Written by Gayle Morris, BSN, MSN
Edited by Joey Morris
Page last updated: September 14, 2023
If you are interested in the social work profession, you can begin working with a bachelor's degree in social work (BSW). However, a master's in social work (MSW) can help you advance in your career. An MSW is the most popular degree for social workers and is required for licensure in many states. By earning an MSW, you may gain access to better opportunities for career advancement, lower unemployment rates, and greater salary potential.
An online MSW program offers work-school-life balance and greater accessibility to CSWE-accredited programs and specialization options. Explore this page for what to expect from an online MSW program, how to pay for it, and a list of the top schools in the United States.
What You Can Expect from an Online MSW
Accredited MSW programs require 60 credit hours to complete a full- or part-time program. Students who are eligible for an accelerated program may have fewer requirements based on their eligibility. Each accredited program includes at least 900 field hours geared toward the student's specialization.
MSW programs culminate in a capstone project. This project allows students to apply their learning and exhibit mastery of the knowledge and skills required for evidence-based practice.
Graduates of an online MSW program are eligible for advancement in their field. These advanced positions include greater responsibility and often lead to higher salary potential. If you are interested in independent practice, you need an MSW to become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who can deliver advanced clinical services.
Featured Online Social Work Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Online MSW Programs
When choosing an online MSW program, examine the type of online platform used, whether the program offers assistance finding fieldwork placement, and if the coursework follows a synchronous or asynchronous format. Other important considerations include cost, specialization, and accreditation.
- Accreditation: Accreditation ensures you receive an education that meets national standards. It also determines if you are eligible for federal aid, or if you can transfer your credits to another program or advance to a doctoral degree. This ranking only includes accredited schools.
- Tuition and Fees: An online program may be less costly than an in-person program, but that is not always the case. Evaluate not only the basic tuition but all included fees.
- Curriculum: Look for an online program that offers a curriculum in the specialization you want to pursue. Accreditation does not guarantee you will receive the specialized education you want.
We use a data-driven methodology to determine the best social work degree programs based on three influential factors, including affordability, academics, and reputation.
1. University of Arkansas at Little Rock
The online master of social work (MSW) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock emphasizes clinical social work and evidence-informed practice. The 60-hour curriculum is available to Arkansas residents only and requires in-person fieldwork near the distance learner's home community.
Students can enroll full or part time. The 2-3-year program starts with a foundation year and includes coursework in social work values and ethics, human behavior, and social welfare policy. The remaining year(s) focuses on concentrations in advanced direct practice or management and community practice. Course delivery is primarily asynchronous with some synchronous sessions.
Learners can opt to pair their MSW with a public health or law degree.
Admission requires a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from an accredited school and a 3.0 GPA. Advanced standing applicants hold a bachelor of social work degree and a minimum 3.5 GPA.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Little Rock, Arkansas
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Higher Learning Commission; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $383 per credit hour
2. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis offers a 60-credit, online master of social work for advanced generalist students. Core courses include social policy analysis; diversity, human rights, and social justice; and assessment in mental health and addictions. Electives allow learners to explore specialization areas that include military social work, e-social work practice, and telebehavioral health.
Most courses follow an asynchronous format, but some classes may require synchronous online sessions. The first practicum is web-based and supervised by a field instructor at an approved agency. The second and third are field experiences that require in-person attendance.
Admission requirements include a bachelor's degree, transcripts, three recommendation letters, a writing sample, and a resume. The program enrolls students from all 50 states.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Higher Learning Commission; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $606 per credit hour for Indiana residents; $716 per credit hour for out-of-state students
3. Campbellsville University
Enrollees in Campbellsville University's online master of social work program can complete the 60-63-credit curriculum in less than two years. The program begins with a foundation year for learners without a bachelor of social work (BSW) degree. BSW-holders skip the foundation year and start with the advanced standing generalist content and complete 30-33 credits.
