2 years full time without a BSW (traditional path)
Fall
Change The World Today
Ready to become leaders in the field of social work? Our program offers specialized training in micro, mezzo, and macro practices, equipping future social workers with the skills needed to support individuals, communities, and organizations. At the heart of our curriculum is the commitment to helping others and advocating for social change, with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of everyone. Join us in making a lasting impact by advancing social justice and creating positive change in the world.
Why choose siena's social work program?
Become Leaders
Siena’s MSW program provides a rigorous education that prepares graduates for practice with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. This program equips students with essential leadership skills, focusing on self-awareness, self-reflection, and social work values, including anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI). It emphasizes the importance of personal authenticity in leadership and supervisory roles, while grounding practice in assessment, intervention, evaluation, and termination. Additionally, students will gain practical experience in grant writing and fundraising to support their leadership efforts.
facilitate social change
This program deepens students' understanding of oppression in the U.S. across various dimensions, including race, gender, sexuality, and identity. It focuses on building self-awareness and equipping students with conflict resolution and mediation skills to navigate sensitive topics and advance human rights. Through micro, mezzo, and macro practices, students will also explore community organizing tools to advocate for change, challenge systems of injustice, and promote social transformation.
STand out classes
The Advanced Clinical Sequence offers an in-depth exploration of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment strategies tailored for clinical settings. This program empowers students with the advanced skills needed to work with diverse client systems, from individuals to families and communities. The curriculum prepares future social workers to navigate complex clinical challenges, equipping them with the tools to deliver effective, compassionate care that fosters healing and positive outcomes for clients across various contexts.
Experienced educators
Siena's Social Work faculty are deeply committed to preparing the next generation of social workers through hands-on learning and real-world experience. Our professors bring a wealth of expertise across diverse areas of practice, from mental health counseling and child welfare to community advocacy and policy work.
For example, Elisa Martin has extensive experience working with children with special health care needs for the New Mexico Department of Public Health, as well as supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. She has also served as an outreach clinician, providing mental health counseling. Currently, she is involved with Siena’s Interprofessional Complex Care program, where faculty collaborate across disciplines to enhance student training and community impact.
be apart of something special
Siena’s Social Work program is deeply rooted in the Franciscan mission, emphasizing service, social justice, and compassion.
The advanced generalist practice curriculum is built on Siena’s strong Franciscan values and liberal arts tradition, takes advantage of our proximity to the state capital and diversity of the capital region, supports learning of our student body, taps expertise from faculty, students and alumni, and aligns with the expectations of the Council on Social Work Education. Students are equipped to become leaders in the field, ready to make a meaningful impact on both local and global scales, in line with Siena’s commitment to social change and ethical practice.
become a saint
What You'll Learn
Foundational Knowledge: Students will be immersed in social work theories, skills, knowledge, and values, learning how to apply them in real-world practice. Infused in the curriculum is knowledge about social work practice, social policies, and social welfare systems in other countries, as well as the political and economic structures globally that impact clients in the U.S. and around the world.
Field Experience: Classroom learning is complemented by a field practicum experience, with 400 hours in the first year and 500 hours in the second year. The program grounds students’ assessments skills of client experiences using a person-in-environment framework that takes into account racism, oppression, power and privilege.
Advanced Preparation: The program emphasizes translating academic knowledge into hands-on practice, preparing students for effective social work in diverse settings. Faculty also actively encourage students to continually work to understand and articulate how racism, privilege, and white supremacy operate in their life.
Career Opportunities
Clinical Work: Providing therapeutic services to individuals, families, and groups in various settings such as hospitals, private practices, criminal justice facilities and mental health facilities.
Macro Policy Practice: Advocating for social change and influencing policies at local, state, or national levels to improve social systems.
Program Administration: Managing and overseeing social service programs, including nonprofit organizations and government agencies, to ensure effective service delivery.
School Social Work: Supporting students, families, and school communities by addressing mental health, behavioral issues, and academic challenges across all grade levels.
Application Requirements
Your statement of purpose should address the following:
How your values align with Siena University’s mission, Franciscan values, and the MSW program’s mission.
Your motivation for pursuing social work, including your career goals.
Your understanding of racism, privilege, and white supremacy, and how you will address these in your education and career.
Your readiness for the demands of graduate-level coursework.
Include employment history, certificate or licenses held, volunteer/extracurricular activities, leadership roles, honors/awards and education history (submitted online with your application).
Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can address characteristics such as maturity, self-discipline, commitment, cooperativeness and professionalism.
Letters must be written by those who can attest to an applicant’s potential for graduate study and social work practice (e.g., professor, supervisor or community leader).
For advanced standing applicants, one letter must come from the field supervisor, field liaison, BSW faculty member or BSW program director who can articulate students’ readiness for advance standing.
Letters from those an applicant has a personal relationship with (e.g., relative, friend or neighbor) will not be accepted.
Official Transcripts are required from all post-secondary institutions which you have earned college credit. Unofficial copies may be uploaded for the purpose of application review, but official copies are required prior to enrollment.
Also, if you earned your undergraduate degree outside of the United States, an evaluated transcript is required by a recognized member of The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES.) Our preferred evaluators are World Education Services, Inc. or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
Those graduating with a BSW degree must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 in their required social work courses to be considered for advanced standing.
Transcripts and evaluations should be emailed directly to our registrar at transcriptreceiving@siena.edu or mailed to the address below:
Siena University Registrar's Office 515 Loudon Road Loudonville, NY 12211
Official TOEFL, IELTS or DUOLINGO Test Scores are required from international students whose native language is not English. All English examination scores are considered valid up to two years after the testing date. Certificates of Instruction may be considered if English was the medium of instruction for undergraduate studies.
Siena University Registrar's Office 515 Loudon Road Loudonville, NY 12211
*Siena Master of Social Work program is currently in pre-candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). Pre-candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the BOA indicates that it submitted an application to be reviewed for candidacy and received approval of its Benchmark 1 from CSWE accreditation staff to move forward for a candidacy review within 1-year. A program that has attained pre-candidacy status has not yet been reviewed by the BOA nor verified to be compliant with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Students that are admitted to pre-candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Candidacy is typically a 3-year process and attaining pre-candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain candidacy and initial accreditation. Pre-candidacy applies to all program options, which includes locations and delivery methods. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program. Review our program’s pre-candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.
