A career in social work attracts people with a strong passion for helping others in need. Professional social workers are expected to handle sensitive matters and interact directly with underserved clientele. To do their jobs effectively, they must have the right training, and entrants to the field need to have specific qualifications.
For many students, an online master’s in social work is the perfect prerequisite for earning a position in the field. While all graduate programs require students to complete an externship or field experience, many programs provide their core curriculum in a fully online format.
Online Master’s Degree in Social Work Accredited
To be an advanced practice social worker, you must first complete a master of social work degree (MSW). You can complete a traditional online MSW program in four semesters or two academic years if you don’t have a bachelor’s in social work.
Accredited Online Masters In Social Work Degree Programs
The programs outlined below were selected based on their status as CSWE accredited programs which  several criteria were use including academic quality and affordability to rank these programs.
1. University at Buffalo (SUNY)
Program Type: Master of Social Work
Credits: 35 (advanced standing); 60 (regular standing)
Time to Completion: 1.5 years (advanced standing); 3 years (regular standing)
Tuition: $706.25 per credit (New York residents); $815.25 per credit (non-residents)
Program features: Part-time program; no campus visits required; focus on human rights and trauma-informed perspectives; curriculum is customizable to the populations you wish to work with.
2. Columbia University
Columbia University’s School of Social Work offers an online Masters of Social Work degree program that ranks first among the best online MSW programs. In addition, Columbia’s program is also the only Ivy League school to make the top five MSW online programs.
Furthermore, online MSW students enrolled in Columbia University’s MSW degree have three online concentrations from which to choose. Students can focus on social enterprise administration, policy practice, or also advanced clinical practice.
Degree: MSW
3. Rutgers University
The Social Work School at Rutgers University offers an online Masters of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that includes an additional Violence Against Women and Children certificate. This program is among New Jersey’s best online MSW programs.
The Rutgers MSW program offers a traditional track. However, it also has an advanced standing path for those with a baccalaureate-level social work degree from a CSWE accredited school. Advanced standing students complete this Master of Social Work degree in only four semesters.
Degree: MSW – add Violence Against Women and Children Certificate
4. University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas’s School of Social Work, in combination with the Fulbright Arts/Sciences College (UArk Online), offers an advanced standing MSW Program. Furthermore, the UArk program is among the best online masters of social work programs in Arkansas.
Applicants to the University of Arkansas must already possess a Bachelor of Social Work degree and enroll as full-time students. Degree candidates can complete this MSW program with the completion of 39 graduate semester credits- in only one year.
Degree: Advanced Standing MSW
5. Indiana University
Indiana University offers an online Masters of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that is among the most innovative programs. These CSWE accredited best MSW programs online from Indiana University in core coursework of:
- diversity
- human rights & social justice
- social policy analysis
- adult mental health
- social work research
- generalist theory & practice
Students can opt for concentrations that include addictions, military social work, foundations of e-social work, and tele-behavioral health, to name a few.
Degree: MSW
6. Florida State University
Florida State University’s College of Social Work offers a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that is among the Sunshine State’s best online MSW programs. This online master of social work from FSU offers two academic tracks to the degree’s completion.
FSU’s best MSW programs online have received accreditation by the CSWE and ranked as a best-value education by Kiplinger. BSW degree holders can complete the program in two years, while non-BSW holders need three years to earn the MSW from Florida State.
Degree: MSW 2 year or 3 year
7. University of South Florida
The University of South Florida’s College of Behavioral & Community Science offers a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) Program for advanced standing social workers. The University of South Florida’s best MSW programs online are available to both full and part-time MSW students.
Additionally, the University of South Florida’s best online MSW programs has received accreditation from the CSWE. Applicants to USF’s MSW online degree program must hold a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW) to be eligible for admission.
Degree: MSW – Advanced Standing
8. University of Houston
The University of Houston’s Graduate Social Work School offers an online Masters of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that is among the best online MSW programs. These best MSW programs online require degree candidates to complete at least 900 hours of clinical fieldwork to meet UH’s graduation criteria, and have a bachelor’s degree.
Classes for this Master of Social Work online degree plan include the policy in a social environment, human diversity & development, adult mental health, advanced social policy analysis, confronting oppression & injustice, and evaluation of practice, plus the required field practicum, among others.
Degree: MSW
9. Arizona State University
Students can complete the Arizona State University Masters of Social Work degree entirely online. ASU’s best online MSW programs require degree candidates to complete at least 20 classes for a total of 60 graduate degree units to graduate. These best MSW programs online have received CSWE accreditation and include classes as follows – macro human behavior and the. Social environment, social policy & services, diversity & oppression in a social work contact, and a professional experience, to name a few.
Degree: MSW – Advanced Generalist
10. University of Southern California (USC)
The Peck Social Work School within the University of Southern California offers two of California’s best online Masters of Social Work degree (MSW) programs, with its traditional or advanced standing academic track options. Additionally, USC’s MSW program online has accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education. And, it prepares grads to become LCSWs – a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
The advanced standing MSW program requires 37-semester units, and a bachelor’s degree, while the traditional MSW program offered online requires 60 graduate semester units to meet USC’s graduation criteria.
