Connecticut has 6 CSWE-accredited MSW programs anchored by the University of Connecticut School of Social Work in Hartford, the oldest and most comprehensively resourced program in the state. UConn, accredited since 1949, stands out in the region for its International Social Work concentration, one of the few in New England, and a dual-degree portfolio that includes Law, Public Health, Business Administration, and Theology or Divinity. The Theology or Divinity dual degree, facilitated by Hartford Seminary's location in the same city, is an unusual partnership that reflects UConn's Hartford-based social work school and the region's concentration of seminaries and faith-based social services organizations.
Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, accredited since 1982, provides the most affordable public-university MSW in southern Connecticut, with practicum access to Yale New Haven Health and the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Quinnipiac University in North Haven adds two clinically focused concentrations, Healthcare and Mental Health, alongside an MSW/JD dual degree. University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford offers a Community Development and Equitable Practice concentration that distinguishes it from the primarily clinical offerings of most Connecticut programs. Sacred Heart University in Fairfield and Fairfield University (now fully online) serve the Fairfield County market, one of the most economically stratified regions in the country.
Connecticut's social work licensing structure is distinctive in the same way as Georgia's: the state issues only two license levels, the LMSW and the LCSW, with no bachelor's-level social work credential. MSW graduates apply for the LMSW after passing the ASWB Master's examination, then accumulate 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience over at least 24 months before qualifying for the LCSW. Connecticut social worker wages are among the highest in New England due to the state's high cost of living, with healthcare social workers earning a median of approximately $66,000 per year.
All 6 CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs in Connecticut
Scored on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking. All data sourced from the CSWE accreditation directory and official program pages (.edu). Accreditation years are Initial Accreditation Dates from the CSWE directory. UConn CSWE locations: Hartford (1949-present), Online (2024-present), Stamford (2025-present). USJ Mansfield Center site listed in CSWE as 2024-2025 (closed 2025). Fairfield University closed Fairfield campus 2024; program now fully online. Connecticut issues only LMSW and LCSW licenses; no bachelor's-level social work license.
- #1
University of Connecticut School of Social Work
Hartford, CT · On-Campus or Online
8.3
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1949Why It Ranks Here
The University of Connecticut School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1949, the longest continuous accreditation history of any Connecticut program, and is recognized among the top-ranked MSW programs in the Northeast by U.S. News and World Report. Two concentrations are offered: International Social Work and a macro and community practice concentration, with the International Social Work concentration being one of the few in New England and suited for graduates pursuing global health, international development, refugee and immigration services, and transnational human rights practice. Dual-degree programs are available with Business Administration (MBA), Law (JD), Public Health (MPH), and Theology or Divinity (through Hartford Seminary), with the Theology or Divinity dual degree facilitated by UConn's Hartford campus location. Online delivery launched in 2024 and the program expanded to a Stamford campus in 2025, increasing access along the Fairfield County and Stamford corridor. Advanced Standing is available. UConn is Connecticut's flagship R1 research university and a member of the Association of American Universities.
Public (University of Connecticut, R1 flagship). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #2
Southern Connecticut State University Department of Social Work
New Haven, CT · On-Campus or Online
7.2
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1982Why It Ranks Here
Southern Connecticut State University's Department of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1982, the second-longest continuous accreditation of any Connecticut program. Two concentrations are offered: Clinical or Direct Practice and Community Development and Social Systems, along with a dual-degree option (Other). Online delivery was added in 2023. Advanced Standing is available. SCSU is a public university in New Haven, the second-largest city in Connecticut and home to Yale New Haven Health, one of the largest and most prestigious academic medical systems in New England. The program's New Haven base provides access to Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale Psychiatric Hospital, and the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC), operated jointly by Yale University and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, among the most significant practicum and employment networks for clinical social work students in the state. SCSU's public tuition is among the lowest of any Connecticut MSW program, making it the most affordable accredited MSW option in the New Haven area.
Public (Southern Connecticut State University). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #3
Quinnipiac University School of Health Sciences, Social Work Program
North Haven, CT · On-Campus or Online
6.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2013Why It Ranks Here
Quinnipiac University's Social Work Program received CSWE accreditation in 2013 and offers two concentrations: Healthcare and Mental Health, both clinically focused and aligned to Connecticut's strong healthcare and behavioral health labor markets. A dual-degree program is available with Law (JD), located at Quinnipiac's School of Law on the North Haven campus, positioning graduates for roles in health law, elder law, mental disability law, and social work and legal advocacy. Online delivery was added in 2024. Advanced Standing is available. Quinnipiac is a private university in North Haven, adjacent to New Haven, with practicum placement access to Yale New Haven Health, MidState Medical Center, and the dense behavioral health and community health network of south-central Connecticut. The Law dual degree and the two clinically oriented concentrations make QU a strong option for students pursuing social work practice in healthcare or legal settings.
Private (Quinnipiac University). Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page → - #4
University of Saint Joseph School of Health and Human Services
West Hartford, CT · On-Campus
6.2
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2014Why It Ranks Here
The University of Saint Joseph's MSW program received CSWE accreditation in 2014 and offers a Community Development and Social Systems concentration with an emphasis on equitable community practice, an approach that centers racial equity, community organizing, and structural social change alongside direct service. The program operates from West Hartford and New London; the Mansfield Center site, which operated briefly in 2024-2025, has closed. Advanced Standing is available. USJ is a private Catholic-affiliated university in West Hartford, adjacent to Hartford, with practicum access to Hartford HealthCare, Trinity Health-Saint Francis Hospital, and Hartford's large network of community health, behavioral health, and social services organizations. The Community Development concentration and equity-centered curriculum distinguish USJ's program from the primarily clinical concentrations offered by most Connecticut private programs. No online delivery is currently listed.
Private (University of Saint Joseph, Catholic-affiliated). Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page → - #5
Sacred Heart University School of Social Work
Fairfield, CT · On-Campus or Online
6.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2016Why It Ranks Here
Sacred Heart University's School of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2016 and offers two concentrations: Clinical or Direct Practice and Community Development and Social Systems. Online delivery has been available since 2018, giving SHU one of the longer online delivery histories among Connecticut private programs. Advanced Standing is available. Sacred Heart is a private university in Fairfield in southwestern Connecticut's Fairfield County, the wealthiest county in Connecticut and one of the wealthiest in the United States. Fairfield County's paradoxical combination of extreme wealth (Greenwich, Darien, Westport) and concentrated urban poverty (Bridgeport, Norwalk) creates a distinctive social work practice environment. Bridgeport, the largest city in Connecticut, has some of the highest poverty and childhood poverty rates in the state and generates substantial demand for child welfare, community mental health, and family services social workers. SHU's Fairfield campus positions it as the primary local MSW program for the Fairfield County social work labor market.
Private (Sacred Heart University). Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page → - #6
Fairfield University Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions
Online, CT · Online
5.5
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2019Why It Ranks Here
Fairfield University's MSW program received CSWE accreditation in 2019 and initially operated from the Fairfield campus, transitioning to fully online delivery in 2023 before closing the on-campus option in 2024. A Clinical or Direct Practice concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. Fairfield is a private Jesuit-affiliated university in Fairfield, Connecticut; the online MSW does not mandate a religious curriculum and graduates are fully prepared for secular licensure and employment. The 2019 accreditation date and recent campus closure account for the lower ranking relative to longer-established Connecticut programs. Students arrange local field placements in their home communities. The program provides an additional fully online option for students in Connecticut and nationally seeking a Jesuit-affiliated private university MSW.
Private (Fairfield University, Jesuit-affiliated). Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page →
Job Market for MSW Graduates in Connecticut
Hartford is Connecticut's capital and a major social work labor market. Hartford HealthCare, the largest health system in Connecticut, employs clinical and medical social workers across Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, and its regional network of hospitals and clinics. Trinity Health-Saint Francis Hospital and Saint Francis Care add additional healthcare social work employment in the Hartford metro. The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), headquartered in Hartford, is the primary public-sector child welfare employer in the state, with social workers across all 6 regional offices and 17 area offices. The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) operates community mental health centers across the Hartford region, employing MSW-level clinicians across adult behavioral health, substance use, and crisis services.
New Haven is Connecticut's second major social work labor market, shaped primarily by Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), one of the most prominent academic health systems in the Northeast. Yale New Haven Hospital, Smilow Cancer Hospital, and Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital employ clinical and medical social workers in highly specialized settings. The Connecticut Mental Health Center, jointly operated by Yale University and DMHAS, is one of the nation's foremost public academic mental health centers and a major training and employment site for clinical social workers in the region. New Haven's own social service needs are substantial: the city has among the highest poverty rates in Connecticut, with persistent child welfare, housing instability, and behavioral health workforce demands.
Fairfield County is Connecticut's third distinctive social work market and one of the most economically stratified in the country. Greenwich, Darien, Westport, and New Canaan are among the wealthiest communities in the United States, generating social work positions in private practice, employee assistance programs, and school social work with high median incomes. Bridgeport, the largest city in Connecticut and one of the poorest in New England, sits within the same county, generating an entirely different set of social work needs: child welfare, community mental health, housing, domestic violence, and community development. This coexistence of extreme wealth and concentrated poverty within a single county creates an unusual and diverse social work labor market for graduates of Sacred Heart University and UConn's new Stamford site.
The broader Connecticut health care economy, driven by major insurance company headquarters (Cigna in Bloomfield, Aetna in Hartford), a large hospital network, and proximity to New York City's social work market for graduates near the state's southwestern border, creates both higher wages and greater employment diversity than most New England states of similar size.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Connecticut; Connecticut DPH, Social Work Licensure.
How We Ranked These Programs
Each program is scored on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking. The state ranking uses identical criteria and weights. No Connecticut-specific adjustments are made. Programs are ordered by composite score. For the full methodology, see our ranking methodology page.
- CSWE Accreditation (25%): Active accreditation status and continuous accreditation history.
- Program Leadership (15%): Faculty credentials, research output, and peer-assessment scores.
- Pathways (15%): Concentration variety, Advanced Standing availability, and dual-degree options.
- Delivery Format (15%): Online, hybrid, and in-person availability; start-term flexibility.
- Employer Signal (15%): Field placement hours required, practicum site depth, and documented placement infrastructure.
- Cost & Affordability (10%): Published tuition per credit or per year, in-state vs. out-of-state differential.
- Reputation (5%): U.S. News peer-assessment scores and institutional recognition.