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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) offers a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) degree through a two-year full-time program, a one-year advanced-standing program for B.S.W. graduates, a program for experienced and employed social service practitioners, and extended three- to four-year plans of study. Course work leading to the M.S.W. degree may be completed at either of two campuses: Lincoln Center, in midtown Manhattan, or Fordham Westchester, in West Harrison, New York. The School offers day, evening, and Saturday classes at both sites. In addition, the School has begun a collaborative program with Molloy College, in Rockville Center, New York, in which students may begin their course work at Molloy and eventually finish the program at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. Students earn the M.S.W. degree at Fordham by completing a combination of classes focused on social work theory and a fieldwork placement. The integration of classroom theory with practical experience is a vital part of the master’s degree program at the Graduate School of Social Service. The complete program comprises 66 credit hours: 48 credit hours in the classroom and 18 credit hours for the fieldwork placement. Students select from three areas of concentration for their advanced course work and fieldwork assignment: clinical, administrative, or research. In addition, Fordham students may select a specialization in various practice areas: older persons and their families, children and families, substance abuse, social work and law, or global social work. There is also a client-centered management concentration, which combines both clinical practice and administration. Students are placed in more than 700 public or private organizations and agencies for fieldwork instruction throughout the New York tristate area. Students taking their foundational course work complete a placement that engages them in generalist social work practice. The advanced field placement is carefully selected to match the student’s desired concentration and specialization. Fieldwork assignments are arranged as close as possible to each student’s residential area. In addition, GSS offers the following interdisciplinary/joint-degree programs: an M.S.W./J.D. in conjunction with the Fordham University School of Law, an M.S.W./M.Div. in conjunction with the New York Theological Seminary, and an M.S.W./Certificate in Psychotherapy or Family Therapy through the Blanton-Peale Institute.

Research Facilities

The Gerald R. Quinn Library at the Lincoln Center campus and the Westchester Campus Library provide reference materials and research facilities for M.S.W. students. Collectively, these facilities hold more that 360,000 bound volumes and 1,400 periodical titles. The social work collection, including social work periodicals and journals, is housed within the Quinn Library. These materials are available to students at the Westchester campus through interlibrary loan. The School is also home to various specialized programs and institutes, including the Langenfeld Research and Demonstration Center; the Bertram M. Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty; the Children and Families Institute for Research, Support and Training (Children FIRST); the Fordham HIV/AIDS Service Administration (HASA) Training Academy; the Fordham Institute for Innovation in Social Policy; the Interdisciplinary Center for Family and Child Advocacy; the National Center for Schools and Communities; the Ravazzin Center for Social Work Research on Aging; and the newly created Fordham University Center for International Studies.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available in the form of tuition remission, graduate assistantships, loan programs, scholarships, and fellowships. Tuition remission is awarded to students with demonstrated financial need who are enrolled in fieldwork instruction. Graduate assistantships are awarded to students with demonstrated financial need. The maximum amount of the subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Family Education Loan is $20,500 annually. Scholarships and fellowships awarded in the past include the New York Theological Seminary Scholarship, the Fagan Award, the Edward Kane Trust, the Connolly Scholarship, the Beverly Powers Memorial Scholarship, the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women Scholarship, and the Jesuit High School Scholarship. In addition, the School participates in various outside scholarship programs, including the New York City Board of Education Bilingual Scholarship Program, the James Satterwhite Academy of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, the New York City Mayor’s Graduate Scholarship Program, and the New York State Regents Professional Opportunities Scholarship Program.

Cost of Study

For 2008–09, the cost per credit was $715. There is a $113-per-semester general University fee and a $100-per-semester technology fee. In addition, students in fieldwork pay a $30-per-academic-year malpractice insurance fee.

Living and Housing Costs

Off-campus housing options include Fordham-leased apartments, privately leased apartments, and residential hotels. Housing costs in the New York metropolitan area vary considerably according to location and the type of quarters desired.

Student Group

The Graduate School of Social Service has prepared students for the professional practice of social work since the School was founded in 1916. Fordham’s student body is recruited from all areas of the United States and throughout the world.

As of January 2008, a total of 1,342 students were enrolled in various models of study, from full-time to part-time, at GSS (982 at the Lincoln Center campus, 360 in Westchester). The student body of the School ranges from recent B.A. or B.S. graduates to experienced returning students from the social service field as well as various other backgrounds and employment histories. In 2003–04, student ages ranged from the early 20s to the mid-70s. Approximately 80 percent of students elect a concentration in clinical social work, while 15 percent choose administration and approximately 5 percent choose the research area.

Location

Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service is located at the Leon Lowenstein Center on the University’s Lincoln Center campus in New York City, adjacent to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and at 400 Westchester Avenue, in West Harrison, New York. Fordham Westchester–a three-story, 54,000-square-foot building–opened for the fall 2008 semester. It includes smart classrooms, a library and computer lab, and a student lounge. The newly constructed academic facilities surround a large central courtyard in a building that sits on 32 beautifully landscaped acres with a stream and a pond. The building offers parking for 250 vehicles and access to public transportation. The School also offers the option of completing some of the program requirements, including field placement, at the campus of Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York.

