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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

The School of Social Work at Adelphi University offers programs leading to the Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) and the Ph.D. in social work and post-master’s certificate programs in bilingual school social work and human resources management.

The 64-credit M.S.W. program combines core courses in the foundations of social work with supervised field instruction to give students experience in applying social work theories to professional practice. The program fosters an abiding commitment to professional values and social justice and equips students with knowledge and skills for social work practice with a wide range of clients and diverse communities. All first-year M.S.W. students are required to take ten core courses in a set sequence. The plan of study in the first year includes eight courses plus a minimum of 600 hours of supervised field instruction. In their second year of study, students complete six required courses, two elective courses, plus 600 hours of field instruction in advanced, direct social work practice. In addition, M.S.W. students are eligible to enroll in a joint program with the School of Business leading to a certificate in human resources management that requires only 9 additional credits beyond the M.S.W. degree.

The 51-credit Ph.D. program gives practitioners the skills and knowledge to effect significant change in social welfare policy and practice. The program emphasizes critical thinking and prepares students to develop knowledge for all methods of social work practice. Graduates are able to provide leadership in the profession as scholars, educators, researchers, and administrators in social agencies. Candidates can pursue doctoral study while they continue to work. Classes are offered one day a week in the late afternoon and early evening. Students must pass qualifying examinations that test mastery and integration of the first two years of study, and they must complete and successfully defend a dissertation that evidences original, independent research.

The interdisciplinary 16-credit certificate in bilingual education program is designed for M.S.W. graduates who are bilingual and who work or plan to work in a school setting that requires certification in bilingual education. The program consists of core courses that meet the bilingual certification requirements for pupil personnel service professionals mandated by the New York State Department of Education. Courses are offered jointly by the School of Social Work and the School of Education.

Research Facilities

The University’s primary research holdings are at Swirbul Library and include 646,720 volumes (including bound periodicals and government publications), 805,545 items in microformats, 32,353 audiovisual items, 1,738 periodical subscriptions, and access to over 27,000 electronic journal titles. Online access is provided to more than 200 research databases.

Financial Aid

The School of Social Work offers various ways to help defray the cost of graduate study. These include scholarships, assistantships, agency tuition remission, and field-placement stipends. More information is available at http://socialwork.adelphi.edu/scholarships/ or from the Office of Student Financial Services at http://ecampus.adelphi.edu/sfs/.

Cost of Study

For the 2008–09 academic year, the tuition rate is $775 per credit. University fees ranged from $200 to $400 per semester.

Living and Housing Costs

The University assists single and married students in finding suitable accommodations whenever possible. The cost of living depends on the location and number of rooms rented.

Location

Located in historic Garden City, New York, 45 minutes from Manhattan and 20 minutes from Queens, Adelphi’s 75-acre suburban campus is known for the beauty of its landscape and architecture. The campus is a short walk from the Long Island Rail Road and is convenient to New York’s major airports and several major highways. Off-campus centers are located in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie.

The University and The School

Founded in 1896, Adelphi is a fully accredited, private university with more than 8,300 undergraduate, graduate, and returning-adult students in the arts and sciences, business, clinical psychology, education, nursing, and social work. Students come from thirty-seven states and forty-five countries. The Princeton Review named Adelphi University a Best College in the Northeastern Region, and the Fiske Guide to Colleges recognized Adelphi as a “Best Buy” in higher education for the second year in a row. The University is the only private institution on Long Island and one of only twenty-six in the nation to earn this recognition.

For more than fifty years, the School of Social Work has trained social work practitioners who are dedicated to improving the lives of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Through its many programs, the School has been a driving force for ethical social work practice and a strong advocate for social justice. The School is committed to the development of new knowledge that can inform the evolution of social policy, the organization and delivery of social services, and the profession’s ability to intervene effectively with, and on behalf of, the vulnerable, disenfranchised, and marginalized populations. The scholarship, research, and demonstration projects that the faculty members and graduate students are engaged in respond to the exigencies of contemporary life and contribute to social work’s capacity to improve individuals’ well-being. The School features small classes in a supportive environment that fosters a close and nurturing relationship between faculty members and students. The faculty members have extensive teaching experience and are recognized as leaders in their respective fields. The broad base of diverse students and professionals seeking advanced degrees enhances the classroom learning and enriches the educational experience for all.

