Social Work at Stony Brook
This school appears on our ranking of 20 High-value BSW Degrees in Metro Areas with Top Salaries for Social Workers.
Stony Brook University offers both a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program and a Master of Social Work (MSW) program. The BSW program functions like a Bachelor of Science program. Students will spend their first two years in the program taking general education courses and other required classes. They then spend their final two years taking advanced social work classes and doing an extensive internship. Students earn a minimum of 12 credits for their internship work.
The university helps students find and secure placements in agencies across the state. Though some students will want to work in the heart of New York City, others will want to work for smaller agencies on Long Island. Students can work in mental health clinics, homeless shelters, government agencies and for other groups. Some of the classes that students take include Political Economy of Social Welfare, Human Behavior and the Social Environment and Practice Processes in Social Work.
Students enrolled in the MSW program can pick a concentration in health, trauma, substance abuse, community and political social action or social work in higher education. The program features a number of required classes, including Social Work Practice, Foundations of Social Justice, Advanced Social Work Micro Practice, Advanced Social Work Macro Practice and Parameters of Social and Health Policy.
The graduate program includes some fieldwork as well. Students will need to take at least one semester of classes and maintain a high grade point average before applying to do a fieldwork experience. The university offers support for students who need help finding a place to work. Students take a Social Work Practice Skills class each time that they do fieldwork. SUNY Stony Brook requires that social work students do at least four placements before they graduate and gives them at least four credits for their work. The university now offers a Ph.D. in Social Welfare that covers some of the same subjects as doctoral programs in social work do.
About Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University is just one of the names given to the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Founded in 1957 as the State University College on Long Island, the university initially offered a number of education programs and trained teachers who later worked in cities across the state. As its enrollment grew, the university added new programs that allowed students to earn degrees in business, nursing, and other fields. As it is now part of the SUNY system, the university goes by the name of SUNY Stony Brook. Some call it Stony Brook University or just plain Stony Brook.
The university is now one of the largest employers in Long Island and one of the largest schools in the area. It operates three campuses that have a total enrollment of more than 25,000 students. The largest of those is its West Campus. It also has a Southampton Campus and an East Campus. Though it once operated a campus in Manhattan, it later shut down this branch. Stony Brook ranks as one of the best colleges in America, according to U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, Washington Monthly and ARWU. U.S. News & World Report and similar publications also rank Stony Brook University as one of the best schools of higher learning in the world.
Stony Brook University Accreditation Details
SUNY Stony Brook is one of the only schools in New York with accreditation from the Council on Social Work Accreditation (CSWA). CSWA accreditation lets students know that they will learn the skills needed to work in the social work field. The university also has accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This is the regional accreditation needed for students seeking financial aid. Stony Brook also has accreditation for some of its other degree programs.
Stony Brook University Application Requirements
Stony Brook offers three options for undergrads who want to apply. Prospective students can use the Common Application, the Coalition Application or the SUNY Application. The first two sites allow students to enter their information and use that information to apply to any school listed on either site. Students can use the SUNY application to apply to any college or university that is a part of the SUNY system. Each method requires that students pay a $50 application fee. Undergrads must supply the university with an official high school transcript, official standardized test score and a recommendation form filled out by a teacher or guidance counselor. Students who submit their applications by the priority deadline of January 15 will receive an answer by April 1.
All graduate programs available through Stony Brook use the same online application. Students pay a $100 fee when they submit their applications. The application includes a personal statement section that requires students write a short essay on what they want to study and why they chose Stony Brook. All graduate programs ask for an official score from the GRE and for three letters of recommendation. Students can submit letters written by employers, teachers and their peers.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The amount that students pay in tuition each year depends on whether they are New York residents and whether they are undergrad or graduate students. Undergrad New York residents pay $6,670 per year, but they also pay more than $2,600 in miscellaneous fees. Nonresident undergrads pay the same amount in fees but face tuition rates of more than $24,000 a year. Graduate students pay a little over $560 per credit hour, which includes all university fees. Full-time graduate students who are New York residents will pay around $7,650 a year, while nonresident graduate students pay closer to $13,400 a year.
More than 60% of SBU undergrads receive grants, and those students receive an average of more than $8,000 in grants every year. A large number of undergrads also receive federal funds and aid from the university itself. Undergrads will use the FAFSA to see if they qualify for any type of government aid, but they can use the university's scholarship application to apply for scholarship funds. SBU offers grants for graduate students that range in size from $500 to $10,000 a year. It also has fellowships and research/teaching positions open on its campus for graduate students. Stony Brook University graduate students can use the FAFSA to see if they qualify for government loans too.
For more information about SBU's School of Social Welfare, click here.