Fordham University

My experience at Fordhams Graduate School of Education was extremely mixed. On the one hand, all of the professors I had during my time there were extremely knowledgeable and accommodating to student needs. That being said, the administrative side of Fordham Graduate School of Education is disastrous. There is little communication between professors and administrators which often results in students receiving unclear answers regarding program requirements and general questions. This is something... Read More that nearly all of my professors acknowledged and expressed frustration over. Additionally the assigned advisors that students in the graduate school of education receive for the most part are unresponsive and in some cases (speaking from experience) neglect their professional responsibilities all together. At the end of my program I was required to complete a Comprehensive Exam which your assigned advisor is supposed to oversee and give you guidance on. My advisor ignored 10+ emails from me (way more than this throughout the year but this was from March-June) in which I explicitly requested guidance, and asked questions about prompts, deadlines, requirements, etc. Her lack of response left me with no choice but to contact other people in the program for guidance including the department chair. The miscommunication between my advisor, myself, and the department chair resulted in me, registering for the wrong comprehensive exam which I spent a month completing all 15 pages of. It was only after I submitted my exam that I was not notified that I had registered for the wrong one. At that time I frantically contacted the department chair who initially informed me that I was going to have to redo the appropriate exam despite this being an error that was out of my control. Due to my repeated attempts to proactively obtain clarification and my reasonable reliance on the information provided to me, I could not accept that as an equitable resolution to this error. I spent the next month going back and forth with the department chair, and other members of the team trying to reach a fair resolution and during this time my advisor, who’s job it was to oversee the exam , remained completely silent. I eventually met over Zoom with the department chair who expressed that this is a pattern with my advisor‘s behavior and she’s aware of it and so are other people on the team. She essentially said that unfortunately because she’s been there so long there’s nothing they can do but that she makes a lot of peoples jobs much harder. She also said that the situation was not at all my fault and that the same exact thing happened to another student. Despite this, she said that due to New York State requirements, she was not allowed to and did not have the ability to make an exception in Degreeworks to count the exam I completed at my Comprehensive Exam requirement. She asked me to rework the one I had already written, which I found extremely frustrating but at that point I felt I had no other option. She also said that she herself had reached out to my advisor over email and text about this situation and had not heard back but that I should still send her my completed exam (at this point it was August and I hadn’t heard from my advisor since May). Two days after our zoom call my advisor finally answered me and in her email she stated “I didn’t know you needed my response” despite it quite literally being her job and professional duty to advise me. She went ahead into degree works and counted the comprehensive exam I already completed towards my degree requirements. Of course I was happy about this, but it also directly contradicts what the department chair told me two days prior. When I brought this up to the department chair, she said if that’s what she wants to do then we can let her do that. I expressed that I wanted to file a grievance or a complaint against my advisor which the department chair didn’t have much of a response to. After me persistently inquiring, she forwarded my chronological log of communication that went unanswered with my advisor that I complied to the dean of the graduate school of education. I waited for weeks to hear something back and never did. When I followed up, she simply said we discussed advising concerns in our team meeting, and your situation will be used to help future students and the Dean said nothing to me. So essentially nothing was done. My concerns were overlooked. My advisor faced no repercussions for almost delaying my graduation an entire semester which would have cost me thousands of dollars in tuition money, and making what should have been a celebratory end of my Masters Program an absolute nightmare situation. For these reasons, despite the professors being solid overall, I would not recommend this program to anyone. You can receive the same quality education at a university that’s much more affordable, that you don’t have to jump through hoops to receive basic services that you pay for with your tuition.

I cannot recommend Fordham enough- although it is a little bit different than what I think the typical American college experience is. The proximity to the city is such an amazing opportunity and provides students with an unparalleled access to arts, culture, internships, and jobs. The full campus in the Bronx is a great counterbalance to the bustle of the city. Energy of the students tends to be focused outwards towards the city rather than inwards which I imagine is very different from a college... Read More in a small town.

The education that I received at Fordham University was fully immersive. I was based in the Lincoln Center campus, so I had easy access to internships in Manhattan, as well as cultural experiences that helped further my studies and were encouraged and supported by my professors. I also participated in their Granada study-abroad program, which was very fulfilling, solidified my fluency in Spanish (my minor), and gave me extremely impactful immersive experiences as I lived with a Spanish host family... Read More and completely excursions to Morocco and Portugal.

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... Read More in, and the other roles that I intend to try in the future.

