Social Work Degree Programs in North Carolina (K-S)

With significant job growth projected in the mental health field over the next decade, accredited social work degrees in North Carolina are in high demand for providing the undergraduate or graduate training needed to meet the changing needs of our diverse society. As the nation's 10th most populous state with Charlotte and Raleigh representing two of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States, North Carolina has one of the hottest economies with abundant job opportunities for social workers to keep up with the growing population's needs. Whether you are interested in working with individuals, families, groups, communities, or organizations, the following is the second part (K-S) of social work degrees in the "Tar Heel State" that have been given the stamp of approval by the CSWE.

Online Social Work Programs For You

 

Livingstone College

Division of Education and Social Work

As a historically black private institution with a tradition of excellence in liberal arts and religious education, Livingstone College is located on a 45-acre urban campus in Salisbury within Rowan County, just 20 miles northeast of Concord. Through its connection with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Livingstone is committed to providing a health, holistic, and supportive learning environment for students of diverse cultural backgrounds. Within the Division of Education and Social Work, students can choose to earn a bachelor's degree in elementary or secondary education, social work, or psychology.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

With the goal of encouraging undergraduate students to develop the critical and analytical skills that are necessary for continued lifelong learning in today's competitive global workplace, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is specially focused on providing the training in generalist social work practice to help others improve their social functioning. In order to obtain entry-level professional employment in public and private agencies, the program is strongly dedicated to developing a commitment to human rights, social and economic justice, and collective empowerment. For completion of the degree, students must complete at least 122 semester hours, including 12 hours of field instruction with a supervisor.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

701 West Monroe Street
Salisbury, NC 28144
(704) 216-6000
Program Website

Mars Hill University

Department of Social Work

Rooted in the Christian faith through its affiliated with the Baptist State Convention, Mars Hill University is a comprehensive senior private liberal arts institution nestled on a 194-acre rural campus within just two minutes from Asheville in the mountains of western North Carolina. With a close-knit engaging environment of only 1,200 students, Mars Hill is currently ranked as the 30th best college in the South by the U.S. News and World Report. The Department of Social Work is specifically devoted to enabling undergraduate students to build confidence in their abilities in advocating for social justice among diverse multicultural populations.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Primarily focused on the educational objective of preparing undergraduate students for generalist social work practice with a well-rounded competitive education, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program delivers the training for developing the values, skills, and knowledge needed to effectively assist various client systems. Fully meeting the rigorous academic standards of the CSWE, the program encourages students to grow personally and professionally with personalized feedback along every step of the way. Not only will the program's outstanding reputation in the community be an asset for potential future employers, but graduates will also be eligible for entering a Master of Social Work (MSW) program with advanced standing if academic performance requirements are met.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

100 Athletic Street
Mars Hill, NC 28754
(828) 689-1336
[email protected]
Program Website

Meredith College

Social Work Department

Prized for its academic reputation, location, small size, and strong liberal arts emphasis, Meredith College is a comprehensive private women's institution of around 2,000 students on a 225-acre urban campus in the state's capital city of Raleigh for limitless internship opportunities. With a very high job placement rate of 98.5% within nine months of graduation, Meredith is currently ranked as the 2nd best college and 6th top value school in the South by the U.S. News and World Report. Within the School of Education, Health & Human Sciences, the Social Work Department trains students to meet the basic human needs of all people, especially those who are vulnerable and oppressed.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

As a professional program for applied practice that has been properly accredited through the CSWE for over three decades, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is ideal for undergraduate students who are interested in using their talents to help individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations address social issues of concern. Based on the ethical principles named by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the program prepares students to enter immediate employment or graduate school with an in-depth understanding of their own personal and professional values. In building social consciousness, the upper-division program requires the completion of 61 major credit hours with at least 430 clock hours of field practicum in beginning level generalist practice.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

3800 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 760-8304
[email protected]
Program Website

Methodist University

Department of Social Work

Situated on a 600-acre urban campus in one of North Carolina's largest and most rapidly growing cities at Fayetteville, Methodist University is a co-educational private liberal arts institution that remains one of the best values in higher learning for the Southeast. With a total headcount of more than 2,400 students, Methodist is currently ranked as the 48th best college in the South by the U.S. News and World Report. As the first private university to become a partner of the North Carolina Child Welfare Education Collaborative, the Department of Social Work aims to provide an accredited baccalaureate degree program that educates competent entry-level professional generalist practitioners for pursuing human well-being.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Designed to instill the knowledge, values, abilities, and skills needed for beginning generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities with a commitment for social and economic justice for all, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program offers the training needed to work with diverse populations in a wide variety of social service settings. With both Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree options available, the program requires the completion of 125 credit hours with a culminating field placement to obtain at least 400 hours of hands-on fieldwork experience before graduation. Depending on career interests or future graduate school plans, the program also provides students the freedom to choose a concentration in Gerontology or School Social Work in the junior year.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

5400 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, NC 28311
(910) 630-7699
[email protected]

North Carolina A&T State University

Department of Sociology and Social Work

Strategically located on a 713-acre urban campus in the state's third largest city of Greensboro within the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan area, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University is a public historically black land-grant research institution with more than 10,000 students. As home to the nation's largest number of African American engineers, agricultural graduates, and psychology undergraduates, NC A&T is ranked as the 8th best historically black university in the country by the U.S. News and World Report. Along with the 157th best online bachelor's programs, the Department of Sociology and Social Work is highly regarded for having the 104th best graduate social work program in America.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

In order to prepare undergraduate students to support research and practice that improves the quality of life of each individual, group, organization, or community in society, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program features classroom interactions, field experiences, and extra-curricular activities that engage students in ethical evidence-based generalist practice. With a year-long joint social work field internship, the curriculum is structured to promote critical thinking, develop an appreciation of diversity, build a commitment to ethics, and form an understanding of the art and science of social work. Students can also participate in a Global Exchange opportunity as first semester seniors to study abroad, attend classes overseas, and complete the first half of the two-semester internship.

Joint Master of Social Work (JMSW)

As a unique program offered in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the Joint Master of Social Work (JMSW) program has an innovative curriculum that flows from a multicultural history and models multi-disciplinary collaboration to provide students with the full range of instructional support at both campuses. Faculty from both schools teach, classes are held on both campuses, students have privileges on both campuses, and the degree is granted jointly by both universities with their seals of approval. Along with the traditional two-year full-time program, the JMSW degree can be earned as advanced standing with an undergraduate accredited social work degree or part-time whereby students can complete the advanced graduate studies in three years.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

1601 East Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27411
(336) 285-2049
[email protected]
Program Website

North Carolina Central University

College of Behavioral & Social Sciences

Since being founded in 1909 as the first public liberal arts institution for African Americans in the United States, North Carolina Central University has grown to become a master's comprehensive institution with a diverse student population of over 8,400 on its 135-acre urban campus in Durham within the famous Research Triangle. Known for being the first school in the UNC system to require students to complete volunteer service, NCCU is currently ranked as the 68th best college and 29th top public school in the South by the U.S. News and World Report. Within the nation's 12th top historically black university, the College of Behavioral & Social Sciences is dedicated to developing advanced strategies of intervention to achieve social and economic justice against oppression.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Ideal for undergraduate students who want to lay the foundation needed to become a child and family social worker, school social work, mental health and substance abuse social worker, medical and public health social worker, or health educator, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program features a strong liberal arts curriculum with a core of basic social and behavioral science courses to prepare students for generalist professional practice. In building the basic skills essential for social work practice, the curriculum provides a comprehensive study of social welfare systems, social policy analysis, social human behavior, social environments, statistics, and research methods. To graduate with the BSW degree, students are required to complete at least 124 credit hours with two semesters of field practicum.

