The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work is the first elite, private research institution in the country to offer a Master of Social Work program online.
With part-time and full-time options, the MSW@USC is a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited online MSW program that prepares you to become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW).
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Program Options
Optional Program Tracks
Why Online
Fieldwork
Careers
Online MSW
Study full time or part time with our 42-credit online MSW program. Choose one of five optional program tracks: Adult Mental Health and Wellness; Children, Youth and Families, Social Change and Innovation, Military Social Work, or School Social Work.
Online MSW Admissions
To earn your MSW online, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. GRE scores are not required. We offer multiple start dates per year and review applications on a rolling basis.
We accept applications year-round and offer multiple start dates annually. Apply now to join our next class and start earning your social work degree as soon as possible.
The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work offers two online degrees in social work.
The MSW@USC prepares you to effect positive change at the individual, community or macro level through weekly online classes and an innovative virtual and in-person fieldwork approach. Alumni of our online MSW program are making a difference worldwide across a range of fields, including mental health, family counseling, and military and community advocacy.
The online MSW program is available both full time and part time.
In just 24 months of flexible study, aspiring social innovators can earn a Doctorate of Social Work online. The DSW@USC prepares you to pursue leadership and management roles in which you can help solve pervasive social problems. You’ll complete weekly online classes, two in-person residencies and a capstone project addressing one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work defined by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
Applicants should hold an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program or a related master’s degree or doctorate. Learn more about DSW admissions requirements.
Jump to:
Program Options
Optional Program Tracks
Why Online
Fieldwork
Careers
As a student in the online Master of Social Work program, you can further customize your online MSW@USC program experience — with one of five optional program tracks, each designed to prepare you to meet the needs of specific populations, settings or systems.
All MSW students take the same courses during the first semester: Human Behavior and the Social Environment; Foundations of Integrative Social Work Practice | Diversity in Social Work Practice; and Applied Learning in Field Education.
Starting in your second semester and continuing through graduation, you will complete specialized research and evaluation courses and practice courses tailored to your chosen track or interests.
Adult Mental Health and Wellness Track
As an online Master of Social Work student in the Adult Mental Health and Wellness track, you will be prepared to work directly with clients aged 18 and older, including older adults. Course topics include wellness, recovery and integrated care; explanatory theories of health and mental health; and advanced practice with complex social work cases.
Children, Youth and Families Track
The Children, Youth and Families track prepares you to work directly with children, parents and families both individually and in groups. Your education will span research and critical analysis for social work with children and families; social work practice with children and families in early and middle childhood; social work practice with adolescents, young adults and their families; and policy and macro practice in child, youth and family services.
Social Change and Innovation Track
As an online MSW student in the Social Change and Innovation track, you will be prepared to become a social work leader at the policy level. Your education experience will include research and evaluation for community, organization and business environments; management and organizational development for social workers; social work practice in workplace settings; policy advocacy and social change; community practice; and grant writing and program development.
The online MSW Military Social Work track prepares you to address the unique challenges facing service members, veterans and their families. Particular areas of focus include post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma, reintegration and crisis intervention.
Offered to California residents only, the School Social Work track prepares you to work with Pre-K–12 students in public and private schools across the state. You’ll learn to address problems that affect students’ achievement in the classroom. The courses and field education you will complete meet some of the requirements for the California Pupil Personnel Services Credential, which is required to practice school social work in the state.
For students interested in the School Social Work track or pursuing PPSC, your schedule may be modified to ensure a positive field placement experience and that you meet all necessary requirements for the credential. This means that if your first term of field placement falls over the summer term, you will need to take a modified schedule which will likely delay your graduation date. For specific questions, reach out to an admissions counselor at 877-700-4679 or sswvac@msw.usc.edu.
The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work offers a unique set of electives designed to prepare you for practice in your chosen area. While enrolled in the online Master of Social Work program, you will take one general elective and two advanced electives. Sample electives include:
Jump to:
Program Options
Optional Program Tracks
Why Online
Fieldwork
Careers
We’ve taken big strides to change what a modern MSW program can look like. The online Master of Social Work program has the same admissions standards, curriculum, graduation requirements, degree and diploma as the on-campus MSW program.
The difference? You’ll attend classes, complete coursework and engage with the USC community online.
Each seminar-style class is taught by USC faculty in real time within a state-of-the-art, virtual Zoom classroom, limited to approximately 12 students.
Interactive coursework reinforces classroom discussions and is available 24/7 both online and via a mobile app.
You will have access to USC’s libraries throughout your enrollment and beyond.
Comprehensive technical and academic support is available from admission through graduation.
Jump to:
Program Options
Optional Program Tracks
Why Online
Fieldwork
Careers
Get a head start on your clinical training. As an online MSW student, you will complete more than 1,200 hours of comprehensive field training that will prepare you for real-world practice.
For online MSW students, you will master advanced skills before you start working with clients face to face through our supportive online environment that we refer to as the Virtual Field Practicum, or VFP. During the VFP experience, you will:
Online MSW students complete in-person field education at sites near their community where they can gain real-world skills. During your field placement, you will:
Jump to:
Program Options
Optional Program Tracks
Why Online
Fieldwork
Careers
Social work is a fast-growing field with a diverse array of career paths available. Our innovative online master’s in social work program will help prepare you to pursue a variety of in-demand roles.
Our CSWE-accredited online MSW program prepares you to pursue licensure as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). As an LCSW, you can work with individuals, groups and families to help navigate a number of issues.
In many states, earning an MSW from a CSWE-accredited institution is one of the requirements to earn a social work license and be able to practice independently. The requirements vary by state, so it’s important to check with your state’s social work board.
Learn more about becoming an LCSW in your state.
Direct Practice Careers
Your classes, coursework and field experience will help prepare you to work directly with clients in roles such as:
Macro social workers address problems on a broader scale to create a more just world for marginalized and underrepresented communities. As advocates for whole communities, regions and states, they work to shape laws and policy.
Macro Solo Work Careers
As an online MSW student in the Social Change and Innovation track, you’ll gain the skills you need to help you pursue a policy-level career, such as:
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the nation’s primary organization overseeing social work education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. CSWE offers accreditation to schools that meet its high standards for competent preparation. To achieve CSWE accreditation, a school must pass a variety of steps overseen by the CSWE Office of Social Work Accreditation, including site visits by CSWE personnel and self-studies evaluating the school’s curriculum and field education.
Because of CSWE’s high standards, many states require candidates for social work licensure to earn an on-campus or online MSW from a CSWE-accredited institution such as the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. When you earn your MSW online from a CSWE-accredited school, you receive a high-quality education that meets 21st-century standards for practice and prepares you to pursue your next step professionally.
Take the next step toward becoming a social work leader. Request information about the online MSW program today.
