Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in the District of Columbia (DC) - Campus and Online

There are three universities in the District of Columbia (Washington DC) that currently offer Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs: Catholic University of America (CUA); Gallaudet University; and Howard University. All three of these schools have traditional MSW programs designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in any field of study, as well as advanced standing MSW programs that require applicants to hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

All three schools offer campus-based programs and/or hybrid online programs that have a significant number of campus-based requirements, while one DC school – CUA – has an online program that does not require any campus visits. Finally, all three of the schools in DC that have MSW programs have received full accreditation from the CSWE, as noted below.

• Catholic University of America (Accredited)
• Gallaudet University (Accredited)
• Howard University (Accredited)

MSW programs in Washington DC are grouped by program type (traditional versus advanced standing programs) and by instruction method (campus/hybrid versus online programs) to help students quickly identify potential programs. Details about each program, including specialization options, are provided in the following sections:

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

Traditional MSW Programs in Washington DC

The Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, and Howard University all offer traditional MSW programs. These are full-length master’s degree programs that provide training and instruction in the principles and practices of advanced practice social work. Traditional MSW programs typically take two years of full-time enrollment to complete and include a minimum of 900 hours of required field education, a central pedagogy of social work education.

While admissions policies vary by program, the basic requirement for admission to 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, although some programs may prefer applicants to have an undergraduate degree in a social sciences or related field.

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Washington DC

Catholic University of America (CUA) offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program through its National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS). The NCSSS’s traditional MSW program has two designated concentrations: Clinical Practice; and Community, Administration, and Policy Practice. Students who enroll in the program full-time can expect to graduate in two years, while part-time students are allotted a maximum of five years to complete the program’s requirements. The 60-credit program is comprised of 30 credits of foundational knowledge coursework and 30 credits of advanced knowledge coursework. Students in the traditional MSW program are required to complete 1080 hours of field education.

Gallaudet University, a federally chartered private university for the education of deaf and hard of hearing students, offers a traditional MSW program with an advanced generalist curriculum that includes training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work among deaf and hard of hearing populations. The 61-credit program includes two field practicums for a total of 1012 hours of site-based field education. Students enrolled on a full-time basis complete 500 hours of field work during their first year of study and 512 hours during their second and final year of study. While most of the program’s coursework is offered on campus, students take two online courses while completing their final field practicum in the spring semester of their second year. While the Gallaudet University MSW program is designed for full-time students, the program has three- and four-year part-time enrollment options for students who have significant work and/or family commitments outside of school and for students who are new to American Sign Language.

Howard University offers a traditional MSW program in a format that allows students to take all of their courses on campus or enroll in a mix of campus-based, online, and hybrid courses. The program has two designated concentrations: Direct Practice; and Community, Administration, and Policy. In addition, students can select from among a number of focus areas through elective coursework. These focus areas include criminal justice, social gerontology, mental health, social work in healthcare settings, family and child welfare, and displaced populations. The 60-credit program has a two-year, full-time enrollment plan and three- and four-year part-time enrollment options. The program’s field education requirements include two 208-hour practicums during the first-year of the full-time program and two 260-hour practicums completed during the full-time program’s second year, plus an additional 64 hours that are required in order to meet the traditional program’s graduation requirement of 1000 total hours of field education.

Traditional Online MSW Programs in Washington DC

Catholic University of America (CUA) is currently the only school in Washington DC that offers a traditional MSW program in a fully online format. The program, which is offered through CUA’s CSWE-accredited National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS), has a clinical social work curriculum and does not require any campus visits. Full-time students can complete the program in two years, while part-time students generally take three to four years to graduate. Students who enroll in the CUA online MSW program must complete their degree within five years. The 60-credit program includes a total of 1080 hours of required field education that must be completed at program approved sites.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Washington DC

All three of the universities in Washington DC that offer MSW programs have advanced standing tracks that are open to students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. Advanced standing MSW programs credit students with the foundational coursework and field education hours that are part of a BSW curriculum. This allows BSW graduates to earn their MSW degree in less time than a traditional MSW program. Full-time advanced standing students can graduate with their MSW degree in roughly one year, while part-time students generally take two or three years to earn their degree. While the number of field education hours varies by program, most advanced standing MSW programs require a minimum of 500 hours of site-based field work.

It is important to note that admission to an advanced standing MSW program is not guaranteed for BSW graduates. In addition to holding a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program, advanced standing MSW programs may have other requirements. For example, programs may require applicants to have earned their BSW degree within the last five to seven years, and many programs require advanced standing applicants to have demonstrated academic excellence in their undergraduate program by attaining a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. BSW graduates who are not accepted to an advanced standing track can still earn their MSW degree by attending a traditional program.

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Washington DC

Catholic University of America (CUA) offers its campus-based MSW program in an advanced standing format that gives students the option of pursuing a Clinical Practice specialization or a Community, Administration, and Policy Practice specialization. Applicants are required to have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher in all of their courses, a 3.5 or higher GPA in their social work courses, and at least 480 hours of undergraduate field education. The 30-credit advanced standing curriculum includes 600 hours of field education in addition to didactic coursework. Full-time students can complete CUA’s advanced standing MSW program in one year; part-time students generally graduate in two to three years, depending on the number of courses and field education hours completed each semester.

Gallaudet University’s advanced generalist MSW program has an advanced standing track that requires applicants to hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program, a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, and an American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (ASLPI) score of 2 or higher. The advanced standing curriculum omits foundational MSW coursework and 500-hours of field education that traditional students complete during their first year of study. The advanced generalist curriculum includes training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work with a focus on social work practice among deaf and hard of hearing populations and requires students to complete 512 hours of field education. The Gallaudet University advanced standing MSW program is designed to be completed in one to two years depending on the number of courses students complete per semester.

Howard University offers its MSW program in an advanced standing format for qualified students who hold a BSW degree and have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The advanced standing program allows students to choose between a Direct Practice (clinical social work) specialization and a Community, Administration, and Policy (macro social work) specialization. The program also has several optional focus areas, including criminal justice, social gerontology, mental health, social work in healthcare settings, family and child welfare, and displaced populations. Advanced standing students in the Howard University program must complete two 260-hour field education practicums and can earn their degree in three semesters of full-time enrollment.

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Washington DC

Catholic University of America (CUA) offers its Clinical Practice MSW program specialization in an advanced standing format for students who meet the program’s admissions requirements. Among those requirements are an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher on a four-point scale; a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher in BSW major courses; and a minimum of 480 hours of prior field education. The online program offered by CUA does not require any campus visits. However, students are required to complete 600 hours of field education at a program approved site. The typical time to completion for advanced standing students who enroll full-time is one year. Part-time advanced standing students are generally able to earn their MSW degree in two to three years.

All Master of Social Work Programs in the District of Columbia

T Traditional programs, Advanced Standing programs, Campus programs, Hybrid programs (campus and online instruction), Hybrid-Online programs (3 to ~6 campus visits per year), Online programs (fully online to 2 campus visits per year)

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Select Options Traditional Program Advanced Standing (BSW Graduates)