Best Online MSW Programs: Social Work

Advantages of Earning a Master’s in Social Work Online

Completing college is a milestone, but continuing on to graduate-level studies can open so many other doors. Below are three of the advantages of pursuing an online social work degree masters.

Flexibility and Convenience

The online format of MSW classes allows you to study and attend classes from anywhere with an internet connection. In addition to eliminating commute time, online programs offer the flexible schedule you need to complete your coursework when it’s most convenient, such as after your workday or while your kids are in school.

Promotion and Increased Pay

Pursuing a Master of Social Work online degree also means increased knowledge and experience. This will make you more competitive for promotions and pay increases. Advancing in your career path will also open doors to positions in traditional and nontraditional settings such as behavioral health clinics and community and economic development.

Specialization and Experience

Since a bachelor’s degree in social work covers the basics, a master’s degree in social work allows you to pick a concentration in the area(s) you are most passionate about. Not only will you take specialized classes, but you’ll most likely complete an internship related to that concentration as well. Concentrations could include anything from youth and families to social change and innovation. This supplementary experience will prepare you to advocate for social change in your community.

Dynamics of Racism & Oppression

This course explores social inequality issues related to disability, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. The issues are analyzed from structural, social-psychological, and applied perspectives. Students identify historical themes that continue today and explore the costs of oppression to all individuals.

Human Behavior and Social Environment

In this course, students study human behavior in relation to their social environments throughout the life cycle. They examine the influence of micro-, meso-, and macro-level social systems on individual behavior, including families, groups, organizations, and communities. Dynamic social constructions such as culture, race, class, gender, and sexual orientation are studied as sources of both oppression and strength at all social systems levels.

Research Methods

This introductory course helps students learn the principles and process of research and the ethical considerations when designing and implementing a project. Coursework focuses on problem identification, hypothesis formulation, measurement, sampling, and experimental design

Social Policy for Social Work Practice

This course introduces the historical context of social policy and services in the United States. It underscores social workers’ responsibility to understand and address the systemic factors that create social, economic, and environmental injustice. Students learn how social workers influence social welfare policy and advocate for social change related to social injustices based on race, ethnicity, language, class, religion, gender identity, etc.

Field Education

Students participate in several hundred hours of field education via internships that allow them to put what they’ve learned into practice in community and clinical settings. Sometimes professors hold virtual practices before sending students into the field.

Mental Health and Wellness

This concentration focuses on the mental health and physical well-being of patients across the lifespan. It will prepare students to help individuals and populations affected by serious mental health conditions and other simultaneous health conditions achieve wellness and recovery. Students will learn to address the stigma and discrimination that impedes their clients’ health; work in collaboration with families, external teams, and support services; and advocate for those living with mental illnesses.

Children, Youth, and Families

This concentration gives students the skills to deliver evidence-based treatment to families. They learn how system issues such as oppression and discrimination impact families. Students also learn to address the needs of vulnerable children and youth while building supportive social environments.

Trauma Practice

This concentration prepares students with enhanced clinical skills to work with populations and individuals affected by trauma. It focuses on comprehensive assessment, advanced interventions based on cognitive approaches, and trauma-informed care for diverse clients, including children, adults, couples, families, and groups.

Community Practice

This concentration prepares students for advanced practice with public or nonprofit organizations, neighborhoods, communities, congregations, and religiously affiliated agencies. Students learn various professional community practice models to strengthen and enrich communities in local and global settings.