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Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in Iowa - Campus, Hybrid, and Online MSW Programs

Updated: August 15, 2024

There are five schools in Iowa that currently offer Master of Social Work (MSW) programs: Clarke University; Dordt University; St. Ambrose University; the University of Iowa; and the University of Northern Iowa. All five of these universities offer both traditional MSW program tracks for students who have earned a bachelor’s degree and advanced standing MSW program tracks for students who specifically hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Students can pursue programs in clinical social work (micro), macro social work, or through an advanced generalist program that combines coursework in micro and macro social work practice.

Four of the five schools offer fully or partially campus-based programs, while four of the schools offer MSW programs that can be completed online. Finally, as noted in the list below, the universities that offer MSW programs in Iowa have either received full accreditation from the CSWE or are in the candidacy phase of the accreditation process.

  • Clarke University (Accredited)
  • Dordt University (Accredited)
  • St. Ambrose University (Accredited)
  • University of Iowa (Accredited)
  • University of Northern Iowa (Accredited)

Details on the various MSW programs and program options offered by the above schools are provided in the sections below. Programs are grouped according to several criteria. Traditional programs are grouped separately from advanced standing programs because of their distinct admissions requirements. Within those two groups, programs are divided into two additional categories: online programs that do not require more than two campus visits per year (e.g., fully online and online with limited campus visits); and programs that are either fully campus-based or that utilize a hybrid model in which students receive some online instruction but must attend a significant number of campus-based classes. These categories are as follows:


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Traditional MSW Programs in Iowa

As noted previously, all five of the schools that offer MSW programs in Iowa have at least one traditional program option. A traditional program is a full-length master’s program that provides both foundational and advanced training and instruction in clinical and/or macro practice social work. These programs typically include a minimum of 900 hours of site-based field education and have a completion time of roughly two years for students who are enrolled on a full-time basis. Part-time enrollment in a traditional MSW program generally leads to graduating in three to four years.

The basic admission requirement for a traditional MSW program is a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Traditional MSW programs do not require applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree in social work.

Campus

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Iowa

Clarke University has a traditional campus-based MSW program as well as a hybrid MSW program with classes that meet on weekends at Clarke’s Dubuque campus. Both program options offer an Integrated Health Social Work Practice curriculum that provides advanced training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work, and both program options require students to complete 910 field education hours. Clarke’s Traditional Weekday Pathway is campus-based and has a two-year full-time completion plan and a three-year completion plan for part-time students. The Hybrid Weekend Pathway is a three-year, part-time program that combines online coursework with campus-based classes that meet every other weekend when school is in session.

St. Ambrose University (SAU) offers an MSW program with an Empowerment Practice specialization that trains students for clinical and macro practice social work. The program is offered in two formats: students can earn their degree by enrolling full-time and attending campus-based classes during normal school hours, or they can enroll part-time and receive a mix of online and campus-based instruction on Saturdays rather than on weekdays. The full-time pathway takes two years to complete; the part-time pathway has a three-year completion time. Both options require 1024 hours of field education.

The University of Iowa (UI) has a traditional MSW program that it offers at four campus locations: the university’s main campus in Iowa City; the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center in downtown Des Moines; Scott Community College in the Quad Cities; and Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. The program has two specialization options: Social Work Clinical Practice; and Social Work Leadership Practice. The Iowa City and Des Moines programs are campus-based and can be completed through full-time or part-time enrollment. Students in the Des Moines program may complete some courses through online instruction

The Quad Cities program in Bettendorf is a part-time, three-year hybrid program that features evening and weekend classes and well as some online instruction. The Sioux City program is a part-time, three-year program that utilizes a hybrid model with campus meetings held once or twice per week in the evenings when school is in session. This program only accepts a new cohort of students every three years with the next cohort scheduled to start in May 2023. Traditional students in UI’s MSW program are required to complete 900 hours of site-based field education.

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program with a Trauma-Informed Care specialization and an optional School Social Work track. The program, which requires students to engage in 900 hours of field education, is designed to be completed in two years of full-time enrollment. However, the program has an extended enrollment option that allows part-time students to earn their degree in up to five years. The program’s School Social Work Endorsement coursework and field instruction can be incorporated into a student’s plan of study without adding to the 60 credits required to graduate from the program.

Online

Traditional Online MSW Programs in Iowa

Dordt University in Sioux Center offers a fully online traditional MSW program with specializations in Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice, Clinical Practice, and Community Practice and Administration. Students take the same core curriculum covering human behavior and the social environment, social work research, and individual and group practice before taking five specialization courses of their choice. This program requires 900 hours of field education—450 hours of foundational practicum in their first year, and 450 hours of advanced field practicum in their second year. Students can complete this program within about 21 months of full-time study and 33 months of part-time study.

The University of Iowa (UI) offers its traditional MSW program in an online format designed for students who reside in Iowa and its surrounding states. The program utilizes a cohort model, placing students who reside in similar geographical regions into groups that begin and progress through the three-year, part-time program together under the guidance of a local mentor. In addition to synchronous online evening classes and asynchronous online coursework, students are required to attend a two-day, in-person summer institute at UI’s Iowa City campus during the second and third summers of the program and to complete 900 hours of site-based field education at program approved sites. UI’s online MSW program gives students the option of specializing in Social Work Clinical Practice or Social Work Leadership Practice.

