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

There are four schools in Virginia that currently offer Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs: George Mason University (GMU); Norfolk State University (NSU); Radford University; and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). All four of these schools have campus-based full-length traditional MSW programs that do not require a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree for admission. GMU and VCU also offer online MSW programs for traditional standing students.

For students who hold a BSW from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), all four Virginia schools offer campus-based advanced standing MSW programs, and GMU and VCU also offer online programs. As noted in the list below, all four schools are fully accredited by the CSWE.

• George Mason University (Accredited)
• Norfolk State University (Accredited)
• Radford University (Accredited)
• Virginia Commonwealth University (Accredited)

Programs are classified based on two criteria: traditional programs are grouped separately from advanced standing programs and, within those categories, campus-based programs are grouped separately from online programs. Programs that require more than two campus visits per year are classified as hybrid programs and are grouped with campus-based programs as they may not be a viable option for students who reside outside of commuting range of the school offering the program. Programs that require two or fewer on-campus visits per year are classified as online programs on MasterofSocialWork.com.

Details on the various types of MSW programs offered by universities in Virginia are provided in the sections below:

• Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Virginia
• Traditional Online MSW Programs in Virginia
• Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Virginia
• Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Virginia
• Directory of All MSW Programs in Virginia

Traditional MSW Programs in Virginia

College graduates who hold a bachelor’s degree and meet other admissions requirements that vary by school are generally eligible for traditional MSW programs. These programs are full-length master’s programs that take roughly two years of full-time study to complete, provide training and instruction in clinical and/or macro practice social work, and culminate in the conferral of a master’s degree in social work. As part of a traditional MSW program, students are expected to engage in a minimum of 900 hours of supervised field education, a signature pedagogy of social work education.

While most programs can be completed in two years by students who are enrolled full-time, many programs allow for part-time enrollment, extending the time to completion to three to four years. All four of the schools that offer traditional MSW programs in Virginia have at least one traditional MSW track that is campus-based. Two of the schools also offer traditional MSW programs in an online format.

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Virginia

George Mason University (GMU) offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program with two designated specialization options: Children, Youth & Families (CYF); and Adults & Healthy Aging (AHA). The program can prepare students to apply for a license to practice clinical social work and/or for careers in macro practice social work. As part of the program, students must complete 1050 hours of field education. This translates to 400 hours during the first year of the program for full-time students and 650 hours in the second year. However, the program allows students to enroll on a part-time basis and follow a three- or four-year completion plan.

Norfolk State University (NSU) has a traditional, campus-based MSW program that is offered through the Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work. The 60-credit program has a clinical social work curriculum with concentrations in Child Welfare, Military Social Work, and School Social Work. Students in the program must complete 540 hours of field education in the first year of the program and 630 hours in the second year for a total of 1170 hours of supervised fieldwork. While the program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time enrollment, a limited number of students in the program are permitted to enroll on a part-time basis in an extended-time MSW program plan that takes six semesters (three years) to complete.

Radford University’s School of Social Work offers a traditional MSW program with a Community-Based Family Practice focus in a fully campus-based format at its main campus in Radford. The program emphasizes rural social work practice and has a five-semester/two-year completion plan for full-time students and an 11-semester/three-year completion plan for students enrolled on a part-time basis. Students in the traditional MSW program are expected to complete 1082 hours of field education prior to graduating.

Radford University also offers an MSW program in a hybrid format at the Roanoke Higher Education Center in the city of Roanoke. The Roanoke program provides training in urban-based social work practice. It is a three-year, part-time program designed for students who are working full-time and thus holds classes online and in-person on Saturdays. Similar to the MSW program offered on Radford’s main campus, students are required to complete 1082 hours of field education to earn their degree.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program with two concentrations: Social Work Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice; and Clinical Social Work Practice. The Social Work Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice concentration gives students the option of earning a certificate in Nonprofit Management, and the Clinical Social Work Practice concentration has optional certificates in Aging Studies, School Social Work, and Gender Violence Intervention. VCU’s School of Social Work offers its traditional, campus-based MSW program in a two-year, full-time format and in a part-time format that takes four years to complete. To graduate from the program, traditional students are required to complete 1020 hours of supervised field education.

