“Online Social Work Degree – MSW Programs” is an excellent article on quality MSW online programs, which can be hard to come by given their intensive clinical requirements.
A university is not allowed to offer an official social work degree unless its program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Due to the heavy clinical component in most MSW programs, CSWE has only accredited a handful of online social work degree programs which have been able to create locally-based clinical internships by partnering with participating sites.
The MSW online programs featured in this article include:
- University of Tennessee
- Florida State University
- Michigan State University
It should be noted that there are many commercial online schools (such Capella University, Walden University, and Ashford University) which offer comparable degrees. However, because they are not accredited by CSWE, these schools do not provide official online social work degrees, and should be avoided for those who want to become social workers, as students with degrees from these schools will not be able to acquire the appropriate state licensure needed to practice legally.
Additionally, Florida State University, according to the article mentioned above, is the only university of the three which offers a fully online MSW degree, and only for those who have already acquired a BSW from an accredited school.
For more information from this author on additional online degree programs and courses, see also:
- Technical Online Colleges
- Finding an Accredited Online Graduate Course
- Community College Class Online Guide
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