracurricular opportunity to earn a certificate in Psychological First Aid (PFA). Live classes with Dr. David Fox and Project Chai’s first responders give our students a chance to learn the fundamentals of working with people in the wake of crises and tragedies. Students who earn the certificate have the chance to join Project Chai’s full training program and become interventionists in their communities.
TWO ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
FAQ
Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the Wurzweiler Master of Social Work program is an affordable and rigorous graduate program designed for a student who wishes to enter the field of Social Work. This 60-credit graduate degree will shape your passion for social work through a methods-based curriculum and guide you toward new opportunities to live your purpose in social and clinical casework, social group work and community social administration.
We are proud to have partnered with Wurzweiler School of Social Work, a prestigious college featuring a world-class Social Work department. Founded as part of Yeshiva University in 1957, the Wurzweiler School of Social Work is proud to be part of a university system that has ranked No. 1 in New York and No. 2 in the nation for students in advanced degree programs.
The MSW degree program provided by Wurzweiler School of Social Work is fully accredited by NYS and the CSWE. Students in the MSW program at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work are continuously preparing for state license exams throughout their course of study, and both current students and graduates have access to their continuing professional education (CPE) programs. Immediately upon graduation, students are eligible to submit an Application for Licensure and First Registration. Once the application and fees are processed and approved, students are able to schedule and complete the licensure exam for their state.
Wurzweiler School of Social Work is on the approved list of universities to receive Israeli licensure. Upon moving to Israel, Wurzweiler will assist its graduates with the process.
The Wurzweiler 60-credit MSW offers two tracks:
Accelerated Track: 5 semesters (18 months)
Part-time/ Leadership Track: 7 semesters (24 months)
The Accelerated Track is geared towards individuals who are ready to earn their degree in the shortest amount of time possible. Students who join this cohort need to invest in the program and the internships time constraints in order to complete their degree at a faster pace. This program is five semesters long.
Please note: The Accelerated cohorts begin each January.
The Part-time/ Leadership Track is designed to accommodate individuals who are seeking to balance an existing career with a college workload at a manageable pace. While the Leadership program will take additional months to complete (7 semesters total), students will receive the same elite-level learning experience. If you are busy with a career but have your heart set on becoming a social worker, this is the entry point for you.
Please note: The Part-time/ Leadership cohorts begin each May.
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (Yeshiva degree/ BTL accepted)
- Minimum Undergraduate 3.5 GPA
* Students with a lower GPA may have their applications considered for provisional acceptance.
Students will be requested to demonstrate English language writing proficiency and reading comprehension via an English Placement Exam offered by Sara Schenirer.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept transfer credits at this time.
The entire program is offered online. Additionally, the men’s cohort features only male professors and is designed to meet the busy schedules of frum men.
To ease the travel burden on our students while retaining the essential in-class component of successful social work programs, this program is offered fully online utilizing our live-online platform.
At the commencement of the program, students are required to attend a two-day on-site orientation session at Sara Schenirer’s flagship location in Brooklyn, NY. No exceptions will be granted to this policy. At the orientation, policies, practicum requirements, and program requirements are reviewed and discussed, and students meet their professors, fellow classmates, and senior Sara Schenirer and Wurzweiler faculty.
For the Accelerated Track: Depending on the semester, classes are offered two/ three weeknights.
For the Part-time/ Leadership Track: Depending on the semester, classes are offered one/ two weeknights.
Unfortunately, due to legalities within the Israeli Ministry of Education, this program cannot be done while living in Israel.
Practicum is an integral component of a successful social work program. Beginning the second semester, students will be required to perform 14-21 hours of practicum per week. For those that qualify, there may be consideration to complete some hours of their workplace under additional supervision provided by Wurzweiler.
Wurzweiler’s experienced practicum coordinators maintain a vast network of contacts and will do their utmost to ensure suitable placements for you. We recognize that the quality of the practicum experience is important to you from a professional and hashkafic standpoint, and every effort is expended to locate opportunities for our students that will complement their needs and standards. Students will also benefit from ongoing contact and support from our highly attentive practicum coordinators.
Students who live in out-of-town communities will be active participants in the internship process. They will have the support of the practicum department to help them identify potential internship opportunities in their area that can be developed with the help of the practicum department.
Accelerated Track: Students who enroll through Sara Schenirer are eligible to receive a substantial tuition discount which reduces the price to just $870 per credit. The full cost for this degree is $52,200 ($870 per credit x60) plus a $1500 university fee.