The University and The School

Fordham University, the Jesuit University of New York, is committed to the discovery of wisdom and the transmission of learning through research and through undergraduate, graduate, and professional education of the highest quality. Guided by its Catholic and Jesuit traditions, Fordham fosters the intellectual, moral, and religious development of its students and prepares them for leadership in a global society. The University is renowned for its esteemed faculty and highly advanced libraries and research facilities as well as its access to the resources of New York City. The Graduate School of Social Service was founded in 1916 to prepare students for the professional practice of social work and has been located in the Leon Lowenstein Center at the Lincoln Center campus since 1969. The program expanded to the Westchester campus in 1975. The School’s mission is to train advanced social work practitioners who are committed to the goals, values, and ethics of the profession and who will be able to provide high-quality services that promote the well-being of individuals, families, groups, and communities. The School’s hope is that its graduates become practitioners and citizens who are committed to working toward a just, equitable, and caring society free from violence, oppression, and discrimination.

Applying

Persons holding a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution are qualified to apply for admission to the Graduate School of Social Service. The School does not require the GRE or any other form of testing. The application deadline for fall admission is June 1 and the deadline for spring admission is December 1. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis; priority is given to applications for the upcoming enrollment period. Deadlines are not meant to be strictly enforced; they should be considered as priority guidelines. The Admissions Committee makes every effort to review all completed application materials for any given semester regardless of the time of application.

The Faculty

• Gregory Acevedo, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Bryn Mawr.
• Portia Adams, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis).
• Lee W. Badger, Professor; Ph.D., Alabama.
• Cathy Berkman, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Yale.
• Patricia Brownwell, Assistant Professor; D.S.W., Fordham.
• Robert Chazin, Professor; D.S.W., Case Western Reserve.
• Roslyn H. Chernesky, Professor; D.S.W., CUNY, Hunter.
• Elaine P. Congress, Professor; D.S.W., CUNY, Hunter.
• Marlene Cooper, Associate Professor; Ph.D., NYU.
• Carole B. Cox, Associate Professor; D.S.W., Maryland.
• Helen Crohn, Assistant Clinical Professor; D.S.W., Adelphi.
• Maddy Cunningham, Assistant Professor; D.S.W., Adelphi.
• James R. Dumpson, Professor and Dean Emeritus; Ph.D., Dacca (East Pakistan).
• Jane H. Edwards, Professor and Assistant Dean; D.S.W., Utah.
• Lawrence Farmer, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Florida International.
• Mary Ann Forgey, Professor; Ph.D., Columbia.
• Raymond D. Fox, Professor; Ph.D., NYU.
• Qin Gao, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Columbia.
• Shirley Gatenio Gabel, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Columbia.
• Irene Gutheil, Professor; D.S.W., Columbia.
• Meredith Hanson, Associate Professor and Director of Ph.D. Program; D.S.W., Columbia.
• Janna C. Heyman, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Fordham.
• W. Dana Holman, Assistant Professor; D.S.W., CUNY, Hunter.
• Barbara Kail, Associate Professor; D.S.W., Columbia.
• Rachel Kammer, Visiting Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Columbia.
• Hye-Kyung Kang, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle).
• Carol Kaplan, Professor; D.S.W., NYU.
• David Koch, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center.
• Winnie Kung, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Chicago.
• Ji Seon Lee, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Fordham.
• Laura J. Lee, Associate Professor; D.S.W., Pennsylvania.
• Anita Lightburn, Associate Professor; Ed.D., Columbia.
• Dale Lindquist, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor; D.Min., New York Theological Seminary.
• Dana Marlowe, Visiting Clinical Professor; Ph.D., Fordham.
• Tina Maschi, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Rutgers.
• Natasha Menon, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis).
• Elaine Norman, Professor; Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center.
• Rosa Perez-Koenig, Assistant Professor; D.S.W., NYU.
• Michael H. Phillips, Professor; D.S.W., Columbia.
• Chaya S. Piotrkowski, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan.
• Cynthia C. Poindexter, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Chicago.
• Marciana Popescu, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Bucharest.
• Mary Ann Quaranta, Professor and Dean Emerita; D.S.W., Columbia.
• Howard Robinson, Assistant Professor; D.S.W., CUNY, Hunter.
• Barry Rock, Associate Professor; D.S.W., CUNY, Hunter.
• Yvette M. Sealy, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Fordham.
• Lyn Kennedy Slater, Assistant Professor; M.S.W., CUNY, Hunter.
• Judith R. Smith, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Columbia.
• Virginia Strand, Associate Professor; D.S.W., Columbia.
• Sandra G. Turner, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Rutgers.
• Edgar Tyson, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Tennessee.
• Peter B. Vaughan, Professor and Dean; Ph.D., Michigan.
• Nancy Boy Webb, Distinguished Professor; D.S.W., Columbia.

Correspondence and Information

Fordham University
Office of Admissions
Graduate School of Social Service
33 West 60th Street, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10023
Telephone: 212-636-6600
Fax: 212-636-6613
Email: gssadmission@fordham.edu