MSW AMPS Up

Grant covers 6 students’ MSW tuition per year

A federal Education Department grant will support new graduate students meeting the grant's eligibility criteria to earn a Master of Social Work degree at Nazareth. Increasing Access to Mental Health Professionals in High-Needs Schools (AMPs Up) — Nazareth’s initiative with the Greece (NY) Central School District — from 2023 to 2027:

  • covers 100% of tuition in the 36-credit, full-time MSW program for six new graduate students per year who start at Nazareth in May
  • provides a stipend for living expenses during a school-based internship in the Greece Central School District
  • includes special professional development, particularly in school social work practice
  • promotes interprofessional collaboration with stakeholders

Who’s eligible?

  • You have, or will have, completed your bachelor of social work (BSW) degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited institution by May, if you are applying for this year's grant-funded cohort.
  • You apply, and are accepted, to Nazareth's 36-credit, full-time MSW program, which starts classes in May.
  • You seek a career as a school social worker in a high-need school district. (Nazareth's MSW program offers a school social work specialization).
  • You are from a traditionally underrepresented or marginalized group — Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC); Hispanic/Latino/a; LGBTQI+; disabled; from a high-need school district — or you will increase gender diversity in the mental health workforce.

Service obligation

  • After graduation, MSW students receiving this funding must work for two years (paid) as a school social worker in a high-need school district.

Steps to apply

  1. Apply to Nazareth’s 36-credit, full-time, MSW program.
  2. Contact Erin Cole, DSW, LCSW, assistant professor of social work, ecole4@naz.edu, 585-389-2986, York Wellness & Rehabilitation Institute Office 125, to express your interest in this grant opportunity, learn more, and complete the application process.

Deadline

Complete the steps above by March 31.

High-quality preparation

“The students who have come through from Nazareth have really been able to excel and are prepared for the career they’re going to be embarking on,” says Jim Garner, LMSW, district social worker in the Greece (New York) Central School District.

Internship experience options

Your internship can be targeted to your career goals. Among the options in the Greece school district:

  • participate in individual and group counseling
  • support the district’s family support center
  • be part of macro level discussions about putting support systems and processes in place
  • work with students with behavioral concerns
  • support students with autism or communication difficulties