Applying

Master’s degree applicants should have a bachelor’s degree with a strong science and liberal arts background; doctoral applicants should have an M.S.W. and at least three years’ experience in the field. All applicants must submit the completed application form, the $50 application fee, official college transcripts, and three letters of recommendation. Ph.D. applicants must also submit GRE scores and have a GPA of at least 3.3. An interview is required. Application deadlines are July 15 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester in the M.S.W. program and April 1 for doctoral applications. For more information, students should contact the School.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Julie Cooper Altman, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Chicago, 1999. Engagement in child welfare services, client use of agency-initiated services, worker use of knowledge, impact of welfare reform, M.S.W. child welfare training outcomes.
• Beverly Araujo, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 2004. Impact of psychosocial stressors, such as discrimination and language barriers, on the mental health of Latino immigrants, development of culturally competent interventions for Latino communities.
• Richard Belson, Associate Professor; D.S.W., Adelphi, 1977. Marriage and family therapy.
• Roni Berger, Professor; Ph.D., Hebrew (Jerusalem), 1993. Immigrants and refugees, qualitative and combined research methods, remarriage and stepfamilies, law guardianship.
• Ellen Bogolub, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Rutgers, 1986. Families and divorce, child welfare.
• Dianne Cameron-Kelly, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Fordham, 2002. Early childhood and family systems, civic engagement and civic duty, child and adolescent development.
• Peter I. Chernack, Assistant Professor and Associate Dean; D.S.W., Adelphi, 2001. Evaluation of alternative models of field education, education for social work practice in health care, development and measurement of social work practice skills.
• Carol S. Cohen, Associate Professor; D.S.W., CUNY, 1993. Social work with groups, agency-based practice, organizational and community practice.
• Carolann Daniel, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., CUNY, 2005.
• Judy Fenster, Associate Dean; Ph.D., NYU, 2000. Substance abuse, children and families, multiculturalism.
• Richard Francoeur, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Pittsburgh, 1998.
• Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg, Professor; D.S.W., Columbia, 1976. Welfare state in cross-national perspective, history of social work and social welfare, public assistance/welfare reform, program development in the social services, organizational change, public assistance, full employment.
• Godfrey A. Gregg, Clinical Assistant Professor; M.S.W., Fordham, 1995. Breast cancer, end-of-life issues, sexual orientation, thanatology.
• Patricia Joyce, Assistant Professor; D.S.W., CUNY, Hunter, 2001. Trauma, incest, mental illness, nonoffending mothers of sexually abused children, cultural competence and PTSD, secondary trauma and ethnicity, psychoanalytic theory, professionals’ constructions of clients, social welfare rhetoric, social process of treatment planning in agency practice.
• Roger Levin, Associate Professor; Ph.D., NYU, 1988. Issues In social welfare, history and philosophy of social welfare.
• Suzanne Michael, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., CUNY, 1998. Migration and immigration, ethnic communities, social health indicators, health-care access, organizations, program development.
• James B. Mullin, Assistant Professor and Director, B.S.W. Program; D.P.A., NYU, 1979. Principles and practice in social work.
• Elizabeth Palley, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Brandeis, 2002. Understanding the impact of federal and state laws on people with disabilities and children.
• Geoffrey Ream, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Cornell, 2005. Contextual mediators between adolescent sexuality and negative outcomes.
• Ellen Rosenberg, Associate Professor; D.S.W., Columbia, 1981. Social work assessment and diagnosis.
• Philip A. Rozario, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis), 2002. The well-being of caregivers of frail older adults, meaning in later life, successful and productive aging, long-term care issues of frail older adults.
• Andrew Safyer, Professor and Dean; Ph.D., Michigan. At-risk youths and their families, ego psychology, defense mechanisms, narcissistic personality disorders.
• Zulema Suarez, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Chicago, 1988. Spiritual and religious coping, motherhood as a protective factor, critical consciousness and social work practice, multicultural social work practice and education, positive psychology.
• Carol Sussal, Associate Professor; D.S.W., Adelphi, 1978. Social work practice with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons.
• Bradley D. Zodikoff, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Columbia, 2005. Gerontology, geriatric mental health services, family caregiving, social work practice in health care, social work research methods.
• School of Social Work Community Partnerships
• Adelphi New York Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program: The only comprehensive, university-based, breast cancer counseling program in New York State, the program supports, educates, and empowers breast cancer patients, professionals and the community. Director: Hillary Rutter (rutter@adelphi.edu).
• Adelphi Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE): Funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation through the New York Academy of Medicine, the HPPAE prepares master’s students for practice and leadership roles in gerontology and geriatric mental health. Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Chernack (chernack@adelphi.edu).
• Geriatric Mental Health Needs Assessment Project: With funding from the Long Island Community Foundation, this needs-assessment study helps identify specific barriers to geriatric mental health care on Long Island. Principal Investigator: Dr. Bradley Zodikoff (zodikoff@adelphi.edu); Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Chernack (chernack@adelphi.edu).
• Immigrant Primary Care Project: Funded by the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, this project seeks to increase the ability of primary-care medical residents to competently work cross culturally with immigrant Muslim women. Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Tricia Joyce (joyce2@adelphi.edu); Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Suzanne Michael (michael@adelphi.edu).
• Investigators to Investors: Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau, this five-year project trains M.S.W. child-welfare professionals from the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Principal Investigator: Dr. Julie Cooper Altman (altman@adelphi.edu).
• Long Island Center for Nonprofit Leadership: This University-based, community-driven leadership-development initiative responds to the immediate and long-term leadership crisis facing Long Island’s nonprofit sector. Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Chernack (chernack@adelphi.edu); Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Andrew Safyer (asafyer@adelphi.edu).

Correspondence and Information

Adelphi University
Dr. Andrew Safyer, Dean
School of Social Work
Social Work Building, Room 201
Garden City, New York 11530
Telephone: 516-877-4354
Fax: 516-877-4436
Email: asafyer@adelphi.edu