New Hampshire has one CSWE-accredited MSW program: the University of New Hampshire Department of Social Work, which has held continuous accreditation since 1996. UNH is the flagship research university of New Hampshire, located in Durham in the Seacoast region near Portsmouth. The program offers an Advanced Generalist concentration, a Trauma certificate, dual degrees with Law (through UNH's Franklin Pierce School of Law) and an additional institutional partner, Advanced Standing, online delivery since 2018, and multiple cohort entry options per the CSWE directory. A Manchester site formerly served the southern tier of the state but closed in 2021 per the CSWE directory; Durham and online delivery remain active.
The MSW/JD dual degree is a distinctive academic feature: very few MSW programs nationally offer a formal dual degree with a law school, and UNH's longstanding Franklin Pierce School of Law partnership gives it an unusual cross-disciplinary offering relevant to students interested in child welfare law, immigration law, disability rights, forensic social work, and social policy. The Trauma certificate responds to New Hampshire's significant behavioral health challenges. New Hampshire has been among the states most severely affected by the opioid crisis, with high rates of fentanyl-involved overdose deaths per capita, and trauma-informed practice is central to the recovery support, harm reduction, and behavioral health systems that employ social workers across the state.
New Hampshire social work licensing is administered by the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). New Hampshire uses the Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) rather than the LCSW designation used in most other states, a distinction that can affect interstate licensure portability. The LMSW is the entry-level master's credential. Prospective students planning to practice in multiple states should verify reciprocity provisions with OPLC.
Which MSW program in New Hampshire is 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 year is the Initial Accreditation Date from the CSWE directory. UNH Manchester site closed 2021 per CSWE; Durham campus and online (2018) remain active.
- #1
University of New Hampshire Department of Social Work
Durham, NH · On-Campus or Online · CSWE-accredited since 1996
8.0
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingThe University of New Hampshire Department of Social Work is the only CSWE-accredited MSW program in New Hampshire. One concentration is listed: Advanced Generalist. A Trauma certificate is available. Dual-degree programs with Law and with an Other institutional partner are offered. Advanced Standing is available. Online delivery was added in 2018. Multiple cohorts per year are offered per the CSWE directory. The program formerly operated a Manchester site that closed in 2021 per the CSWE directory; the Durham campus and online delivery remain active. UNH is the flagship research university of New Hampshire, located in Durham in the Seacoast region. The Law dual degree is a nationally uncommon offering that prepares graduates for forensic, policy, and advocacy roles at the intersection of law and social work. The Trauma certificate addresses growing demand for trauma-informed practitioners across New Hampshire's behavioral health, domestic violence, and veterans' services sectors.
Public (University of New Hampshire). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
University of New Hampshire Department of Social Work
How long does an MSW take in New Hampshire, and what does it cost?
An MSW in New Hampshire 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. It runs an Advanced Standing track, which finishes the degree in about a year for BSW holders. It is a public university, so in-state residency is the main lever on cost. 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 New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's job market for MSW graduates is shaped by its position at the northern edge of the Boston metropolitan economy and by its distinctive behavioral health crisis driven by opioid use disorder. Manchester and Nashua in southern New Hampshire are the two largest social work employer markets. Elliot Health System and Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua, and the Dartmouth Health Southern NH Health network are the primary healthcare employers. The New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Behavioral Health Division, and the network of community mental health centers mandated under New Hampshire's community mental health system are the primary public-sector employers.
The Seacoast region, adjacent to UNH's Durham campus, includes Portsmouth, Dover, and Exeter. Portsmouth Regional Hospital (HCA Healthcare), Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, and the Seacoast Mental Health Center are the primary employers in this region. The Lakes Region (Laconia), the Upper Valley centered on Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, and the North Country (Berlin, Gorham) all have social work markets of varying size, generally served by online or commuter students from the Durham campus.
New Hampshire's opioid crisis has been one of the most severe in New England per capita, and the behavioral health workforce demand driven by substance use disorder treatment, recovery coaching, harm reduction, and trauma services is substantial. Organizations including Granite Recovery Centers, Serenity Place, Farnum Center, and the network of outpatient substance use disorder programs funded through the state's 10-year mental health plan are significant employers of licensed clinical social workers. The Trauma certificate from UNH's program has direct relevance to this employment landscape.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New Hampshire; NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification.
How long does an MSW take in New Hampshire if you already have a BSW?
An MSW in New Hampshire takes about a year if you already have a BSW, because Advanced Standing is offered at the state's only accredited program: University of New Hampshire. A standard MSW runs two years.
Advanced Standing waives the foundation year for graduates of a CSWE-accredited BSW, which is why the route is only open to that degree and not to a bachelor's in psychology or sociology. Every accredited program in New Hampshire offers it.
Which MSW programs in New Hampshire offer an embedded certificate?
One MSW program in New Hampshire offers an embedded certificate alongside the degree, covering Trauma. These are recorded in the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs.
An embedded certificate is completed inside the MSW rather than after it, so it usually adds no extra semesters. It is worth checking what the certificate actually is before it sways a decision: some are a formal credential recognized by employers or a state agency, others are simply a named set of electives on the transcript.
How did we rank the MSW program in New Hampshire?
We ranked the MSW program in New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire-specific adjustments are made. 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: New Hampshire licenses no graduate of an unaccredited program. The accredited program here has held that status since 1996.
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 New Hampshire?
You become a licensed social worker in New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire social work licensing board. The route below is the path for an MSW graduate, with license names, exams, and supervised-hour requirements drawn from the ASWB Social Work Regulatory Database.
Clinical social work license route in NH
MSW → CSWC → LICSW
- 1
Earn a CSWE-accredited MSW.
- 2
Register as the CSWC (Clinical Social Worker Conditional) to begin supervised practice.
- 3
Complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice over at least 2 years and pass the ASWB Clinical exam, then apply for the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker), which authorizes independent clinical practice and clinical diagnosis.
New Hampshire social work licenses at a glance
Pre-clinical (associate) license
Clinical Social Worker Conditional
Clinical license
Licensed Independent 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 New Hampshire licensing board before applying.
Common questions about MSW programs in New Hampshire
Common questions about MSW programs in New Hampshire, on accreditation, cost, format and licensure.
How many CSWE-accredited MSW programs are in New Hampshire?
What do social workers earn in New Hampshire?
What are New Hampshire's social work licensing requirements?
Does UNH's MSW program offer online options for students in northern or western New Hampshire?
What is the MSW/JD dual degree at UNH?
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 New Hampshire 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, New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?
The best MSW programs near New Hampshire 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.