Part-time/ Leadership Track: Tuition for the Part-time track is the same as the Accelerated track. However, this track allows for students to do their internship part-time which can result in an additional fee of $650 per practicum extension. Students typically need two extensions during their time in the program.
Please note: The listed tuition costs are accurate as of the time of writing, but are not guaranteed. Please ask our advisor for updated pricing.
At the graduate level, financial aid is available in the form of loans that can cover the full cost of the degree. Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 per year through the federal unsubsidized direct loan program. After the origination fee, the remaining balance due can be paid by semester or on a monthly payment plan. Wurzweiler offers a ten-month payment plan as well.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be completed online at this link. Wurzweiler’s FAFSA school code is 002903. Be sure to complete the correct year’s application.
Additionally, there are a number of scholarships open to Jewish graduate students for which we encourage you to apply:
Helen B and Lewis E Goldstein Scholarship Fund – The Helen B and Lewis E Goldstein Scholarship Fund is open to Jewish full-time students enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate school in the United States.
HRSA Grant – The HRSA Grant is available for students entering their second year of fieldwork. Eligible students receive $10,000 towards their education. They are then placed with “At-Risk Adolescents” in several different settings/ agencies within NYC’s five boroughs and must commit to working with these adolescents for two years post-Master’s.
Rose Biller Scholarship Fund – The Rose Biller Scholarship Fund is open to Jewish residents of NYC’s five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island with financial need. It provides scholarships to Jewish men and women with significant economic need attending undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools.
Samuel Lemberg Scholarship Loan Fund – The Samuel Lemberg Scholarship Loan Fund provides interest-free loans to aid Jewish undergraduate and graduate college students who exhibit exceptional academic achievement and face financial difficulties pursuing a higher education. These loans must be repaid within ten years of graduation or termination of studies.
To get more information on these scholarships, please reach out to each organization directly. Please check scholarship websites for availability and deadlines. Scholarships are not available every semester.
To request an application, please submit this form.
When completing the application, you will also be requested to supply:
- Undergraduate Transcript(s)
- Essay explaining why you wish to attend Sara Schenirer/Wurzweiler
- Two References
- Two Letters of Recommendation
- Personal Photograph
- Non-refundable Application Fee
Even if you do not have these available at the time of application, we recommend submitting your application immediately and submitting the requested documents as they become available.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to call our office 718-633-8557 ext. 50 or email rpelberg@sarasch.myiqsolutionsllp.in, and as always, we will be happy to assist you further.
Course Listing
SWK 6003
Generalist Social Work Practice I
SWK 6100
HBSE
SWK 6135
Cultural Diversity
SWK 6704
SWK 6004
Generalist Social Work Practice II
SWK 6201
Social Welfare Organization
SWK 6402
Applied Methods in SW Research
SWK 6685
Trauma
SWK 6013/ 6023/6033
Advanced Practice I
SWK 6210
Social Welfare Policy
SWK 6111
SWK 6702
SWK 6014/6024/6034
SWK 6401
SWK 6132
SWK 6694
SWK 6901
SWK 6531C
Generalist Practicum I (300 hrs)
SWK 6532C
Generalist Practicum II (300 hrs)
SWK 6535C
Advanced Practicum I (300 hrs)
SWK 6536C
Advanced Practicum II (300 hrs)
Where can your degree take you?
Counseling Services
Social work counselors listen to and offer support for their clients, typically in a private practice setting. They use tools like psychotherapy to assess their client’s mental health. They also help clients access other social services.
Child Welfare Services
Child welfare social workers advocate for children suffering from abuse, neglect, or disability. Those working for adoption agencies also help families with adoptions and foster care services. They work in schools, government agencies, and family service agencies.
Community Mental Health Center
Mental health social workers focus on clients who suffer from mental illness. They usually work as part of a team of psychologists, therapists, and counselors. These social workers help clients find employment, housing, jobs, and other services, as well as help with day-to-day living.
Social Services
Social services workers provide community services such as food subsidies, homeless shelters, job training, and medical care. They also help people connect to and properly use these services.
Nursing Home
Nursing home social workers advocate for their clients’ general wellbeing. They protect elderly patients against abuse and support clients and their families through medical, financial, and emotional decisions.
Hospital
Hospital social workers help patients navigate the financial, emotional, and social implications of an illness or medical condition. They support patients’ families and serve as a point of communication between patients, their families, and doctors.
Health Care
Health care social workers work in hospitals, clinics, outpatient health centers, and hospice centers. They help patients understand the financial, emotional, and social repercussions of their condition. Sometimes they help clients navigate medical options or create end-of-life plans.
