Best 25 Fast Track Social Work Degrees Online

UT’s 100% online Maverick School of Social Work provides a meaty curriculum for the student, and a one-year Advanced Standing track. The Cohort program also opens the door to further online concentrations in clinical treatment for youth, elderly, substance abuse, mental illness and more. And with 500 fieldwork hours to garner a student’s belt, that’s a hearty education for a sound social work resume foundation. Combined with the competitive tuition and acceptance rates, it’s no wonder University of Texas-Arlington made it to the top of this list.

This Southern university offers an amazing value for their Master’s in Social Work degree. The U.S. News-recognized program is designed for busy students with diverse demographics in mind. A one-year Advanced Standing track is an available option, as well as 480 hours of internship on the clock. Students receive a rich variety of curriculum that includes diversity, nonprofit management, differential diagnosis and more.

The online MSW program at the University of Iowa is nothing short of remarkable. Their 25-student cohort model assists in pairing students in their geographic area with local social work practitioners for a field study experience unlike anywhere else. The school also has a broad spectrum of other degrees in the social work sector, including a Ph.D program.

Indiana University does not follow a cohort program for their online MSW degree; instead, they deliver what is called “synchronous and asynchronous instruction,” where the instruction is entirely based in the online program with three physical meetings in the whole semester. Advance Standing options are available. Full-Time students typically complete the degree in two years, while Part-Time students spend two.

This top-ranking degree program prepares students to work in clinical settings with children, families, and groups and may be completed from all 50 states. Designed with working professionals in mind who are looking to advance their careers in the social work field, the program offers full-time and part-time tracks that are completed in 12 months (3 semesters) and 18 months (5 semesters) respectively. Students participate in a variety of course offerings that include both a synchronous and asynchronous format. One cohort is accepted per year and the deadline to apply is February 15 for a Summer semester start.

The University of Alabama boasts a wide variety of related fields and concentrations in social work on campus, including MAs in Educational Psychology, Master in Public Health, a MA in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a MS in Human Nutrition. The online MSW also provides an enriching experience with 500 hands-on practicum hours in their skills lab in Tuscaloosa. Two concentrations are available for the online degree, which includes Adults and their Families, and Children and Adolescents.

While some colleges have only the MSW available online, others take it a step further. NC State springboards their online version as a Master’s in Youth, Family, and Community Sciences. From there, students can further pursue their career through three Graduate Certificate options: Family Life Education and Coaching, Leadership and Volunteer Management, and Youth Development and Leadership.

This school hailing from the Arctic Circle has upgraded their MSW program to online only, allowing further convenience on accessibility. An Advanced Standing option is available that students can customize with certification of Children’s Mental Health or School Social Work Specialization. That’s good news for Alaska, who continues to see a growing need for skilled social workers in the state public school system.

The Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work offers both Full-Time and Part-Time MSW degrees, with the latter being a mixture of online curriculum and Saturday campus classes. The course is designed for working students in the Madison area seeking to balance their work and education on one plate. Students can choose from four focus studies for their Master’s – Aging, Health, Mental Health, and Child, Youth, and Family Welfare.

UNC at Chapel Hill has a comprehensive MSW program online that is as rewarding as the traditional experience. Students work closely with the school to study courses that tailor to their individual interests as well as the core program requirements. Eligibility for an advanced standing program is also available.

George Mason University takes on a unique approach from the traditional MSW. Their program emphasizes the social justice angle and branches off into two concentrations. Students can focus their MSW on Adults and Healthy Aging, or Children, Youth and Families. There’s plenty of opportunity for hands-on learning where students can apply what they’ve learned in real-world situations. The best part is that their MSW program went live online since last year, offering professionals the flexibility to study part-time online from anywhere. The online program is part-time with the program being completed in 10 semesters and students taking 2 classes each semester. In other words, students would complete the program in 10 semesters or 3 years and 1 semester.

The Online MSW Program at Arizona State University has all of the benefits you would come to expect: state-of-the-art technology, a tight knit student-faculty community, and curriculum taught by the best experts in the field. But there’s also a great benefit ASU offers that many schools don’t – a BA in Community Advocacy and Social Policy that’s 100 percent online. It’s a great opportunity for students to take advantage of who don’t have a bachelor’s degree yet.

