The UNE On-Campus M.S.W.
UNE's on-campus Master of Social Work option offers you traditional face-to-face learning in small, intimate classes with engaged faculty on our Portland, Maine campus. Our teaching is consistently high quality, and you will leave each class feeling transformed.
We offer select hybrid course options, which combine opportunities for in-person teacher and peer interaction with the flexibility of asynchronous distance learning. Such programming helps students manage their busy schedule while staying on track with learning.
Download a one-page info sheet on UNE's on-campus Master of Social Work by completing the form below.
On-Campus Learning for Busy People
Hear the benefits of studying on campus in Portland, Maine.
Field Education
Field education is a cornerstone of social work training. As a school, we demonstrate our commitment to providing meaningful opportunities to do work in the field by offering personalized field planning, an emphasis on student choice, attentive field supervision, and a supportive weekly field seminar.
Flexible Program Timelines
UNE’s on-campus M.S.W. is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of busy students. The program can be completed in two to four years depending on course load each semester, and the Advanced Standing Track can be completed in one to two years.
Traditional Track
- Two years, full-time
- Three or four years, part-time
Advanced Standing Track
- One year, full-time
- Two year, part-time
Hybrid Course Options
Our M.S.W. program is campus-based but offers some hybrid course options for those who desire greater flexibility. Hybrid courses meet once every third week and the remainder of the course material is taught online
Enriching Certificate Options
We offer two unique certificates you can achieve as part of obtaining your M.S.W.
Applied Arts and Social Justice
With our Applied Arts and Social Justice certificate, you integrate your passion for expressive arts with community activism, transformation, and healing.
Trauma-Informed Practice
Our Trauma-Informed Practice certificate prepares you to become a practitioner versed in trauma theory, the neurobiology of complex trauma, and the effects of working with trauma.
Videos: Hear from current M.S.W. Students
Meg Campbell ’24
Tom Foley ’23
Belle Bocal ’24
How You'll Learn Through Action
We emphasize learning through experiences. Faculty members, in partnership with other UNE resources and community organizations, offer several innovative, context-based learning opportunities for you.
Community-Based Classrooms
You participate in classes that take place in community settings. For example:
- Our course on Empowering Cultural Education, designed and co-taught by Maine immigrant community leaders.
- A course on aging that takes you into an independent living residence for older adults.
Community-Based Action
You engage in projects supported by UNE’s Office of Service Learning. Some of the programs you might work with include the Oxford Street Shelter, Milestone Home, and the Cumberland County Jail.
Interprofessional Learning
You benefit from classroom, co-curricular, and extracurricular learning opportunities along with students enrolled in other health and humanities programs at UNE. For example:
- Enhance your classroom experience, clinical practice, and future prospects by participating in the Intensive Team-Based Learning (IPTI) experience. Employers are seeking graduates trained in collaboration because evidence shows that high-functioning teams can improve quality care delivery and reduce medical missteps.
- Strategies to Nurture Aging People (SNAP) presents an exciting experience in which you work with faculty and other students to design and implement a fall prevention course for older adults. Your team learns about interprofessional communication, fall reduction strategies, health literacy, and more.
- The interdisciplinary playgroup brings you together with Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Nursing majors to learn about childhood development, early intervention and health promotion.
Clinical Simulation
You will develop your skills in UNE’s Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center, converting theory into practice in simulated therapy sessions with actors. The sessions are recorded so that you can later review your work.
Global Social Work
Twice per year, you have the opportunity to join other Social Work majors and majors from other allied health programs at UNE to travel to western Ghana. Through the trip, you provide direct care services, community health education, and other support to individuals living in urban and rural communities.