Traditional Online MSW Programs in Virginia

George Mason University (GMU) offers its traditional MSW program in a fully online format in which students complete all of their didactic coursework online and engage in 1050 hours of supervised, site-based field education in two years of full-time enrollment or three or four years of part-time enrollment. The program, which is offered through GMU’s College of Health and Human Services, has two concentration options: Children, Youth & Families (CYF); and Adults & Healthy Aging (AHA), and utilizes asynchronous instruction for the majority of courses.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has a traditional MSW program that is offered in a fully online format. The program has a Clinical Social Work Practice specialization and gives students the option of pursuing certificates in Aging Studies and School Social Work. Full-time students graduate from the VCU program in two years, while students enrolled on part-time basis take three or four years to graduate. The MSW program requires traditional students to complete 1020 hours of field education.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Virginia

Advanced standing MSW programs are master’s programs in social work that are designed specifically for students who have completed a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree through an undergraduate program accredited by the CSWE. These programs allow students to waive the foundational coursework and field education that are integral to a BSW program, and to therefore earn an MSW degree in roughly half the time it takes traditional students to complete their MSW studies. Full-time students can generally complete an advanced standing program in one year; part-time students typically take two years to earn their degree.

It is important to note that admission to an advanced standing program is not guaranteed. Many programs require advanced standing applicants to have earned their BSW degree within the last five to seven years, and some programs have additional admissions requirements, such as a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. BSW graduates who do not gain admission to an advanced standing program can still earn an MSW degree via a traditional program.

While the number of field education hours required for advanced standing students varies by program, most advanced standing programs require at least 450 to 600 hours of supervised field training. All four of the schools in Virginia that have MSW programs offer a campus-based advanced standing tracks for qualified students, and two of the schools have online advanced standing programs.

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Virginia

George Mason University (GMU) has a campus-based MSW program with an advanced standing track that requires a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program that was conferred within the last five years. In addition, advanced standing applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale and at least 30 credits of liberal arts coursework, inclusive of courses in English composition, history or government, social sciences, and statistics. GMU’s advanced standing track has a one-year, full-time completion plan and a two-year, part-time completion plan. Advanced standing students are required to engage in 600 hours of site-based field education. The program has two specialization options: Children, Youth & Families (CYF); and Adults & Healthy Aging (AHA).

Norfolk State University (NSU) offers its campus-based MSW program in an advanced standing format for graduates from CSWE-accredited BSW programs whose undergraduate degree was conferred within the last five years. In addition, applicants must have completed 400 hours of field education and attained a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a four-point scale with a 3.5 cumulative GPA in all social work/social welfare courses. The program has a clinical social work focus with concentrations in Child Welfare, Military Social Work, and School Social Work. Advanced standing students must engage in 630 hours of field education during the three semesters it takes to earn their degree.

Radford University offers a campus-based, advanced standing MSW program with a Community-Based Family Practice concentration and a focus on rural practice. To be eligible for advanced standing status, applicants must have earned a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program within the last seven years, have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher, and have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all social work major coursework. Radford’s advanced standing MSW program can be completed in four semesters of full-time enrollment or six semesters of part-time enrollment. It requires 636 hours of supervised field education.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) offers its campus-based MSW program in an advanced standing format that can be completed in one year of full-time enrollment. The program is designed for BSW graduates who earned their degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program within the last five years and attained a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The program gives students the option of a Social Work Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice concentration with an optional certificate in Nonprofit Management, or a Clinical Social Work Practice concentration that has three certificate options: Aging Studies; School Social Work; and Gender Violence Intervention. Advanced standing students in the VCU program are required to complete 600 hours of supervised field education.

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Virginia

George Mason University (GMU) offers a fully online advanced standing MSW program option with specializations in Children, Youth & Families (CYF), and Adults & Healthy Aging (AHA). To be eligible for the program, applicants must hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program earned within the last five years. In addition, applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher and have taken at least 30 credits of liberal arts courses, including courses in English composition, history or government, social sciences, and statistics. The online advanced standing program offered by GMU requires students to complete 600 hours of field education and is designed for one year of full-time enrollment or two-years of part-time enrollment.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has an advanced standing MSW program that is offered in a one-year, full-time online format that does not require any campus visits but which does require students to engage in 600 hours of in-person field instruction at program-approved sites. The online advanced standing program has a Clinical Social Work Practice concentration that gives students the option of earning a certificate in Aging Studies or School Social Work. To be eligible for VCU’s advanced standing program, applicants must hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program that was conferred within the last five years and have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a four-point scale.

All Master of Social Work Programs in Virginia

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