Curriculum

At Case Western Reserve University, our online Master of Social Work (MSW) program (now in its 10th year) offers the same innovative, interdisciplinary and flexible curriculum as our top-ranked on-campus degree.

With two program tracks and three paths of study, our flexible online MSW is designed to equip future social work change leaders like you with the skills needed to foster change at the individual, family, community and organizational levels.

We have two flexible program tracks to support your educational background and enhance your career goals:

You will enroll in 18 credit hours of generalist courses and 42 hours of advanced practice and specialized courses for a total of 60 credits. This track can be completed in as little as two and a half years.

If you’ve earned a bachelor’s in social work within the last seven years from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited institution, you will automatically be considered for advanced standing status. This means we will apply up to 21 credits from your BSW degree toward your master’s in social work so you can complete the program in as little as a year and a half.

Illuminate what you learn in the classroom in community and other real-world settings. The fieldwork internship experience is a central component of your MSW experience. There you will develop tangible skill sets that would help you with clinical, community and policy practice. The Mandel School has partnerships with  more than 1,000 placement sites, and our field placement team will work with you to find the right internships in or near your desired area.

You will complete fieldwork in 14-week-long experiences that allow you to apply the social work theory, skills, values and ethics acquired in the classroom in a real-world agency setting.

Traditional track students are required to complete 900 hours of fieldwork.

Advanced standing students are required to complete 500 hours of fieldwork.

These foundational courses (18 credits) are required for all traditional track MSW students:

All online MSW students will complete the following advanced practice courses (12 credits) before beginning their specialist coursework:

The online MSW program offers three paths of study—two direct practice and one macro—for you to develop tangible skills and become a Change Leader for effective, clinical, community or policy practice.

Choose a curriculum

Children, Youth and Families | Mental Health with Adults | Community Practice for Social Change

Provide individuals and families with a diverse range of services, including marital therapy, family counseling, parent education and child welfare.

Prepare to meet the growing demand for skilled clinicians in community-based mental health practice, including hospitals, substance abuse treatment programs and mental health centers. 

Drive systemic change on a broad scale by addressing some of society’s biggest social justice issues, such as poverty, human and women’s rights, cultural and racial diversity and oppression.

The online MSW program also offers a certificate option for students to complement their master’s degree.

Online MSW students interested in the Certificate in Trauma-Informed Practice must include the following in their plan of study:

A total of 15 credit hours is required for the Graduate Certificate in Trauma-Informed Practice. This includes 9 credit hours of required coursework and 6 credit hours of elective courses, selected from a list of approved electives:

3 Required Courses – 9 Credit Hours

2 Elective Courses Selected From the List of Approved Electives – 6 Credit Hours

Interested in learning more about each course that students in the online Master of Social Work program at CWRU will take while enrolled? View full course descriptions.