List of Best Accredited Online MSW Programs
Higher demand for social services and healthcare in the United States is creating more jobs for social workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the need for social workers will increase by 11% by 2028, much faster than average. Employment for healthcare social workers will rise by 17%, as well. People with mental health challenges often see social workers before psychologists to anticipate a strong need for your services in mental health clinics, hospitals, and social service agencies.
That is why it may be the perfect time to earn your Master of Science in Social Work (MSW). This degree is required for you to work as a higher-paid clinical or healthcare social worker.
The best news is, you can obtain your MSW in as few as 12-24 months and seldom leave your home. We have researched for you and found 10 online MSW programs that could be an outstanding educational fit.
#1 University of Southern California
The University of Southern California offers a highly-rated Master of Social Work. It features a curriculum that focuses on the emerging needs in the field to ready a new type of social worker who can meet the rigorous demands of the 21st century.
The curriculum of this CSWE-accredited program explores social work content that is relevant to 21st-century employers. It expands on the program’s strengths over many years, while stressing early intervention, prevention and wellness, effective collaboration and leadership, evidence-based practices, and evidence-informed interventions.
Students can focus their studies on Adult Mental Health and Wellness, Children, Youth, and Families, and Social Change and Innovation. Also available are optional program tracks in Military Social Work and School Social Work.
Required courses include:
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment
- Social Work Practice With Individuals, Families, and Groups
- Science of Social Work
- Policy and Advocacy in Professional Social Work
- Applied Learning in Field Education
- Integrative Learning for Advanced Social Work Practice
The program also prepares you with vital, hands-on fieldwork, so you are ready to tackle all of today’s social work challenges. You will spend 1,000 hours on your field education in your local community.
- Institution type: Private, non-profit
- Delivery method: Online
- Headquarters: Los Angeles
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $113,000
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work
- Visit school: Click here
#2 Capella University
Capella University offers a Master of Social Work accredited by the CSWE that can provide you with the skills to prepare to become a clinical or healthcare social worker. This accredited, two-year program features flexible and blended learning to build social work leadership skills online and in-person.
Students also learn to use the latest technology to expand the reach and effectiveness of new social service programs and enhance the quality of social services you offer.
Required courses include:
- Mental Health Practice and Advanced Interventions
- Integrative Technology in Advanced Social Work Practice
- Clinical Supervision and Leadership in Social Work Practice
- Systems Analysis of Social Work Practice
This program features a 1,000-hour practicum and internship where you can apply the new social work skills you are learning.
- Institution type: Private, for-profit
- Delivery method: Online
- Headquarters: Minneapolis
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $37,800 to $45,600
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work
- Visit school: Click here
#3 Arizona State University
Arizona State University offers a Master of Social Work that is respected as one of the world’s largest and most diverse. The online delivery of this CSWE-accredited degree provides a vibrant, interactive learning platform to engage with faculty. They are noted experts in health and behavioral health, community service, administration, and child welfare.
Respected faculty also have expertise in forensic social work, gerontology, human trafficking, and borderlands issues.
In addition to the required coursework, each student will participate in 960 hours of field education. You will partner with the Field Education Office to find a suitable internship site in your area.
Required courses include:
- Micro Human Behavior and Social Environment
- Macro Human Behavior and Social Environment
- Social Policy and Services
- Diversity and Oppression in a Social Work Context
- Macro Social Work
- Research Methods
- Assessment of Mental Disorders
Students in the online MSW program finish their degree with an applied portfolio project.
- Institution type: Public, non-profit
- Delivery method: Online
- Headquarters: Tempe, Arizona
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $30,100
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work
- Visit school: Click here
#4 Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University offers an online Master of Social Work that is accredited by the CSWE. The program follows a 7-week module format instead of the traditional semester format. This format provides students with six start dates while allowing them to finish the program in two years of full-time study.
Students are required to complete their field education in a social services agency in their area during regular business hours. Most students conduct their field education for 16 to 18 hours per week in addition to their studies.
The online MSW is asynchronous so that you can view the lectures and other coursework on your schedule.
Students who have a bachelor’s degree in social work may be able to enter the program with advanced standing. Advanced standing means that you may be able to complete the program with as few as 33 credit hours. Your BSW transcript will need to be reviewed by the admissions office to determine which courses may transfer to LSU.
- Institution type: Public, non-profit
- Delivery method: Online
- Headquarters: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $32,340
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work
- Visit school: Click here
#5 Baylor University
Baylor University offers an online Master of Social Work that prepares aspiring, passionate social work students to empower and serve vulnerable populations around the country and world. The two-year program is accredited by the CSWE and will provide you with the skills you need to bring social change to others and enhance the wellbeing of families, communities, and individuals.
The standard MSW program is 60 credits that can be completed in 24 months, full time. Also available is an advanced standing MSW program for students who have a BSW degree. This program can be completed in just 12 months full time.