Master of Social Work (MSW)

With a commitment to recruiting graduate students from diverse backgrounds who are interested in working in a broad range of social work practice settings, the Master of Social Work (MSW) is a two-year full-time program with convenient evening or weekend classes that prepare students with the skills for advanced generalist practice. Founded with a specific focus on at-risk populations based upon socioeconomic and minority status, the program prepares students for working with individuals, families, organizations, and communities, especially in urban areas. Along with classroom learning, students are expected to work in their field placement for 16 hours a week during the foundational year and 24 hours a week during the advanced concentration year.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

1801 Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 530-7329
[email protected]
Program Website

North Carolina State University

Department of Social Work

As a major four-year public research institution with the state's largest enrollment of over 34,000 students from nearly 100 countries around the world, North Carolina State University is based on a vast 2,200-acre urban campus in the state's capital of Raleigh, which was rated the best city for business and careers in America by Forbes magazine. Consistently named as one of the best values in higher education, NC State is currently ranked as the 101st best college, 47th top public school, and 8th best up-and-coming university in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report. Even more importantly, the Department of Social Work is nationally acclaimed for hosting the 79th best graduate social work program in the United States.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Intended to provide the preparation for undergraduate students to practice in social service settings to address the social, economic, cultural, political, and demographic contexts that shape the state, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program has a strong focus on professional ethics for preparing students to enter first-level social work practice or advanced graduate-level academic work. Boasting a high level of personalized interaction between faculty and students in class projects and mentoring, the program equips students with the essential skills for effective social work practice. In the curriculum, students can choose to explore social work issues related to schools, children, multiculturalism, healthcare, substance abuse, mental health, African American families, or other interest areas.

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Centered on the skilled for advanced generalist practice in leadership roles, the Master of Social Work (MSW) program is designed to prepare graduate students as advanced practitioners for responding to a wide range of human difficulties among diverse client populations in a vast multitude of social service settings. With the goal of building an ethical commitment to advocating for underserved and oppressed communities, the program enables students to conduct independent research, practice clinical skills in the field, learn about treatment models, and engage in real-world social policy advocacy or administration projects. Along with the two-year full-time program that begins in the fall, there is an advanced standing program starting each summer that follows a one-year full-time schedule for BSW graduates.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

10 Current Drive
1911 Building Room 205
Raleigh, NC 27695
(919) 515-2492
[email protected]
Program Website

Shaw University

Department of Social Work

First founded in 1865 as the first private historically black institution of higher learning in the South, Shaw University is home to more than 2,100 students from diverse cultural backgrounds based on its 30-acre urban campus in the heart of downtown Raleigh within central North Carolina. Offering numerous bachelor's and master's degrees with a small student-to-teacher ratio of 15:1, Shaw is committed to facilitating student learning by enhancing their spiritual and ethical values. Within the Department of Social Work, students can receive a baccalaureate degree with full CSWE accreditation to begin improving the lives of others and contributing to societal improvements across a continuum.

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Grounded in a strong liberal arts background, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is designed to equip undergraduate students with a well-rounded integrated education that lays the foundation in social work theories, values, ethics, and skills. With the goal of graduating competent principled social workers for entry-level generalist practice for service, advocacy, and leadership, the program includes supervised direct field practicum experience in a vast array of social welfare agencies around the state's capital region. As an essential part of one of the nation's oldest historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the undergraduate social work program is specifically focused on developing practitioners for making contributions that address social injustice, societal barriers, and disparities among disadvantaged communities.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Contact Information

118 East South Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 719-8889
[email protected]
Program Website

Across all skill levels, these accredited social work degrees in North Carolina have been designed specifically to provide you with the knowledge needed to fulfill the state's long-term need for qualified social workers and the specific skills necessary for addressing the diverse communities within the "Tar Heel State."

See also: Social Work Degree Programs in North Carolina (A-J) and Social Work Degree Programs in North Carolina (T-Z).