The program requires 900 clinical hours, with 450 at the foundations level. Distance learners locate and arrange their own field placements. Students also take electives or choose an area of focus: clinical, substance abuse, faith-based, or combined clinical/substance use disorder.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, transcripts, and three recommendations. Advanced standing requires a BSW from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program and a 3.0 GPA.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Campbellsville, Kentucky
- Type: Private
- Accreditation(s): Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $603 per credit hour
4. University of New England
The University of New England (UNE) offers an online, asynchronous master of social work that integrates clinical skills with intervention strategies at the micro and macro levels. Learners can focus on trauma-informed practice, school social work, medical social work, or advanced clinical practice. UNE admits students six times per year for its three-year+ traditional and 16-month advanced standing tracks.
Distance learners can complete their 900 hours (500 hours for advanced standing) of field experiences either onsite for 32 weeks (16 for advanced standing) or through 16 weeks of virtual simulation and 16 weeks in-agency. Students receive support from a UNE field planner but must find and secure their own field placements.
Traditional track admission requires a bachelor's degree from an accredited school, and advanced standing applicants need a bachelor of social work from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Biddeford, Maine
- Type: Private
- Accreditation(s): New England Commission of Higher Education; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $1,050 per credit hour
5. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
At the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, master of social work enrollees can concentrate in administration and community practice or direct practice with Latino individuals, families, and groups. Accelerated online learning is available for both the 63-hour traditional track and the 33-hour advanced standing track.
The traditional curriculum includes introduction to professional social work; generalist practice; diversity; human behavior and the social environment; and field education at an agency of the student's choice. Advanced standing students move directly into their concentration-focused coursework and field experiences. Graduates of both tracks qualify to apply for the licensed master social worker (LMSW) credential.
Traditional admission requires a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a 3.0 GPA. Advanced standing applicants need a bachelor of social work and a 3.2 GPA.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Brownsville, Texas
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $1,333 per three-credit course
6. New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University's Global Campus offers an online master of social work that prepares advanced generalists for direct client service and social policy and leadership. The full-time curriculum emphasizes evidence-informed and culturally relevant practice. The program also offers a dual master's degree in social work and public health.
Bachelor of social work (BSW)-holders can finish the 30-credit track in one year with advanced standing admission. Otherwise, the program requires two years to complete 60 credits. The program provides fieldwork practicum options, but students arrange their own transportation to work sites. Advanced standing requires 500 hours of field placement, and all other students complete 950 hours.
Two-year track applicants with a non-social work bachelor's degree submit transcripts, a resume, a personal statement, and two reference letters. Advanced standing requires a BSW with a 3.5 GPA.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Higher Learning Commission; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $444 per credit hour
7. Texas A&M University-Commerce
Texas A&M University Commerce students can complete their master of social work degree in 2-4 years through a blended foundation program with 50%-85% online study. Advanced placement students can finish in one year. The foundation curriculum requires 57 credits and the advanced placement comprises 33 credits. Both tracks confer eligibility for the licensed master social work (LMSW) credential.
In-person field practicums take place at affiliated agencies. Foundation track coursework includes foundation of social welfare policy and human behavior in the social environment. The second year (and only year for advanced placement) features classes like clinical practice in mental health and organizations, communities, and social policy.
Advanced placement admission requires a Council on Social Work Education-accredited bachelor of social work earned within the prior six years and a 3.0 GPA. All other candidates apply to the foundations program.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Commerce, Texas
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $3,669 per nine credit hours for Texas residents; $7,341 per nine credit hours for out-of-state students.
8. Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey Camden Campus
The online master of social work program at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey Camden Campus, features asynchronous coursework and in-person field practicums. Students can enroll in the two-year, full-time program or the three-year, part-time track. Both include generalist and specialization clinical social work course content.
The 60-credit, 2-3-year programs include courses in clinical assessment and diagnosis, diversity and oppression, and methods of social work research. Advanced standing students with a bachelor of social work (BSW) degree begin their clinical specialty curriculum right away and take courses that include advanced contemporary policy, clinical social work, and a field orientation seminar.
