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

There are twelve schools in the state of Minnesota that currently offer one or more Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs. Among the schools offering MSW programs in Minnesota, there are five public universities and seven private universities. All of the schools that offer MSW programs in Minnesota are regionally accredited and have social work programs that are either fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) or in the candidacy phase for accreditation by the CSWE, as noted in the list of school’s below.

• Augsburg University (Accredited)
• Capella University (Accredited)
• Minnesota State University, Mankato (Accredited)
• Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (Accredited)
• Saint Catherine’s University (Accredited)
• St. Cloud State University (Accredited)
• The College of St. Scholastica (Accredited)
• University of Minnesota-Duluth (Accredited)
• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Accredited)
• University of St. Thomas (Accredited)
• Walden University (Accredited)
• Winona State University (Accredited)

There are various types of MSW programs offered by the school’s listed above, including traditional programs and advanced standing programs. Traditional programs are open to students who hold a bachelor’s degree in any field or discipline, while advanced standing programs require a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. All twelve of the schools that offer MSW programs in Minnesota have at least one traditional and one advanced standing program track. Nine of the schools have fully or partially campus-based programs, while three offer online MSW programs.

The MSW programs offered by schools in Minnesota are described in detail in the sections below. Programs are separated based on delivery method (campus-based vs. online) and admissions requirements (traditional vs. advanced standing).

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

Traditional MSW Programs in Minnesota

There are twelve schools that offer traditional MSW programs in Minnesota. These are full-length master’s programs that are designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in any field or discipline. Traditional MSW programs do not require applicants to have graduated from a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree program. Like master’s programs in many other fields, traditional MSW programs typically take four semesters/two years of full-time study to complete. Part-time enrollment in a traditional MSW program generally extends the time to completion by one or two additional years.

In addition to graduate-level coursework in social work, traditional MSW programs provide hands-on training in social work practice through field education, a signature pedagogy of social work education that involves site-based experiential learning at social service agencies and other places where social work services are administered. All CSWE-accredited traditional MSW programs require a minimum of 900 hours of field education. Eight schools in Minnesota offer traditional MSW programs in a fully or partially campus-based format. There are also four schools that have traditional MSW programs that students can complete online.

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Minnesota

Augsburg University, a private university located in Minneapolis, offers a traditional MSW program that utilizes a primarily campus-based hybrid course delivery format in which face-to-face classes are held on weekends and supplemented with online instruction. The 60-credit program has two specialization options: Multicultural Clinical Practice; and Multicultural Macro Practice. Both specializations require students to engage in 920 hours of field education. Full-time traditional students can graduate from the program in two years. Part-time students are allotted up to four years to complete their degree.

Minnesota State University, Mankato has a primarily campus-based traditional MSW program that utilizes a hybrid format in which some coursework is delivered via online instruction. The program has an Advanced Generalist curriculum with an emphasis on social work practice in small and rural communities. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in clinical and/or macro practice social work and includes 960 hours of field education. This is a full-time traditional MSW program consisting of 59 credits that are completed over six semesters in two calendar years.

St. Catherine University, a private women’s university with coeducational graduate programs, offers a traditional MSW program in a hybrid format that blends face-to-face classes at the school’s St. Paul campus with online instruction. The program has a Clinical Social Work Practice curriculum that requires traditional standing students to complete 1000 hours of site-based field placements. Students in the 56-credit program can complete their degree in two years of full-time enrollment or in three to four years of part-time enrollment.

St. Cloud State University offers a traditional MSW program with an Advanced Generalist curriculum that provides training and instruction in both clinical and macro practice social work. Students in the program are required to engage in 900 hours of field education. This is a fully campus-based program offered through the school’s School of Health and Human Services and its Department of Social Work. The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time enrollment or four years of part-time enrollment.

The College of St. Scholastica has a traditional MSW program that blends on-campus and online instruction, including weekly face-to-face lectures and labs. The program is offered through the school’s Department of Social Work and features an Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice curriculum that is designed to prepare students for direct practice with individuals, families, and groups. Students in this traditional program complete 62 credits in two years of full-time enrollment, which includes engaging in 900 hours of supervised field practicums.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) offers an Advanced Generalist MSW program with a curriculum that focuses on American Indian social services in clinical and macro practice settings. Students in the program can tailor their training by further specializing in Child Welfare, Mental Health/Clinical Social Work, or Macro/Community-Based Social Work Practice. The program uses a hybrid model that requires students to be on campus once per week when school is in session for face-to-face classes. Other coursework is delivered using online instruction. Traditional standing students in UMD’s program are required to complete 900 hours of site-based field education and can earn their degree in two years of full-time enrollment. Part-time enrollment is permitted for students who would like to take fewer courses per semester and extend their time to completion.

