Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in Maine - Campus and Online

Updated: January 14, 2022

The state of Maine is home to three universities that currently offer Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs: the University of Maine; the University of New England; and the University of South Maine. All three schools offer campus-based and/or hybrid programs that integrate on-campus and online instruction, and the University of New England has a fully online MSW program that does not require students to attend any campus-based sessions.

There are a number of different types of programs offered by the schools in Maine that have MSW programs, including traditional MSW programs and advanced standing MSW programs that require a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). All three schools, as noted in the list below, are fully accredited by CSWE.

University of Maine (Accredited)
University of New England (Accredited)
University of South Maine (Accredited)

Details about each program are provided in sections below, which group programs based on admissions requirements (traditional vs. advanced standing) and format (on-campus vs. online). Hybrid programs that require students to be on campus more than two times per year are grouped with campus-based programs because they may not be a practical option for students who live and/or work beyond commuting range of the school offering the program.

Traditional MSW Programs in Maine

All three Maine schools that have MSW programs offer traditional MSW programs. A traditional program is a full-length master’s degree program designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants to these programs do not need to have a bachelor’s degree in social work, as traditional programs consist of a foundational or generalist year of training and instruction followed by a year of advanced training in clinical and/or macro practice social work.

Traditional programs require students to complete a minimum of 900 hours of site-based field education per CSWE accreditation guidelines. Students who enroll in a traditional MSW program on a full-time basis can expect to graduate in two years; students who opt for part-time enrollment typically take three to four years to complete their degree.

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Maine

The University of Maine offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program with an Advanced Generalist specialization that provides students with training and instruction in both clinical and macro practice social work. The program has two enrollment options: a two-year, full-time enrollment plan; and a four-year, part-time enrollment plan. Both enrollment options require students to complete 900 hours of field education.

The University of Maine also offers its Advanced Generalist MSW program in a hybrid Online-Blended format that requires students to attend two Saturday campus classes per semester in Orono for each course. However, most of the didactic instruction in the blended program is delivered via online instruction. Like the campus-based program, students in the Online-Blended program must complete 900 hours of field education at program-approved sites.

The University of New England (UNE) offers an MSW program that can be completed entirely through campus-based classes or through a mix of campus-based and hybrid courses that combine online instruction with in-person classes that meet once every three weeks while school is in session. The 64-credit program has an Integrated Clinical Practice specialization and requires students to complete four 280-hour practicums for a total of 1120 hours of field education. UNE’s MSW program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study or three to four years for students who opt for part-time enrollment.

The University of Southern Maine (USM) has two MSW program options for traditional students who are able to commute to the school’s main campus in Portland. For students who want to attend all of their classes in person at USM, the school offers a campus-based program that has a two-year, full-time completion plan and a four-year, part-time completion plan. USM also offers a low-residency MSW program in which students receive a mix of online and campus-based instruction and are required to attend in-person classes two or three times per semester for each of the program’s courses. Students in the low-residency program take two courses per semester and graduate in three years.

USM’s traditional MSW programs require students to complete a minimum of 900 hours of site-based field education and both program options have an Advanced Social Work Practice curriculum that provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work.

Traditional Online MSW Programs in Maine

The University of New England (UNE) is currently the only school in Maine that offers a fully online MSW program. The traditional online MSW program offered by UNE has an Integrated Clinical Practice specialization and a three-year plan of study. In addition to online coursework, students in the program are required to complete a 450-hour generalist practicum and a 550-hour specialization practicum for a total of 1000 hours of field education. UNE’s online MSW program does not require students to attend any campus visits.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Maine

All three of the schools in Maine that offer MSW programs have advanced standing tracks that provide a shorter pathway to completing an MSW degree for qualified students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. Advanced standing programs allow BSW graduates to waive most of the foundational coursework and field training that students typically complete in the first year of a traditional MSW program. As a result, advanced standing students generally graduate in one year of full-time enrollment or two years of part-time enrollment.

It is important to note that admission to a program’s advanced standing track is not automatic for BSW graduates. Many programs require applicants to have earned their BSW degree within the last five to seven years and some programs have additional eligibility requirements, such as a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. BSW graduates who do not qualify for an advanced standing program can still earn their MSW degree by enrolling in a traditional program.

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Maine

The University of Maine has two advanced standing MSW program options for students who live within commuting range of the school’s Orono campus: a fully campus-based option; and a hybrid Online-Blended option. The campus-based program has a one-year, full-time completion plan and a two-year, part-time completion plan. The hybrid program only has one plan of study which requires two years of part-time enrollment during which students attend two Saturday classes per course each semester.

Both program options have an Advanced Generalist curriculum that provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work, and both program options require students to complete 500 hours of site-based field education. Applicants to the University of Maine’s advanced standing MSW programs must hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program that was conferred within the last seven years.

The University of New England (UNE) offers its Integrated Clinical Practice MSW program in an advanced standing format for students who hold a BSW degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the CSWE. Students in the program have the option of attending all of their classes in person at UNE’s Biddeford campus or enrolling in hybrid courses that combine online instruction with campus-based meetings every three weeks. Students in the advanced standing program offered by UNE must complete two 280-hour practicums for a total of 560 hours of field education and can graduate from the program in one year. The program requires students to have earned their BSW degree within the last seven years to be eligible for admission.

The University of Southern Maine (USM) has an advanced standing MSW program track that requires applicants to have earned a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program within the last seven years and to have graduated from that program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The program has an Advanced Social Work Practice specialization with a curriculum that provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work. The advanced standing program at USM requires the completion of 500 hours of field education and has a one-year completion plan for full-time students and a two-year, part-time completion option.

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Maine

The University of New England (UNE) offers what is currently the only fully online advanced standing MSW program in the state of Maine. The UNE program has an Integrated Clinical Practice specialization and a 16-month completion time. Students in the program take all of their didactic courses online and do not have to attend any campus visits. However, students are required to complete two site-based 280-hour field practicums at a social work agency or agencies approved by the program. To be eligible for admission to the program, students have to have earned their BSW degree in the last seven years and have significant work experience in human services or a related field.