Eligible applicants hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a 3.0 GPA. Advanced standing requires a BSW and an undergraduate field evaluation.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Camden, New Jersey
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Middle States Commission on Higher Education; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $950 per credit hour
9. University of North Dakota
Master of social work (MSW) students at the University of North Dakota (UND) can finish the online foundation program in three years or the advanced standing concentration option in 1-2 years. The curriculum emphasizes improving lives, preventing social problems, and standing up to injustices. Foundation program enrollees earn 60 credits of advanced generalist coursework, and advanced standing concentration students complete 36 credits.
UND houses the state's Children and Family Services Training Center, which focuses on rural children's welfare. The MSW program offers financial support to students that commit to postgraduate work at North Dakota child welfare agencies.
Foundation program admission requirements include a bachelor's degree from an accredited school with a 3.0 GPA and a C grade or higher in statistics. Advanced standing requires a bachelor of social work.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Grand Forks, North Dakota
- Type: Public
- Accreditation(s): Higher Learning Commission; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $676 per credit hour
10. Brescia University
Brescia University offers two online master of social work (MSW) options: a two-year, 60-credit track for bachelor's degree-holders and a one-year, 30-credit advanced standing pathway for those with a bachelor of social work (BSW) degree from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program.
Brescia reimburses fees of up to $230 for MSW graduates who pass their Association of Social Work Board licensing examinations. Baccalaureate graduates of Brescia benefit from preferential admission, and bachelor's degree-holders with a 3.5 GPA and BSW graduates with an A grade in social work fieldwork may receive automatic admission.
All other applicants must complete introduction to social work with a C grade and need a 3.0 GPA (3.2 for advanced standing) and a personal statement.
- Program(s): Master of social work
- Campus: Owensboro, Kentucky
- Type: Private
- Accreditation(s): Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; Council on Social Work Education
- Tuition: $665 per credit hour
How to Pay for an Online MSW Program
Candidates can expect graduate tuition and fees to vary depending on whether the institution is public or private. The average tuition at a public institution in 2021 was $12,390 and at a private institution was $26,620.
In addition to the standard tuition, you may incur out-of-state fees, application and enrollment costs, technology fees, and possible mandatory health insurance if you cannot prove you have health insurance coverage.
Students can help cover costs by applying for financial aid, scholarships, grants, or school-specific funding through the financial aid office. Working students can inquire with their employers about tuition reimbursement.
Careers and Salaries with an Online MSW
A master's in social work expands your job opportunities, which often come with greater responsibility, salary, and leadership. Some of the popular career choices for graduates of an online MSW program include clinical social workers, who must meet national standards, log clinical hours, and take a national examination to be credentialed.
Other popular choices include medical social worker, art therapist, public policy advisor, and school counselor. However, your career choices with an MSW are far greater. An MSW graduate can work as a mental health case manager, child welfare specialist, substance abuse counselor, and professor teaching bachelor's degree students.
With a range of possible career choices, there is also a range of salaries. According to Payscale, the average base salary for a social worker with an MSW is $53,020, and Indeed lists the average salary for a school counselor at $63,950 and a licensed clinical social worker at $74,230.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online MSW Programs
How long does it take to earn an online MSW?
Students attending full time and year-round can complete an online MSW program in as little as four semesters. A National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Workforce Study revealed that 61% of part-time students completed the program in more than two but less than three years.
Is a BSW required to enroll in an MSW program?
A BSW is not required to achieve an MSW. According to the NASW Workforce Study, roughly two-thirds of new MSW graduates began the program with a bachelor's degree in a non-social work field.
What are the benefits of earning an online MSW?
How you define the benefits of an online MSW program is unique to your situation. Most count the flexible coursework, ability to complete the program on a part-time basis, lower costs, no travel requirements, and accessibility to world-class education as benefits.
How many credits are required to graduate from an online MSW program?
Graduates must complete 60 credit hours and field-hour experience whether they attend part or full time. Accelerated programs with fewer credit-hour requirements are available for those with credit hours or work experience that can be counted toward the necessary credits.