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities offers a campus-based traditional MSW program through its School of Social Work. Students in the program have four specialization options: Clinical Mental Health; Community Practice; Families and Children; and Health, Disability, and Aging. All four specializations allow students to take elective coursework in International Social Work in order to further tailor the focus of their training. The traditional MSW program has a 53-credit curriculum that includes 960 hours of field education. Traditional standing students can complete their degree in two years or full-time study or choose part-time enrollment, which extends the completion time to three to four years.

The University of St. Thomas offers a campus-based traditional MSW program with an Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice curriculum and optional concentrations in Social Work Practice with People of Immigrant and Refugee Backgrounds, and Social Work Practice with Older Adults. The program, which is offered through the Morrison Family College of Health, requires traditional standing students to complete 56 credits of coursework, including 1000 hours of supervised field education. Traditional standing students have the option of a two-year full-time campus-based track, a three-year part-time campus-based track, and a three-year part-time hybrid track that blends face-to-face classes with online instruction. Campus-based classes for the University of St. Thomas’ MSW program are held at the school’s St. Paul campus on weekday evenings or on weekends for the hybrid track.

Traditional Online MSW Programs in Minnesota

Capella University, a private online university with its headquarters in Minneapolis, offers a fully online MSW program for traditional standing students who hold a bachelor’s degree in any field or discipline. The program utilizes a quarterly system in which students complete 88 credits of coursework, including five practicums for a total of 1000 hours of field education. The program has an Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice curriculum that prepares students for careers in clinical and/or macro practice social work. Capella University’s traditional MSW program can be completed in two years of full-time enrollment or in three to four years by students who enroll on a part-time basis.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (SMUMN) has an online MSW program with a 60-credit traditional track for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in any field or discipline. SMUMN’s online MSW program has a Clinical Social Work Practice curriculum that includes 1000 hours of field education. Full-time students can complete the program in five consecutive semesters (roughly two years), while part time students can take up to ten consecutive semesters (four years) to graduate.

Walden University, a private online university with a campus in Minneapolis, has a CSWE-accredited traditional MSW program that can be completed entirely online with the exception of 900 hours of in-person, site-based field education. Traditional standing students can also choose but are not required to attend two three-day intensives on campus as part of the program’s mostly online skill labs. The curriculum is comprised of 91-quarter credits, which includes two elective slots. Students can use these electives to specialize in Addictions, Child and Family, Healthcare, Military, or Trauma. Students who would like to earn an embedded certificate in Addictions, Child and Family, Healthcare, Military, or Trauma can do so by taking three courses in one focus area. Walden University’s traditional MSW program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time enrollment. Part-time students typically graduate in three or four years.

Winona State University, through its Department of Graduate Social Work, has a traditional MSW program with a Trauma-Informed Clinical Social Work focus. All of the program’s didactic coursework is delivered via online instruction. Traditional standing students must complete 1000 hours of site-based field education prior to graduating. This is a 60-credit program that takes two years of full-time enrollment or three to four years of part-time enrollment to complete.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Minnesota

College graduates who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program may be eligible for advanced standing MSW programs. These programs are designed to provide training in clinical and/or macro practice social work at the graduate level without requiring students to repeat the foundation coursework and field practicums that are integral to a BSW degree. Thus, qualified students can earn their MSW degree through an advanced standing program in roughly half the time it takes to complete a traditional MSW program. This typically translates into one year of full-time enrollment or two years of part-time enrollment and generally includes at least 450 hours of field education.

All twelve of the Minneapolis schools that offer MSW programs have advanced standing tracks, and four of those schools offer online advanced standing programs. It is important to note that these programs typically have selective admissions policies. Many programs require advanced standing applicants to have earned their BSW degree within the last five, six, or seven years and have attained a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. BSW graduates who are unable to gain admission to an advanced standing program can still earn their master’s degree by enrolling in a traditional MSW program.