Ohio State University’s MSW program is available two ways online. Students can take the traditional route, or the Advanced Standing program. While the acceptance rate for this school is lower on this list, their MSW programs are outstanding. OSU’s grad school was ranked 6th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. That’s certainly something to feel good about.

The online Master of Science in Social Work is a powerful tool in the graduate student’s arsenal. This popular degree can be customized to concentrate in more unusual fields like military social work and psychosocial oncology. Or, it can focus on the usual areas of mental health, gerontology, and drug counseling. Students planning to pursue this program are encouraged to apply early to avoid long wait times.

In addition to a traditional two-year MSW, the University of California Berkeley offers an Advanced Standing track for BSW holders as well as a part-time program for students with family or career obligations. UC Berkeley students can combine their MSW with a degree in law, public health, or public policy, and have the option of pursuing certificates in aging, working with Latinx populations, and school social work.

At Temple University, the online MSW program is dedicated to the convenience of the online platform. Students work on assignments at their own pace. A great emphasis is placed on faculty helping students with undivided attention, and the small 15-20 class size fosters social bonding with professors and their students. That in itself is a great opportunity for social work, as well as intensive training on campus the program requiring a three-day residency in Philadelphia.

Nazareth College offers both the B.S. Degree in Social Work and an MSW online, an excellent opportunity for the online student. The school touts that the latter program can be completed in 1-2 years. Some courses are completely online, and some are hybrid. Students can come to one of the three campus in Rochester, Auburn, or Watertown in the New York state at their convenience.

The University of Pittsburgh has been around for more than 200 years and is a reliable institution for their accredited degree programs. In addition to offering traditional on campus MSW options, the school has an online Master of Public Policy and Management, a maverick approach to the public sector side of social work practice. The school also offers dual degree enrollment flexibility.

While the University of Washington’s MSW program is hosted in their Seattle campus, they do offer an interesting online hybrid alternative. The online Masters of Public Health degree concentrates on tackling public social challenges at large, environmental improvements, biostatistics, and social policy improvement in various types of public organizations. Students take the program mostly online, with three in-person sessions in downtown Seattle.

With the partnership of 2U, Syracuse University’s Falk School of Social Work will be launching their MSW degree curriculum fully online for the first time in the Fall 2021 semester. An Advanced Standing program is also available, cutting the student’s study time down to 24 months in a convenient long distance format. Not much is available on the school website yet, but it’s worth keeping an eye on it for updates that may come up.

Not to be confused with similar-named schools in Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania carries abundant online social degree options, including a MS in Social Policy, Ph.D. in Social Welfare, and Doctorate in Clinical Social Work. They even have online Dual Degree Programs that work your social degree program in tandem with a second online degree. The tuition and acceptance rates are decent for an Ivy League school, making this university very accessible in its caliber to students.

Smith College’s School of Social Work prides itself in offering some of the best social work degrees available. Though not all of their courses are online, their MSW and Ph.D programs are taught by award-winning professors. Their program curriculums also follow a unique block plan.

Princeton’s tuition rate may be pricey, but there’s good reason for it. The Ivy League school’s track record is among the most impressive in the nation. It consistently tops #1 in U.S. News rankings, even among other Ivy League peers. Their acceptance rate has somewhat relaxed from its previous 4% standing in recent years. Students who can manage to get into this school will no doubt be rewarded by the fruits of their labor.

The School of Social Work at Boston University has an outstanding award-winning reputation. It placed among the Top 15 schools by U.S. News & World report. The online coursework is rigorous, but very rewarding with 1,000 field hours combined with an Advance Standing 40 credit hour or 65 credit hour Human Service Experience program. The acceptance rate is also higher than most Ivy League schools.

The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration offers a sophisticated Master of Arts program in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration. It’s not a typical MSW program, but it has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education for more than 100 years! The degree itself is not available online. Instead, a number of the program courses are. This degree carries a hefty price tag, but the broad curriculum is designed with career flexibility in mind. If you can get accepted into this school, you could come out with a diamond of a degree.