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) has a traditional, online MSW program that does not require any campus visits but that does include 900 hours of site-based field education. The program has a Trauma-Informed Care specialization that provides training and instruction in direct practice clinical social work and macro practice social work. The program has a three-year, part-time enrollment structure that includes summer session courses.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Iowa

Advanced standing MSW programs are master’s programs in social work that are designed specifically for students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). These programs take advantage of the fact that BSW programs require students to complete 400 hours of field education and provide students with many or all of the foundation coursework that typically comprise the first year of a two-year, full-time, traditional MSW program. As a result, advanced standing students can generally graduate in roughly half the time it takes for traditional students to complete their MSW studies: one year for full-time enrollment, or two years for part-time enrollment. While the number of field education hours required to complete an advanced standing MSW program varies by program, 500-600 hours is common.

It is important to note that BSW graduates are not automatically accepted into advanced standing programs. Many programs require applicants to have earned their BSW within the last five, six, or seven years. Programs may also have other advanced standing admissions requirements, such as a minimum cumulate undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale (some programs even require a minimum GPA of 3.25 or 3.5). Applicants who are not admitted into an advanced standing program can still earn their MSW degree by enrolling in a traditional program.

Campus

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Iowa

Clarke University offers an advanced standing MSW program in a fully campus-based format and in a Hybrid Weekend format that mixes online instruction with weekend class meetings at Clarke’s Dubuque campus. The program has an Integrated Health Social Work Practice specialization. Students in the program are required to complete 500 hours of field education and can graduate from the program in one year of full-time enrollment or two years of part-time enrollment. Clarke University’s advanced standing MSW program is designed for students whose BSW degree was conferred within the last seven years. However, students who completed their BSW program more than seven years ago can be admitted into the program if they take an online bridge course in the summer prior to their first year of study.

St. Ambrose University (SAU) has an advanced standing MSW program track that is designed for students who hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program with a grade of B- or better in all required social work courses. Admission to the program is selective and decided on a case-by-case basis: applicants are expected to have been employed in a social work field if a number of years has passed since the completion of their BSW program. Students granted advanced standing status may be exempted from up to 23 of the 60 credits required for the university’s traditional program and are responsible for completing 512 hours of field education. The advanced standing curriculum begins with a six-week summer session and the program can be completed in ten months of full-time enrollment on campus or two years of part-time, hybrid study that combines online coursework with campus-based classes held on weekends. The St. Ambrose University MSW program has an Empowerment Practice specialization.

The University of Iowa (UI) has an MSW program that is offered at four campus locations in an advanced standing format for students who hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and whose cumulative undergraduate GPA was 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The program is offered in a campus-based format that supports full-time and part-time enrollment at UI’s main campus in Iowa City and at the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center in downtown Des Moines, as well as in a part-time, hybrid format at Scott Community College in the Quad Cities and Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. The Sioux City program accepts new students every three years and the next cohort is scheduled to start in May 2023.

Students enrolled on a full-time basis can graduate in one year, while part-time students take two years to earn their degree. The program requires 500 hours of field education for advanced standing students and has two specialization options: Social Work Clinical Practice; and Social Work Leadership Practice.

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) offers its Trauma-Informed Care MSW program in an advanced standing format for BSW program graduates. Advanced standing students are required to complete 37credit hours and begin the program by taking two summer-term courses. Students can graduate in one year of full-time enrollment or follow a part-time two-year completion plan. All advanced standing students in the UNI program are required to complete two 250-hour field practicums for a total of 500 hours of site-based field education.

Online

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Iowa

Dordt University, a private Christian university with its campus in Sioux Center, offers an advanced standing track for its MSW program, which gives preferential admission to candidates who earned their BSW within the last seven years. Candidates whose BSW degree is more than seven years old must demonstrate in their applications that they have extensive work experience in social work since graduating from their undergraduate degree. The program requires the completion of 36 course credits, consisting of mainly advanced specialization courses, though students with a BSW that is older than seven years must also take three foundational courses in social work practice and research methods. Advanced standing students are also required to fulfill a 450-hour advanced field practicum and have the option of pursuing one of three specializations: Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice, Clinical Practice, and Community Practice and Administration.

St. Ambrose University (SAU) offers its Empowerment Practice MSW program in a fully online advanced standing format for qualified students who graduated from their BSW program with a grade of B- or better in all required social work courses. Applicants who are not recent BSW graduates are expected to have spent time working in a social or human services field. The 36-credit advanced standing program offered by SAU can be completed in ten months of full-time enrollment and requires students to engage in 512 hours of site-based field education. The school’s flexible enrollment policy allows advanced standing students to complete their studies in two years of part-time enrollment.

The University of Iowa (UI) offers its MSW program in a fully online, advanced standing format designed for students who live in Iowa or a neighboring state. Students enter and proceed through the program in regional cohorts under the guidance of a designated mentor and are expected to complete 500 hours of site-based field education. In addition, the program requires students to attend a two-day campus-based summer institute at UI’s Iowa City campus. Students enrolled in the UI program can choose from two specialization options: Social Work Clinical Practice; and Social Work Leadership Practice.

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) has an advanced standing MSW program with a Trauma-Informed Care specialization that is offered in a fully online format. This is a part-time advanced standing program that takes just over two years to complete and that includes 500 hours of site-based field education. The Trauma-Informed Care specialization curriculum includes training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work.

All Master of Social Work Programs in Iowa

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Clarke University

(Dubuque)
Department: Department of Social Work
CSWE Accreditation Status: Fully Accredited
Programs:

Dordt University

(Sioux Center)
Department: Social Work
CSWE Accreditation Status: Fully Accredited
Programs:

St. Ambrose University

(Davenport)
Department: School of Social Work
CSWE Accreditation Status: Fully Accredited
Programs:

University of Iowa

(Iowa City, Des Moines, Bettendorf, Sioux City)
Department: School of Social Work
CSWE Accreditation Status: Fully Accredited
Programs:

University of Northern Iowa

(Cedar Falls)
Department: Department of Social Work
CSWE Accreditation Status: Fully Accredited
Programs: