Fordham University Reviews

"Without Fordham University, I wouldn't be on the positive trajectory that I currently see for myself. When I began, I was unconfident and uncertain about my future, but the major that I chose and the professors I had all helped me feel more confident in myself and the path that I have gone down. I am currently a therapist for the Intellectual and Developmental Disability population, and hope to grow from there. Fordham provided me the opportunities to make me feel confident in the role that I am in, and the other roles that I intend to try in the future.Read Less"

"My experience for online school - field placement takes forever, I accepted in March and on May 1 reached out to discuss placement. I had my initial field placement call on May 6. I was told it takes 4-6 weeks. Today is 7/12 and I still do not have placement. Field starts 8/26. I spoke with two other individuals but they are enrolled on campus - still no placement. Field placements are important, being able to work while in field placement is important to many. Very stressful"

"For all the tens of thousands of dollars you spend to attend this program, you would think that their technology, curriculum, or internship opportunities would justify the decades I will be spending with the meager social work salary (even with a masters) paying off these student loans. The instructors, all adjunct professors who already work full-time jobs during the day in addition to teaching, did the best they could but ultimately never really challenged or prepared students for the field. The internship "opportunities" were abysmal, and every single student I talked to complained about the same things: not getting enough experience, not having enough supervision, having to work for FREE in addition to paying for tuition credits even though unpaid labor is (or should be) the antithesis to what social work stands for. These sorts of things aren't even a Fordham-specific problem per say, as friends I've spoken with across the country have had the same issues with their MSW programs, but it is laughable to think that I needed to pay for this piece of paper just so I could continue doing and growing in the work I had already been doing for 10 years, where I learned far more by experience than in these classrooms. Fordham is just another part of the systemic issues with social work, except they are parading around as a program focused on dismantling the harms of this field. If you can go somewhere cheaper, anywhere really, you will probably get the same education.Read Less"

"Do not apply to this program. I will admit, I do not have experience with the on-campus version, since my program is online, but based on what I have seen, I do not have much faith they would be any better. I started my program in fall 2018, and was initially pleased with the whole-person view that Fordham seemed to take. Once I began my generalist field placement, that was a whole different story. -I was told my start date, and then later told I started "too early" but would have to continue through the proposed end date anyways, giving me nearly 200 more hours than required (and making it so that I could not work for all of that time, making it even more difficult to pay my bills, since you can't be paid for a field internship). Once I finally got a professor for my field seminar course, she was unhelpful, could not answer any of my questions about what was required of us as students in the field, did not offer a formal learning agreement, any kind of course calendar, or any of the other questions coming from my field supervisor. She was also unresponsive and unhelpful via email, even after insisting she would make herself available to us. -After about 1 semester (field seminar at Fordham is a 3-semester long course) my professor decided to leave the position due to health issues. It seemed as though this was a long time coming, so you would assume that whoever is her supervisor would already be in the know and have an eye out for a replacement, but that was not the case. I went nearly a FULL SEMESTER with NO PROFESSOR. This meant skipped classes, no mid-year evaluation, no 6 week starting evaluation, and no support or answers. During this time, all staff (my advisor, the person who was tasked with answering our questions, and the field director) were all very cagey and vague about what was happening, and refused to update students beyond anything more than "We're working on it. Soon." -I later found out (after emailing the director of field of the entire program online %26 on-campus multiple times with no response) that THERE WAS NO DIRECTOR OF FIELD at this time. That also seemed like something students should know, to me. But instead, I was re-directed, run around and asked "How can I help you?" by many people who very obviously could not help me. -Beyond field work, none of the syllabi we are given are accurate to the classes (currently I am about to start a class that is 8 weeks long, but we are using a syllabus that says there are 10 modules, and it was clarified that we will not be getting a new version), course material and assignments are confusing and professors often have to 'fudge' things so that they are do-able or make sense in relation to the content, and it is clear that whoever is designing these courses has no idea how the online platform works. -I have also had difficulties with my plan-of-study. When I began I signed up for the 8-term version, and was told that there was a potential to change if needed. Life has brought me to a point of needing to do that (most notably, moving between field work 1 and 2) and I filed for a change of study, asking to be brought to the 6-term version. It took about 5 months for this to be approved, even with constant communication with my adviser. I was constantly told that the board who had to review them was "on vacation" or "behind because they came back from vacation" or "non-responsive" etc. It seems an entire department just shut down for more than a semester just because they felt like it. On the whole, this program seems like a hoax. I am concerned about their CSWE accreditation, and I know that if I have difficulty getting my license after this awful experience, then Fordham will have to answer to me. I am disappointed, hurt, and worn out from dealing with the dishonesty, lack of transparency, and cagey defensiveness of everyone involved in this program. We were not informed that this is a brand-new way of teaching this program when we applied, and we are treated like lab rats and guinea pigs without an adequate platform for feedback. I feel as though Fordham does not value their (PAYING!) students and have created a system where it is easy for them to continue ignoring student/customer's feedback because there is no easy way to communicate with those in power. If you are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a good education where you are already stressing yourself out to get where you would like to be, don't put yourself in a position to have to deal with Fordham's extra nonsense. Go to a better program. One that listens to students, or at the very least meets the CSWE requirements for everything. I also recognize this may sound like an angry rant from someone who is a dissatisfied customer. Please take heed of my experiences, whether that is what I am or not, and ask yourself if you are willing to put up with the same things my classmates and I have.Read Less"

"This was the first year that Fordham offered a fully online MSW program with sychronous (on camera) and asynchronous (off camera) classes and I was an Advanced Standing student, meaning that I got my degree in two semesters. I am also a long-distance student who would have to take a plane to get to the school. That being said, I had the worst experience at a time when I should've really been thrilled to be at this juncture. There IS NO SUPPORT from staff for long-distance online students. You only get to speak to Student Success Advisors, who are nothing more than sounding boards and middle-men who can't do anything to help. They are here to stop your complaints or concerns because they are not "authorized" to do anything and complaints go nowhere. Most times, they don't know the answer to most questions. Seriously. They just tsk-tsk and tell you how sorry they are for your "bad experience, but this is new and your input will help others." Really? When you try to elevate a situation, such as a horrible teacher who then grades badly and was unprepared for their synchronous classes and was unprofessional, you get promises of being called/emailed back and no one ever does. You only have ONE class to decide if you want to change classes. You don't even know how awful the teacher can be until, maybe, after the second class...but it doesn't matter. They don't care at all. You don't get anywhere near the same accessibility to support as your on-campus peers...you get none. They take your money and give you unrealistic reading/textbook assignments and make you waste money on books that the instructors NEVER include in their work. I was crying from disappointment and frustration most of my time from this experience. So, if you just want to get a degree without really learning much, not having any support, being discounted and disrespected and love wasting your money, then do come to Fordham.Read Less"

"Fordham University encourages its students to tap into the inner-strength that already lies within them. The instructors are caring individuals that genuinely care about their students. I attend strictly online courses, but still feel a sense of togetherness when engaged with other students. The financial services and administrative departments at Fordham are reliable, easily accessible, and helpful. I am a better person and student for choosing Fordham University."

"The program is centered on a human rights approach. The classes allow you to be able to freely express your opinions without being harshly criticized by the professor and encouraged open communication between classmates. The professors encourage communication with any problems, questions, and comments, with a quick reply. While the materials for the classroom is online (for online students), you still need to buy textbooks in addition to the material."

"The cons are that the internship track is only offered if you attend the program on campus but not online. The quality of faculty and lectures I love. As well as classes. I wish certain classes were held online each semester."

"When I was searching for a graduate school and a Master’s in Social Work Program to enroll in I considered several schools. However, the program that Fordham University has to offer stood out to me the most. This program has more pros than cons. One of the main advantages is that Fordham University offers a ‘complete’ online Masters in Social Work Program. Whereas, the other schools that I considered did not have a complete online program. Fordham University was my first choice of where I wanted to pursue my graduate studies. The school is located in New York and I reside in Connecticut. This online program made it possible for me to attend the school of my choice without relocating or spending excessively to commute to and from campus. Consequently, it is by far less costly than taking a traditional class particularly because I do not need to worry about the hiking gas prices to commute to and from campus. Another advantage is that all my classes transferred to Fordham University from the school where I completed my undergraduate studies. As a result, I did not have to retake classes. A third advantage is that it is very easy to access my courses. I am also able to complete my coursework at any own time during the day. Unlike in the traditional classroom setting, I am not required to attend class at a specific time. Therefore, I am able to work a suitable job while balancing work and school life. On the other hand, I noticed two disadvantages to this program. As a result, of the program being completely online I am not required to go onto the campus. With that said, I do not get the chance to enjoy the campus life. Another disadvantage of this program is that the level of interaction with other students and instructors in an online class is poor compared to a traditional classroom setting.Read Less"

"I am just starting in January 2015. I love how the school has an advance standing program online. I do feel the price of the credits can be lower."

"Being an online student you have to be a self starter and according to one professor the work is three times harder than traditional campus learning."

"My experience thus far has been nothing but great."

"I am in the online-only MSW graduate program at Fordham University. This is a unique program designed for individuals who live more than 100 miles away from the school campus. The program is flexible - the entire program is online which allows working students and students with families to design their own weekly schedules in order to complete the assignments. The program requires very good time management skills; it is up to the student to complete the assignments within the allotted time frame. For individuals who have difficulty with time management and working independently, this may not be the program for them. For those who are motivated and enjoy the online format, this program is a wonderful choice for pursing a graduate degree in social work.Read Less"