I get irritated at reading crybaby reviews. First, nobody chose Fordham except YOU. Nobody made you pay what you paid except YOU. Grow up. Experience is not some little bird mouth open in a nest. It takes TWO. YOU and Professor and sometimes, well often, classmates. Learning is multifaceted: books, research, thinking, writing, sharing thoughts, discerning. Professors are human. But pretty much EVERY college has a heavy left leaning bias among professors. Fordham has a healthy diverse student body... Read More of race, religion, national origin, and POLITICAL views. I had a superb experience in Law. I was a transfer student (wife got her job moved and so I transferred to Fordham). I was accepted readily by professors, students and administrators and did VERY well. My daughter and son in law both graduated Phi Beta Kappa more than 10 years ago, but had superb experiences. A lot of dorm drama as is the case EVERYWHERE. All in all, only one or two professors were "problematic" and that was addressed. A lot of VERY good professors, who made them work like dogs....often to exhaustion...but for their own good, preparing them for graduate schools. Graduation day was a huge day for us and inlaws. A lot of hugs and applause from faculty and deans. One Jesuit Dean actually married them after grad school. Even he cried at the wedding. Fordham is VERY special. Its VERY unique, being a classic campus but in the middle of Bronx (or Manhattan), and you learn in class but also being in NY city/boroughs. Employers LOVE Fordham students because they come prepared and they come to work. Not a lot of attitude which employers appreciate. Fordham students are tight, and socialize together in the city and Fordham has superb student internships. yes costs have gone up but EVERY school has that, even third tier schools

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... Read More 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.

This program was designed for many international students to come to the US to study and then go on to get them jobs in the domestic center. All the professors for this program were very nice and knowledgeable, but the level of instruction was for many students who have a technical background such as math or computer science and was not designed for many students from other backgrounds. Financial Aid and teaching assistant positions were awarded to primarily international students. Books were not... Read More required for most of this program, which also made it difficult following the professors teaching instruction as you could not understand the way in which they were teaching or they would completely leave out topics and then ask those topics when you did projects and hws. Overall, I did learn and did well because I had sought out a tutor, so if you're new to coding get a tutor immediately when starting this program.

My experience at Fordham's MSW program has been deeply disillusioning. They have provided minimal support and structure during the pandemic, such that it is common for my peers to describe in class not having a sense of the place and/or not having connections with other students or professors. The majority of the classes are underwhelming, and seem to simply want to check boxes. The field department is a joke, with poor communication and no assistance with bad placements. I regret going here, and... Read More if considering the program would recommend that you look elsewhere.

Alright here's the deal. This school is great in name only. Faculty is awful in assisting their students. Lack of communication all around the board. Practicums are very ill-equipped for students that are not already working teachers and the lack of a network shows. Faculty members can be rude to students and often put you down when looking for help. Nearly half of the courses offered do not match what the career of a School Psychologist entails, while the remainder of the courses often gloss over... Read More important information that students should know. I would avoid this school if possible. The stress that the faculty members put on is not enough, and the tuition that Fordham asks for does not match the quality of education that they claim to offer. I wouldn't have been so harsh if it was not for a specific professor that sticks to a very conservative approach to the role that is no longer practiced in the majority of the country, let alone New York State. If her approach is used, it is learned that the district is often lacking in resources and funds. Fieldwork and Internship teaches students far more than what Fordham claims to prepare you for. Often, the Faculty at Fordham does not adapt to the ever evolving world of today's education system, and would admit in discussion that they are unaware of what is still being done in schools. Unless you love putting yourself in massive debt and bringing unneeded stress into your life, I would avoid Fordham and go to a different school such as a Mercy College or Queens College. Don't fall into the same trap I did.

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... Read More 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.

The Westchester campus offered great professors and core classes, which I thoroughly respected and enjoyed. However, the social work program is only as good as the field work and internships are. In this area, the program was a HUGE disappointment, and students learned quickly to keep their mouths shut and do whatever they could to accept inappropriate placements that did not meet Fordham learning guidelines. There is ZERO support for the student when the internship prevents learning or creates a... Read More hostile environment, and there are an inadequate number of internships to meet the needs of all students who are accepted into the program. Administration has not done their work to forge meaningful relationships and agreements with potential placement slots and the students suffer in ways that are unimaginable. You can be thrown out of the program for the smallest accusation, without opportunity to even prove your innocence. Disgraceful abuse of power by program administration.

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... Read More 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.

I have attended 8 different colleges and universities in my lifetime - with big names and small - and of all of these, Fordham was clearly the best academic experience I had. It is true that it is expensive, but you do, in fact, get what you pay for. I have a good sense of my BA degree in New York as I attended Manhattan College for a year before transferring to Fordham and the difference in terms of teaching, expectations and execution of work was stark. Manhattan was like continuing my high school... Read More education - students were still learning how to write a term paper! I learned to write term papers in 10th grade, so I knew it wasn't for me. Fordham was the opposite. There were high expectations that needed to be met and I deeply respected 90% of my professors. There were a couple who were a little goofy and teaching was not for them, but that's to be found anywhere. The campus at Rose Hill is beautiful/peaceful and great for focusing on your work The Lincoln Center campus is vibrant and stimulating. In my time, I also had the opportunity to study broadcast news writing at CBS in Midtown. It was amazing. Since then, I've gone on to do graduate programs at UCLA, NYU and other schools where the student body and teachers were not as good, in my humble opinion. Do yourself a favor and go to Fordham.