Students can choose to specialize in clinical practice – physical and mental health, or community practice.
Each MSW student works with the program’s field placement team to find a top-quality internship in your community. You are required to complete 1,000 field hours over four semesters.
- Institution type: Private, non-profit
- Delivery method: Online
- Headquarters: Waco, Texas
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $84,900 standard, $45,280 advanced standing
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work or any accredited bachelor’s degree
- Visit school: Click here
#6 University of New England
The University of New England offers an online Master of Social Work that was the first online, asynchronous, CSWE-accredited program in the country.
Graduates of this program learn to understand each person’s potential when they can live with social justice and dignity. Students will also understand how to find people’s strengths across diverse populations and build them up.
The traditional track of this program is 64 credit hours and can be completed in three years, full time. The advanced standing track is 35 credit hours and can be completed in 16 months.
- Institution type: Private, non-profit
- Delivery Method: Online
- Headquarters: Biddeford, Maine
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $60,800 standard track, $33,250 advanced track
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work or any accredited bachelor’s degree
- Visit school: Click here
#7 University of Denver
The University of Denver offers an online Master of Social Work that is ranked #17 in the country according to US News and World Report. This CSWE-accredited program takes a progressive approach to social work programming and prepares students to work in both traditional and nontraditional settings.
Required courses include:
- Intersections of Mental Health, Substance Use, and Trauma
- Assessment of Mental Health Across the Lifespan
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies
- Mental Health and Healthcare Policy
- Leadership and Supervision Skills
Students can choose the traditional MSW program with 81 credit hours and 27 months long if they do not have a BSW. If they have a BSW from a CSWE-accredited program, they can choose the advanced standing plan and finish the program in 18 months.
- Institution type: Private, non-profit
- Delivery Method: Online
- Headquarters: Denver
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $90,720 traditional, $60,480 advanced standing
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work or any accredited bachelor’s degree
- Visit school: Click here
#8 Simmons University
Simmons University offers an online MSW that can be completed in 16 to 32 months, depending on whether you hold a bachelor’s degree in social work.
This accredited online graduate program features weekly, interactive courses with 20 or fewer students. You will have ample opportunity to talk about vital social work concepts and practice. These live classes provide you with the best learning experience as you can speak directly to your expert faculty and fellow students.
Students will study these areas in their coursework:
- Ecological systems theory
- Human development
- Sociocultural theory
- Psychodynamic theory
- Cognitive-behavioral theory
- Solution-focused therapy
- Motivational interviewing
Each student is required to complete a 1,000-hour practical experience in their local community. The placement team will work with you to find an appropriate field education placement in your area.
- Institution type: Private, non-profit
- Delivery Method: Online
- Headquarters: Boston
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $71,500 traditional, $40,700 advanced standing
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work or any accredited bachelor’s degree
- Visit school: Click here
#9 Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University offers an online Master of Social Work that will prepare you to work with those in need of all ages and backgrounds. Possessing an advanced social work skillset as a master’s degree-holder can make a significant difference in your career.
Specializations are available in clinical and community practice, so you can work wherever you have the most passion. The program is accredited by the CSWE and is founded on the core principles of social justice, diverse points of view, and educational enrichment.
Required courses include:
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment
- Human Diversity and Social Justice
- Social Welfare as a Social Institution
- Social Welfare Policy and Services
- Assessment of Client Systems
- Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
This program consists of 60 hours for the traditional program and 30 hours for the advanced standing option.
- Institution type: Private, non-profit
- Delivery Method: Online
- Headquarters: Fairfield, Connecticut
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $47,700 traditional, $23,850 advanced standing
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work or any accredited bachelor’s degree
- Visit school: Click here
#10 Temple University
Temple University offers an online Master of Social Work that is CSWE-accredited with 15 to 20 students in most classes. All online students become a part of the Temple Social Work community and take part in field practice just as students on campus do.
Professors are often available to online students outside of regular class hours. The strong ties of the faculty to the local community bring real social work issues and agencies to the classroom each day.
The online program consists of live-streaming classes each week, combined with asynchronous learning with discussion boards and other assignments that can be completed on your own time.
You also will complete a fieldwork practicum in your local area driven by your own passions and interests.
Required courses include:
- Current and Emerging Issues in Public Health and Health Professions
- Foundations in Social Work Research
- Social Welfare Policies and Services I and II
- The Practice of Social Service Delivery
- Foundation Field Practicum I and II
- Dynamics of Health, Healthcare, and Health Systems
Interested students also may complete an online MPH degree at the same time as the MSW.
- Institution type: Private, non-profit
- Delivery Method: Online
- Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Accreditation: CSWE
- Degrees offered: Master of Social Work
- GRE required: No
- Expected total tuition: $58,500 traditional, $29,250 advanced standing
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Social Work or any accredited bachelor’s degree
- Visit school: Click here
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