Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in Arizona - Campus and Online

There are two state-funded public universities in Arizona that offer Master of Social Work (MSW) programs: Arizona State University (ASU); and Northern Arizona University (NAU). In addition, Grand Canyon University (GCU), a private school with its main campus in Phoenix, offers an MSW program. Students who are interested in earning an MSW degree from a university in Arizona can choose from clinical and macro practice specializations, or they can complete an advanced generalist curriculum that offers training in clinical and macro practice.

ASU’s School of Social Work and the Department of Social Work at NAU are both accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). GCU’s MSW program and its College of Humanities and Social Sciences have applied for and are in the candidacy phase of CSWE accreditation.

• Arizona State University (Accredited)
• Grand Canyon University (Accredited)
• Northern Arizona University (Accredited)

For detailed descriptions of the programs offered by these schools, continue reading below. Programs are separated into the following sections:

• Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Arizona
• Traditional Online MSW Programs in Arizona
• Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Arizona
• Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Arizona
• Find All MSW Programs in Arizona

Traditional MSW Programs in Arizona

Arizona State University (ASU), Northern Arizona University (NAU), and Grand Canyon University (GCU) offer traditional, full-length MSW programs for students who do not hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and who thus do not qualify for admission to an advanced standing MSW program. ASU offers both an on-campus and online program; NAU’s program is offered online; and GCU’s program is offered on-campus with evening classes at the school’s Phoenix location.

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Arizona

Arizona State University (ASU) offers a CSWE-accredited MSW program that is fully campus based and designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than social work. ASU’s traditional, campus-based MSW program has two concentration options: Direct Practice (clinical); and Planning, Administration, and Community Practice (macro). The program is offered through the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions within ASU’s School of Social Work and holds classes at ASU’s Downtown Campus in Phoenix and the university’s ASU@Tucson campus. Both of the program’s concentrations require students to complete 60 credit hours of general and specialization training, including field education placements for a total of 960 hours. Students who opt for the Direct Practice concentration can choose from three areas of clinical social work specialization: Children Youth, and Families; Health/Behavioral Health; and Public Child Welfare.

Grand Canyon University (GCU) offers a campus-based traditional MSW program through its College of Humanities and Social Sciences that requires the completion of 62 credits of coursework. The program has an advanced generalist focus, which means it provides advanced training in clinical social work and community-based macro practice social work. Students in the program attend evening classes at GCU’s Phoenix campus and complete four field education practicums at program-approved sites for a total of 960 hours of off-site work experiences.

Traditional Online MSW Programs in Arizona

Arizona State University (ASU) offers an online Advanced Generalist MSW program that combines training and instruction in clinical social work and macro or community practice social work. Students in the 60-credit program receive all of their didactic instruction online, including via two professional seminars that are held using synchronous instruction, which is online instruction that takes place in real-time. In addition, the program has mandatory field education courses in which students spend a combined 960 hours at two different practicum sites.

The Northern Arizona University (NAU) program is a two-year online Advanced Generalist MSW program with 225 hours allotted for field education during each of the program’s four semesters for a total of 900 hours of fieldwork. Students in the program receive training in clinical social work, including direct practice with children, adolescents, adults, and aging populations, as well as in community-based macro practice social work. In addition, students can choose two courses from among five behavioral science cognates to round out their graduate training. These cognates include: Applied Indigenous Studies; Disability Studies; Justice Studies; Political Science; and Education, including special education, autism spectrum disorders, and positive behavior support.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Arizona

Both of the public universities in Arizona that offer MSW programs have designated advanced standing tracks for eligible students. As noted previously, to qualify for an advanced standing MSW program, an applicant must hold a BSW degree from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the CSWE. Arizona State University (ASU) has a campus-based Advanced Standing MSW program that it offers at its West Campus in Phoenix and its ASU@YUMA campus. NAU offers its online MSW program with an advanced standing track that allows qualified students to earn their degree in one year rather than the two years required for the traditional program.

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Arizona

Arizona State University (ASU) has a campus-based Advanced Standing MSW program with an advanced generalist curriculum that is offered through ASU’s Phoenix and Yuma campuses. The program consists of 39 credits of coursework, including Professional Experience field placements that require a total of 480 hours and a Culminating Experience applied project. Students who qualify for ASU’s advanced standing program are also eligible to apply for admission to the school’s Child Welfare Education Program (CWEP), an MSW specialization track that prepares students for work in Arizona’s public child welfare system and which includes a field placement coordinated with the Arizona Department of Child Safety.

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Arizona

Northern Arizona University (NAU) has an online Advanced Standing MSW program that is comprised of 39 credits of coursework and which includes a 450-hour field education internship. The program has an advanced generalist specialization and requires students to complete two electives from among the following five behavioral science cognates: Applied Indigenous Studies; Disability Studies; Justice Studies; Political Science; and Education, including special education, autism spectrum disorders, and positive behavior support. NAU’s Advanced Standing MSW program is designed to be completed in one calendar year.