Degree: MSW Traditional or Advanced Standing
11. Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University offers an online Masters of Social Work degree that is CSWE accredited and among the best online MSW programs in Ohio. CWRU’s best MSW programs online offer students two academic tracks – an advanced standing and a traditional sixty-credit semester credit MSW program.
Additionally, Case Western Reserve University’s Master of Social Work degrees offer three academic paths of study:
- community practice for social change
- children, youth & families
- mental health with adults
Degree: MSW
12. University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida offers an online Master of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that US News ranks among the most innovative in the marketplace.
The University of Central Florida’s best MSW programs online require students to complete 62 graduate credit units with seven-week terms throughout for the traditional track. The advanced standing track requires 32-semester units. Additionally, UCF’s Master of Social Work program offered online has full accreditation from the CSWE.
Degree: MSW
13. Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University offers an online Masters of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that ranks among Louisiana’s best for advanced standing social work professionals. Students can also opt for LSU’s best MSW programs online with a traditional track requiring sixty graduate semester units.
Classes for Louisiana State University’s online MSW program include:
- Human behavior and the social environment
- Social work research
- Differential diagnosis
- community and agency contexts
- Plus an intensive practicum, among many others.
Degree: MSW Advanced Standing – 12 months
14. University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire offers a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that is considered among New England’s best online MSW programs. Degree candidates enrolled in the University of New Hampshire’s best MSW programs online who complete two classes per academic term can complete UNH’s degree in only twenty-eight months.
Elective coursework includes options in addictions, children, youth & families, social and economic justice, disabilities, or health/mental health. Field placements can complete their dual internships in the field in their local community.
Degree: MSW 2 internships
15. University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno offers dual tracks towards a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that is CSWE accredited and ranked among the best online MSW programs according to socialworkguide.org.
This MSW program online from the University of Nevada includes a 62-credit unit traditional Master of Social Work track or a 32-credit unit advanced standing track for students who already hold their BSW degree. Traditional students can complete the program in 32 months, whereas advanced-standing students can finish in as few as fifteen months.
Degree: MSW
16. University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington offers a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that can be completed 100% online with an accelerated option. The University of Texas’s best online MSW programs arranges students in Cohorts throughout.
Degree candidates enrolled in UT’s best MSW programs online can select from aging, child/family, mental health substance abuse, or community & administrative practice concentration. The online Master of Social Work programs are offered with three start dates each calendar year.
Degree: MSW – Cohort – Accelerated or Online
17. University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota offers two of North Dakota’s best online MSW programs with a 60-credit traditional foundation track or a 36 credit advanced standing track. These affordable, best MSW programs online have received accreditation from the CSWE and have been accredited for nearly three decades.
Classes for those students enrolled in UND’s Master of Social Work programs include social policy, human behavior in the social environment, an advanced generalist with individuals, and a field practicum, among others.
Degree: MSW – Online or Distance Foundations
18. University of Tennessee at Knoxville
The University of Tennessee offers an MS in Social Work degree (MSSW) Program that is considered among the most innovative and best online MSW programs that have received CSWE accreditation. These best MSW programs online offer the following academic concentrations – organizational leadership or evidenced-based interpersonal practice. Field placements can be done in the student’s local community with school approval. Additionally, UT’s Master of Social Work program is offered in a full-time or extended study capacity.
Degree: MSW
19. Texas State University
Texas State University offers a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) Program that ranks among the Lone Star State’s best online MSW programs. TSU’s CSWE-accredited best MSW programs online offer two academic tracks, a foundational Master of Social Work degree and an advanced standing MSW degree for students who already possess a BSW degree at application.
Classes for Texas State University’s online Master of Social Work program include human behavior and family social environments, social welfare policy, advanced intervention with families/groups, program planning & grant-based resources, plus a foundation field placement, to name a few.
Degree: MSW
20. Temple University
Temple University’s Public Health College offers two of Pennsylvania’s best online MSW programs with its Master of Social Work academic tracks that include a traditional (60 credit) track or an advanced standing (34.5 credit) track. Programs offered by Temple University’s Public Health College are CEPH accredited.
Temple University’s best MSW programs online also offer a dual degree program option of Master of Social Work with a Master of Public Health Degree academic track. The online program does require a 3-day residency at Temple’s Philadelphia campus.
Degree: MSW
Submission
If you’re a professional in the social work field, and your lack of a master’s degree is holding you back, online MSW programs can be the answer. The difference between online MSW degree programs accredited by recognized governing authorities (such as the National Association of Social Workers NASW) and those that aren’t is the value of your MSW degree. So, don’t waste your effort, your hard work, and your time. Finding accredited social work programs online is not only a good option but also the only one that counts.
