This is a detailed guide on the 15 best online MSW programs for students, read to the end to know the best online MSW program to enroll in.
The Master of Social Work (MSW) is an accredited program that prepares students for advanced professional practice in social work.
The job of a social work professional varies but always aims to improve people’s lives. Social workers improve people’s lives by helping with social and interpersonal problems and promoting human rights and wellbeing.
However, if you want to be a competent social worker, read this article to the end to know the best online MSW programs.
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Best Online MSW Programs For Students
If you see yourself working in a professional role where you can help people, families, and children overcome short-term and long-term challenges, then a master’s degree in social work is an excellent choice for you.
If you also have an interest in researching or treating behavioral, emotional, or mental issues for a diverse population of patients, you can also enroll in the MSW programs.
However, below are the best online MSW programs for students.
1. Brescia University
Brescia University offers one of the best online MSW programs. The online master’s social work program at Brescia University presents options both for students with and without a previously-earned bachelor’s degree in social work.
However, students with a BSW will be placed in the 30-credit advanced standing program which can be completed with one year of full-time study or two years of part-time study.
And, students with a non-social work bachelor’s degree will complete the 60-credit non-advanced standing program which requires two years of full-time study.
Both options feature 100% online coursework with no need to visit campus. Online classes meet weekly in real-time.
However, in addition to the online coursework, all MSW students must attend in-person field seminars with an approved social work agency in the student’s local area.
2. Western New Mexico University
Western New Mexico State University offers one of the best online MSW programs. MSW program in this school offers options for both social work and non-social work bachelor’s degree holders.
The 60-credit Master of Social Work is for applicants without a BSW, and the 39-credit MSW is for applicants with a BSW.
However, students in Western New Mexico’s MSW programs complete actual field practicums at social work agencies in the student’s or school’s local area.
All coursework in both program options is completed entirely online through a combination of classes attended live through Zoom video conferencing and asynchronous components.
However, both the advanced standing and non-advanced standing programs are offered in both full-time and part-time formats.
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3. Campbellsville University
Campbellsville University offers one of the best master’s degrees in a social work program with fully online coursework.
Students with a non-social work bachelor’s degree will have to complete two years of full-time study starting with one year of foundational social work courses followed by the second year of advanced coursework.
However, applicants with a bachelor’s degree in social work will complete the nine-month, full-time advanced standing track with the same focus choices.
Students in both programs attend classes synchronously while completing additional asynchronous coursework such as assignments and readings.
All MSW students in this school also attend field practice experiences of 900 hours for regular MSW students and 450 hours for advanced-standing students in program-approved agency settings in and around their regional areas.
4. The University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte offers one of the best master’s degrees in a social work program.
There are two part-time study options featuring fully online coursework which is a three-year regular distance education option for non-BSW bachelor’s degree students and a two-year advanced standing distance education option for BSW bachelor’s degree students.
However, students in both options attend online synchronous classes on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and on Saturdays.
5. Albany State University
Albany State University offers one of the best online MSW programs. The MSW program prepares graduates to take on leadership roles in social work practice to advance social and economic justice in various places.
All coursework in this program is completed online with synchronous classes attended in the evenings.
Students also finish 225-hour supervised field experiences at approved practice sites during each of the program’s four semesters.
Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree with at least 21 credits completed in the humanities, and the social, behavioral, and biological sciences, earned with a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.
6. New Mexico State University
Mexico State University offers one of the best online MSW programs. This program is designed to prepare students for ethical and evidence-informed professional social work practice.
The mission of the Master of Social Work program at New Mexico State University is to train graduates to promote human and social well-being.
The MSW program is committed to serving people affected by poverty and oppression through the promotion of empowerment, cultural humility and competence, and social and economic justice.
The specific goals of the MSW Program are in New Mexico State University are:
1. To equip graduates for advanced generalist social work practice that is responsive to rapidly change environments.
2. To train graduates for multidimensional social work practice through the integration of theoretical perspectives, empirical evidence, and professional experience.
3. To train graduates who are committed to social justice and to ethical practice in complex settings.
4. To equip graduates who are committed to continuing their professional development, developing autonomy and leadership within practice settings, and contributing to the knowledge and skill base of the profession.
5. To equip graduates who use a strengths-based, culturally humble approach to practice with populations and communities of the Southwest.
7. University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas offers one of the best online MSW programs. This online MSW program prepares the bachelor’s-level social worker to practice independently and move into supervisory and leadership roles.
However, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers with master’s degrees can earn about 25 percent more than those with bachelor’s degrees.
Enrolling in this program will give you an edge when applying for supervisory positions and helps you become a leader in the social work profession.
The one-year, full-time MSW program offers a curriculum that reflects the on-campus program, but all of the classes are conducted online, and orientation is also online.
Also, you will gain practice in the field through internships that will be arranged in the setting of your current home.
However, these internships will be set up and monitored by the faculty at the University of Arkansas School of Social Work to ensure a quality learning experience for you.
8. East Carolina University
East Carolina University offers one of the best online MSW programs. The part-time MSW of this school is approximately 60% online and 40% face-to-face.
9. Delaware State University
Delaware State University offers one of the best online MSW programs.
The Graduate Social Work Program of this school is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and is nationally ranked by US News and World Report.
The MSW program prepares students for advanced practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Students of this program, after graduation, are competent to practice with and on behalf of Delawareans, and with clients throughout the region, across the nation, and globally.
Courses offered in this program provide students with an understanding of social, economic, political, and interpersonal problems from a global perspective.
10. University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota offers one of the best online MSW programs. The program enables you to improve lives by studying policy, practice, and research in social work.
The Master of Social Work program will prepare you to provide advanced generalist social work services as you support individuals, families, and communities.
The program curriculum prepares you to serve a variety of populations through policy, practice, or research.
11. The University of Nebraska
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. It offers the best online MSW program that will enable you to be a competent social worker.
12. Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University offers the best online MSW program. By enrolling in the program, you will have hands-on experience, and unique experiences, and become a competent social worker.
13. Angelo State University
Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, It offers one of the best online MSW programs that will equip you with diverse knowledge to become a competent social worker.
14. Missouri State University-Springfield
Missouri State University is a public university, it offers one of the best online MSW programs. The program will equip you to become one of the best social workers in the world.
15. University of Southern California
The online Master of Social Work program at this university equips students to cause positive change at the individual, community, or macro level through weekly online classes and an innovative virtual and in-person fieldwork approach.
The online MSW program is available both full-time and part-time. You can earn your MSW online in 12 months through the school’s accelerated Advanced Standing track if you have a bachelor’s degree in social work.
However, alumni of this online MSW program are making a difference worldwide in fields such as mental health, family counseling, and military and community advocacy.