Best Online Master’s in Social Work MSW

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Jenn Finley

Published: Jul 7, 2021
Updated: Jan 16, 2024

Find top-ranked online master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree programs for students wanting to qualify for careers as social workers and healthcare administrators.

Top 10 Online MSW – Master of Social Work Degrees

University of Southern California
Yeshiva University
Boston University
Florida State University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Portland State University
University of Houston
Loyola University Chicago
Fordham University
Simmons University

University of Southern California
Boston University
University of Missouri
Florida State University
Fordham University
University at Buffalo
Bryn Mawr College
University of Alabama
University of Houston
University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky 95%
University of Maine 94%
Portland State University 93%
California State University, Northridge 91%
Virginia Commonwealth University 91%
Concord University 91%
University of Alabama at Birmingham 87%
University of Nevada, Reno 86%
Aurora University 82%
University of Louisville 82%

University of Central Florida 29 to 1
University of Texas at Arlington 24 to 1
California State University, Northridge 24 to 1
University of Houston 21 to 1
University of Alabama 19 to 1
University of Missouri 18 to 1
Northern Michigan University 18 to 1
University of Alabama at Birmingham 18 to 1
Aurora University 18 to 1
University of Nevada, Reno 18 to 1

University of Southern California $64,726
Boston University $62,360
Bryn Mawr College $59,330
Fordham University $58,467
Baylor University $51,738
Loyola University Chicago $49,498
Yeshiva University $48,800
Simmons University $44,350
Adelphi University $43,800
Our Lady of the Lake University $31,124

University of Southern California $63,468
Boston University $61,050
Bryn Mawr College $50,730
Adelphi University $44,425
Baylor University $38,772
Yeshiva University $34,800
Simmons University $27,152
Fordham University $23,112
Loyola University Chicago $19,440
Rutgers University–Camden $18,696

Northern Michigan University
University of Nevada, Reno
University of Maine
Concord University
University of Alabama at Birmingham
California State University, Northridge
Our Lady of the Lake University
University of Texas at Arlington
Rutgers University–Camden
Saint Leo University

Concord University
Our Lady of the Lake University
Aurora University
Saint Leo University
Northern Michigan University
Simmons University
University of Texas at Arlington
Adelphi University
Portland State University
Rutgers University–Camden

University of Southern California 12%
Boston University 14%
Florida State University 25%
Bryn Mawr College 31%
University of Central Florida 41%
Baylor University 46%
Fordham University 54%
Yeshiva University 63%
University of Houston 66%
University at Buffalo 68%

Simmons University 7 to 1
Yeshiva University 7 to 1
Bryn Mawr College 8 to 1
University of Southern California 9 to 1
Boston University 11 to 1
Our Lady of the Lake University 11 to 1
University at Buffalo 12 to 1
Adelphi University 12 to 1
Loyola University Chicago 13 to 1
University of Louisville 13 to 1

University of Central Florida $4,478
Florida State University $4,640
California State University, Northridge $5,742
University at Buffalo $7,070
University of Nevada, Reno $8,133
Portland State University $8,400
Concord University $8,540
University of Houston $8,685
University of Alabama at Birmingham $8,832
University of Texas at Arlington $9,206

University of Nevada, Reno $5,814
University of Central Florida $6,916
California State University, Northridge $7,176
University of Alabama at Birmingham $8,424
University of Houston $8,713
University of Texas at Arlington $9,015
Concord University $9,162
Florida State University $9,684
University of Maine $9,738
Northern Michigan University $10,176

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Work-MSW Degrees

Pursuing a master’s in social work requires a combination of compassion, professionalism, and hard work.

How long does it take to get a master’s in social work?

This degree, commonly referred to as an MSW, typically consists of about 60 credits, though some programs require as few as 30 credits. Students can pursue this advanced degree either online or in person. Most students will require between two and four years to complete their MSW program.

What topics do courses cover?

Courses cover topics such as professional ethics, systemic racism, and family therapy. Students may also choose a specialization, like clinical social work, family counseling, child development, or addiction. Additionally, many programs require a thesis and/or a practicum.

What can you do with a master’s in social work?

The MSW may qualify students for careers as social workers and healthcare administrators.

An online master’s in social work can qualify graduates for a career in human services. Find out what you can do with a degree in human services.

Learn more about what you can do with a master’s degree in social work.

