MSW Certificates

Social Work Certificate Programs

Rutgers’ five social work certificate programs offer MSW candidates the opportunity to focus their education on a specialized discipline. Depending on your interests and career goals, consider supplementing your Master of Social Work degree with one of the following certificates:

You’ll pursue a certificate as you earn your MSW, taking specialized courses and applying the skills you learn in an advanced practicum learning opportunity relevant to the goals of the certificate program. When you complete your MSW, your certificate will be noted on your transcript, and you’ll receive an electronic or hard copy.

Compare certificate options

Please view this video overview of each certificate program and their offerings!

Adding a certificate to your MSW degree enhances your advanced social work studies and opens career opportunities in an area of the field you care about.

Add a Social Work Certificate to Your MSW

Through tailored practicum learning opportunities, each social work certificate program offers students real-world experience providing services to various populations, from aging citizens to those struggling with addiction.

MSW students pursuing a social work certificate with their degree build experience in their specialty, bolstering their resume with a demonstrated ability to accommodate specific communities and individuals in their practice while working with other experienced professionals.

Addiction Counselor Training (ACT) Certificate

The first program of its kind, the Addiction Counselor Training MSW Certificate fulfills the educational requirements for dual licensure as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) and a Licensed Social Worker (LSW), as well as the qualifications to be a Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor (CCGC).

The ACT Certificate is open to MSW students in the traditional on-campus program as well as current clinicians and graduate students in counseling programs seeking LCADC licensure.

Find ACT Certificate program details and links to apply.

Aging and Health (A&H) Certificate

In the Aging and Health MSW Certificate program, students complete a practicum in a setting that prepares them to support older adult clients and individuals living with acute or chronic health conditions.

Students in either MSW specialization at any campus can pursue the A&H Certificate full or part time.

Find Aging and Health Certificate program details and links to apply.

Promoting Child and Adolescent Well-Being (ChAP) Certificate

The MSW Certificate in Promoting Child and Adolescent Well-Being allows students to focus their practicum and certificate courses in specific systems and youth populations in preparation for a career serving children and families.

The ChAP Certificate is offered to students in the Traditional and Blended MSW programs, including Advanced Standing and both the clinical and management and policy specializations.

Find ChAP Certificate program details and links to apply.

Certificate on Interpersonal Violence and Trauma (C-IVT)

Offered through Rutgers School of Social Work’s Center for Research on Ending Violence (REV), the Certificate on Interpersonal Violence and Trauma (C-IVT) prepares students for careers facing issues of violence against women or children through funding opportunities, in-practicum learning, and expert instruction.

Students in any of our MSW programs can apply to earn the C-IVT Certificate.

Find C-IVT Certificate program details and links to apply.

Latina/o/x Initiatives for Service, Training, and Assessment (LISTA) Certificate

Available to MSW students both on-campus and online, the Latina/o/x Initiatives for Service, Training, and Assessment (LISTA) Certificate equips you to serve the Latinx and Hispanic communities through culturally responsive practice.

Students pursuing the LISTA Certificate may have the opportunity to study abroad in Latin American countries as part of their MSW.

Find LISTA Certificate program details and links to apply.

Eligibility and Requirements

Each MSW certificate entails different requirements and may or may not be available in every program format. Whether you’re a current or future MSW candidate at Rutgers or a postgrad interested in adding experience and variety to your education, explore our diverse social work certificate programs to learn more.

To compare requirements and verify which MSW program structures allow for each certificate, view our certificate comparison chart.

Other Rutgers Social Work Certificates and Continuing Education (CE)

For post-grad and practicing social workers and human service professionals seeking further study and career advancement, the School of Social Work provides hundreds of online workshops and webinars and 12 more certificate programs in key areas of the practice.

Just a few of the certificates available through Rutgers’ CE program are:

Apply to Rutgers' MSW Certificate Programs

Earning a specialized social work certificate alongside your MSW opens and advances career opportunities serving diverse populations in a range of settings.

Students interested in applying to a Certificate should consult the chart below to determine when to apply. The chart has been updated to create application periods with specific start and end dates. For full consideration, students should apply during their appropriate application period.

COMMON CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS APPLICATION

Applications should be received by the deadlines shown below for full consideration.

NOTE: C-IVT will not accept applications received after the deadline.

MSW Program	Who May Apply (student status)	Certificates Offered	Application Period
Traditional	Current students starting the specialist part of the MSW program next year	All 5 certificates	11/1 - 11/30
Traditional - fall start	Incoming students	ACT, LISTA	5/3 - 5/20 6/20 - 7/15
Traditional Advanced Standing - Summer start	Incoming students	All 5 certificates	5/3 - 5/20

Blended	Current students starting the specialist part of the MSW program next year	All certificates except ACT	11/1 - 11/30
Blended - fall start	Incoming students	LISTA	6/20 - 7/15

Online	Current students starting the specialist part of the MSW program in summer, fall, spring	All certificates except ACT	3/1 - 3/20 - in fall 7/20 - 8/15 - in spring 3/1 - 3/20 - in summer
Online 2-yr full time program	Incoming students	LISTA	5/25 - 6/15 - fall start 9/1 - 10/20 - spring start 3/1 - 3/20 - summer start
Online 3-yr part time program	Incoming students	LISTA	7/20 - 8/15 - fall start 12/2 - 12/15 - spring start 3/30 - 4/30 - summer start
Online Advanced Standing - fall start	Incoming students	All certificates except ACT	5/3 - 5/20

Postgraduate	Must have clinical master's or doctoral degree	ACT	11/1 - 11/30

*Incoming students are newly admitted matriculated MSW students who have not started classes - i.e., have not begun their first semester

Applications are now being accepted for the application period March 1 – March 20 from the following students. These are highlighted in yellow on the chart.

Current students in an Online MSW program who will be starting the specialist part of the MSW program this summer or fall. You may apply to any Certificate except ACT.
Incoming MSW students who will be starting the Online two (2) year MSW program this summer and want to apply to LISTA.

If you are not one of the student populations listed above, you should not apply now. Please email studentaffairs@ssw.rutgers.edu if you have a question about when to apply.

If you are a current Online MSW student who wants to apply to ACT, please email studentaffairs@ssw.rutgers.edu.

Visit the certificate application link

For more information about applying to the MSW program, review admissions details and contact admissions counselors with any questions.