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.
Which MSW programs in Connecticut are CSWE-accredited?
Every CSWE-accredited MSW program in the state is listed here, 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 · CSWE-accredited since 1949
8.3
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingThe University of Connecticut School of Social Work holds the longest continuous accreditation history of any Connecticut program, dating to 1949, 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.
University of Connecticut School of Social Work - #2
Southern Connecticut State University Department of Social Work
New Haven, CT · On-Campus or Online · CSWE-accredited since 1982
7.2
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingSouthern Connecticut State University's Department of Social Work holds the second-longest continuous accreditation of any Connecticut program, dating to 1982. 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.
Southern Connecticut State University Department of Social Work - #3
Quinnipiac University School of Health Sciences, Social Work Program
North Haven, CT · On-Campus or Online · CSWE-accredited since 2013
6.8
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingQuinnipiac University's Social Work Program 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.
Quinnipiac University School of Health Sciences, Social Work Program - #4
University of Saint Joseph School of Health and Human Services
West Hartford, CT · On-Campus · CSWE-accredited since 2014
6.2
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingThe University of Saint Joseph's MSW program 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.
University of Saint Joseph School of Health and Human Services - #5
Sacred Heart University School of Social Work
Fairfield, CT · On-Campus or Online · CSWE-accredited since 2016
6.0
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingSacred Heart University's School of Social Work 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.
Sacred Heart University School of Social Work - #6
Fairfield University Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions
Online, CT · Online · CSWE-accredited since 2019
5.5
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingFairfield University's MSW program 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.
Fairfield University Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions
How long does an MSW take in Connecticut, and what does it cost?
An MSW in Connecticut takes two years of full-time study, and what it costs turns mostly on whether the program is public or private. The Master of Social Work here is built on 60 credits and 900 hours of supervised field placement. Every one runs an Advanced Standing track, which finishes the degree in about a year for BSW holders. 2 sit at public universities and 4 at private ones, which is usually the largest single difference in what you will pay. Each card links to the program's own tuition page. The field-hour rules that apply everywhere are set out in our guide to CSWE accreditation.
What is the job market like for MSW graduates in Connecticut?
Hartford is Connecticut's capital and a major job market for MSW graduates. 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.
Which MSW programs in Connecticut offer a dual degree?
Two MSW programs in Connecticut offer a dual degree: Quinnipiac University (Law) and University of Connecticut (Business Administration and Law). Each is recorded in the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs.
A dual degree takes longer than an MSW alone but less time than the two degrees taken separately, because a block of credits counts toward both. They suit a specific plan rather than general ambition: a JD pairs with policy, child welfare and forensic practice, an MPH with hospital and public health settings, an MBA with nonprofit management. If you do not have that plan yet, the standard MSW leaves the option open.
Which MSW program in Connecticut has been accredited the longest?
University of Connecticut has been accredited the longest of any MSW program in Connecticut, holding CSWE accreditation since 1949, which is 77 years of continuous standing as of 2026. The state's newest accredited program, Fairfield University, dates to 2019.
Longevity is worth something specific: it means a program has met the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards across many reaffirmation cycles rather than once. It is not the same as quality, and a recently accredited program has been held to the current standards rather than grandfathered against older ones. Both hold identical standing for licensure.
How did we rank these Connecticut MSW programs?
We ranked these Connecticut MSW programs on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking, applied identically to every accredited program in the state. 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.
Accreditation is 25% of the score because it is the only pass-or-fail factor here: Connecticut licenses no graduate of an unaccredited program. Accredited programs in Connecticut run from one holding that status since 1949 to one accredited as recently as 2019, and a longer record means more reaffirmation cycles survived.
Weights: CSWE accreditation 25%, program leadership 15%, pathways 15%, delivery format 15%, employer signal 15%, cost 10%, reputation 5%. Each factor is defined in full on our ranking methodology page.
How do you become a licensed social worker in Connecticut?
You become a licensed social worker in Connecticut by completing a CSWE-accredited MSW, passing the ASWB examination at the level your license requires, and, for a clinical license, logging supervised hours afterwards. Licensing here is administered by the Connecticut social work licensing board. Connecticut offers more than one route to licensure, pick the branch that matches the kind of practice you want. License names, exams, and supervised-hour requirements come from the ASWB Social Work Regulatory Database.
Master's social work license route in CT
MSW → MLSW
- 1
Earn a CSWE-accredited MSW.
- 2
Pass the ASWB Masters exam and apply for the MLSW (Master's Level Social Worker).
Clinical social work license route in CT
MSW → LCSW
- 1
Earn a CSWE-accredited MSW.
- 2
Complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice over at least 2 years and pass the ASWB Clinical exam, then apply for the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), which authorizes independent clinical practice and clinical diagnosis.
Connecticut social work licenses at a glance
Master's license
Master's Level Social Worker
Clinical license
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Source: Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Social Work Regulatory Database, 2026. License requirements change, so always confirm current rules with the Connecticut licensing board before applying.
Common questions about MSW programs in Connecticut
Common questions about MSW programs in Connecticut, on accreditation, cost, format and licensure.
How many CSWE-accredited MSW programs are in Connecticut?
What do social workers earn in Connecticut?
What are Connecticut's social work licensing requirements?
What makes UConn's MSW program distinctive?
Does Connecticut license bachelor's-level social workers?
Which Connecticut cities have MSW programs?
Find CSWE-accredited programs in and near specific Connecticut cities, with nearby campuses, online options, and local salary and job-market data.
Where does the data on this page come from?
The data on this page comes from the sources below, and from nothing else: no commercial directories, no other ranking sites.
- CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs covers which Connecticut programs hold accreditation, the year each was first accredited, approved campus locations, concentrations, dual degrees and plan-of-study options.
- Individual program pages (.edu) supply curriculum detail, field-hour requirements, delivery format and cohort scheduling. Each program card links to the page it was written from.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Connecticut supplies the employment and wage figures in the job-market section, May 2025 release.
- ASWB Social Work Laws and Regulations Database supplies license names, examination levels and supervised-hour requirements, read 2026.
- Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education supplies the research classification used in the ranking model.
What are the best MSW programs near Connecticut?
The best MSW programs near Connecticut are in the neighboring states below, all CSWE-accredited. Licensure is state by state, so check a program across the border against the rules where you intend to practice.