How do we determine the best online social work-MSW master's degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

30 Best Online Master’s in Social Work - MSW Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Social Work Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Social Work

Degree Level: Master's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Starting Salary*: $48,037
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $55,568
* denotes ‘annually’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Social and Community Service Managers	9.08%	$69,922
Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary	3.87%	$68,936
Social Workers, All Other	6.58%	$59,282
Healthcare Social Workers	9.61%	$57,884
Marriage and Family Therapists	14.89%	$56,093
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists	2.45%	$54,920
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	10.57%	$50,894
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	5.35%	$49,575
Counselors, All Other	17.30%	$47,478

Average Career Salaries

Bottom 10%	Median	Top 10%
$40,604	$60,163	$90,112

Promising Job Markets

State	Cost of Living	Avg. Salary
#2 Michigan	15% higher than average	$61,990
#3 North Carolina	11% higher than average	$61,594
#4 Minnesota	4% higher than average	$65,555
#5 New York	5% higher than average	$71,319
#6 Virginia	5% higher than average	$64,262
#7 New Jersey	13% higher than average	$76,230
#8 Pennsylvania	5% higher than average	$63,796
#9 Kansas	9% higher than average	$60,810
#10 Ohio	14% higher than average	$57,068
#11 Texas	10% higher than average	$59,243
#12 Louisiana	9% higher than average	$59,467
#13 Washington	7% higher than average	$70,055
#14 North Dakota	average	$65,158
#15 Oklahoma	13% higher than average	$56,255
#16 Illinois	7% higher than average	$60,019
#17 Iowa	9% higher than average	$58,035
#18 Georgia	13% higher than average	$55,335
#19 Kentucky	14% higher than average	$54,544
#20 Indiana	11% higher than average	$56,472
#21 Nevada	5% higher than average	$66,108
#22 South Dakota	7% higher than average	$58,174
#23 New Mexico	7% higher than average	$57,772
#24 Wisconsin	7% higher than average	$57,697
#25 Rhode Island	20% higher than average	$73,506
#26 Tennessee	14% higher than average	$52,533
#27 Alabama	13% higher than average	$52,717
#28 South Carolina	8% higher than average	$55,786
#29 West Virginia	11% higher than average	$53,736
#30 Connecticut	18% higher than average	$70,633
#31 Utah	4% higher than average	$56,628
#32 Arizona	5% higher than average	$55,820
#33 Oregon	11% higher than average	$64,868
#34 Colorado	3% higher than average	$60,249
#35 Florida	6% higher than average	$54,581
#36 Idaho	7% higher than average	$53,470
#37 Mississippi	18% higher than average	$47,284
#38 Arkansas	16% higher than average	$48,090
#39 Nebraska	6% higher than average	$53,354
#40 Missouri	16% higher than average	$47,711
#41 Maine	9% higher than average	$61,318
#42 New Hampshire	13% higher than average	$63,019
#43 California	26% higher than average	$70,112
#44 Maryland	18% higher than average	$65,404
#45 Delaware	2% higher than average	$55,552
#46 Wyoming	2% higher than average	$53,048
#47 District of Columbia	49% higher than average	$79,039
#48 Massachusetts	24% higher than average	$65,420
#49 Vermont	13% higher than average	$59,117
#50 Hawaii	40% higher than average	$70,715
#51 Montana	3% higher than average	$48,873
#52 Alaska	23% higher than average	$61,344

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Social and Community Service Managers	$69,922
Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary	$68,936
Social Workers, All Other	$59,282
Healthcare Social Workers	$57,884
Marriage and Family Therapists	$56,093
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists	$54,920
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	$50,894
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	$49,575
Counselors, All Other	$47,478

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier is actually getting there. Taking the commute out of the equation means getting to class should be a lot more manageable. But that’s where it ends. In general, your online courses will incorporate the very same materials, concepts, and testing methods as would a traditional classroom.

And in many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning or working with remote learning technology for the first time, online college may even be a little more challenging for you. For a few insights on how to manage this new experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Online Master’s in Social Work MSW

Top 10 Online MSW – Master of Social Work Degrees

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Work-MSW Degrees

How long does it take to get a master’s in social work?

What topics do courses cover?

What can you do with a master’s in social work?

30 Best Online Master’s in Social Work - MSW Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Southern California

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Yeshiva University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Boston University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Florida State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Virginia Commonwealth University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Portland State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Houston

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Loyola University Chicago

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Fordham University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Simmons University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Alabama

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Aurora University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Kentucky

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University at Buffalo

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Adelphi University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Baylor University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Bryn Mawr College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Missouri

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Louisville

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Central Florida

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Saint Leo University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Rutgers University–Camden

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Texas at Arlington

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Our Lady of the Lake University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at California State University, Northridge

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Concord University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Maine

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at University of Nevada, Reno

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Social Work degree at Northern Michigan University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Social Work Degree

Social Work

Degree Level: Master's

Career Salaries

Average Career Salaries

Promising Job Markets

Top Industries

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions