The School of Social Work has joined with Sarah Lawrence College to offer a dual degree in Social Work and Child Development.
Students in this program can pursue study leading to a Master's Degree in Social Work and a Master's Degree in Child Development. By taking courses that are acceptable for transfer credit in each of the schools involved and through careful course planning, the dual degree student can complete both degrees full-time in three years. The program can also be completed on a part-time basis. Ninety-five credits (instead of 113) are required, including a thesis for the M.A. in Child Development (10 credits).
Students must begin this program at Sarah Lawrence College, completing one year of course work in developmental theory and an observational fieldwork placement. Social work classes begin after the completion of this first year.
Admission to both programs is required. Click here for application information for the Child Development program. All classes in Child Development are held at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, Westchester County. Click here for the application for the MSW program at the School of Social Work.
The dual degree program will combine the theoretical knowledge bases of clinical social work and developmental psychology. Its goals include:
- to educate social work clinicians for advanced practice in the treatment of children;
- to develop social work clinicians with an in-depth understanding of the life of the child as the interaction of intellectual, emotional, social and imaginative streams;
- to provide an appropriate balance between academic study in the theoretical and empirical aspects of the child development/child treatment fields and direct practice with children;
- to prepare social work clinicians/child development experts to meet the diverse needs of at-risk children, particularly those in the urban setting.
sample course of study
| First Year | |
| Fall (SL) | Credits |
| Developmental Theories/Observational Workshop | 5 |
| Field Work | 2 |
| Personality Development | 5 |
| Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| Spring (SL) | Credits |
| Pathways of Development | 5 |
| Child Development Elective | 5 |
| Child Development Elective | 5 |
| Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| Second Year | |
| Fall (NYU) | Credits |
| Social Work Practice I | 4 |
| Social Welfare Programs & Policies I | 3 |
| Diversity, Racism, Oppression, and Privilege | 3 |
| Field Instruction I | 4 |
| Spring (NYU) | Credits |
| Social Work Practice II | 3 |
| Social Work Research I | 3 |
| Human Behavior in the Social Environment II | 3 |
| Clinical Practice with Groups | 3 |
| Field Instruction II | 4 |
| Third Year | |
| Fall (NYU) | Credits |
| Clinical Practice with Individuals & Families | 3 |
| Social Work Research II | 3 |
| Human Behavior in the Social Environment III | 3 |
| Field Instruction III | 4 |
| Spring (NYU) | Credits |
| Integrative Practice Seminar | 3 |
| Advanced Social Policy | 3 |
| Social Work Elective | 3 |
| Field Instruction IV | 4 |
| Master's Thesis | 10 |
| Total Credits: 95 | |
For more information, please contact Dr. Susan Gerbino at (914) 323-6201 or by email at susan.gerbino@nyu.edu.