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Minnesota

Augsburg University has an advanced standing MSW program that allows qualified students to earn their degree in 13 months of full-time enrollment or 26 months of part-time enrollment. Courses are offered primarily on weekends in a hybrid format that combines campus-based and online instruction. Students in the program must complete 500 hours of site-based field practicums and can specialize in Multicultural Clinical Practice or Multicultural Macro Practice. To qualify for Augsburg’s advanced standing MSW program, applicants must hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale.

Minnesota State University, Mankato offers its full-time, Advanced Generalist MSW program in an advanced standing format that requires students to complete 34 credits in four semesters, or just over one year. This is a primarily campus-based program that utilizes some online instruction. The Advanced Generalist curriculum focuses on social work practice in small and rural communities and prepares students for work in clinical and/or macro practice social work. Advanced standing students are required to engage in 500 hours of supervised field internships. To be eligible for the program, applicants must hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale.

St. Catherine University has an advanced standing MSW program track that is designed for BSW graduates who earned their degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The program has a Clinical Social Work Practice specialization and a hybrid instructional format that blends campus-based and online coursework. Advanced standing students complete a 38-credit curriculum that includes 600 hours of field practicums. The time to completion for the advanced standing MSW program track is one year for full-time students and two or three years for part-time students.

St. Cloud State University offers an MSW program with an advanced standing track that is designed for students who hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited BSW program that was conferred within the last seven years. In addition, applicants are expected to have attained a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The program offers an Advanced Generalist curriculum that prepares students for careers in clinical and/or macro practice social work. Advanced standing students must engage in 600 hours of field education and can graduate in one year of full-time enrollment or two years of part-time study.

The College of St. Scholastica has an Advanced Clinical Practice MSW program with an advanced standing track that requires applicants to hold a BSW degree conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. In addition, applicants are expected to have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in their last 60 credits of college coursework. Advanced standing students in the program complete 38 credits of coursework and can graduate in one year of full-time enrollment. The program requires students to engage in 450 hours of field education. This is a hybrid program that combines on-campus and online instruction.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) has a 34-credit advanced standing MSW program option for students with a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a four-point scale. The program has an Advanced Generalist curriculum with a focus on American Indian social services in clinical and macro practice settings and optional specializations in Child Welfare, Mental Health/Clinical Social Work, or Macro/Community-Based Social Work Practice. Students in the advanced standing MSW program attend on-campus classes one day per week when school is in session, receive additional instruction online, and engage in a minimum of 480 hours of supervised field experiences. The advanced standing track can be completed in one year of full-time enrollment. UMD also allows for part-time enrollment, which extends the completion time to two years.

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities offers its campus-based MSW program in an advanced standing format that requires applicants to have a BSW degree conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program within the last five years. Advanced standing students in this program are required to complete 34 credits of graduate coursework, inclusive of 600 hours of field education. The program offers four specialization options: Clinical Mental Health; Community Practice; Families and Children; and Health, Disability, and Aging. In addition, students can take elective courses in International Social Work to further tailor the focus of their training. Advanced standing students in the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities program can earn their degree in one year of full-time enrollment, while part-time enrollment typically leads to graduating in two years.

The University of St. Thomas offers an Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice MSW program through its Morrison Family College of Health. The program has a 38-credit advanced standing track for qualified students who hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. In addition to the Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice specialization, the program offers optional concentrations in Social Work Practice with People of Immigrant and Refugee Backgrounds and Social Work Practice with Older Adults. Advanced standing students are required to engage in 600 hours of supervised field education and have three enrollment options. Full-time advanced standing students can complete the program in one year by attending a fully campus-based track, while students who opt for part-time enrollment can complete the campus-based track in two years. The University of St. Thomas also offers a part-time hybrid track that combines on-campus and online coursework that takes two years to complete.

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Minnesota

Capella University offers its fully online Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice MSW program in an advanced standing format for graduates of CSWE-accredited BSW programs who have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. Advanced standing students in the program complete 44 quarter credits of coursework, including 600 hours of site-based field placements. The program’s Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice curriculum provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work. Full-time advanced standing students can graduate from the program in one year, while part-time students can typically graduate in two years or less.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (SMUMN) has an online MSW program with an advanced standing track for qualified applicants who hold a BSW from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a four-point scale. To be eligible for SMUMN’s advanced standing track, BSW graduates must have earned their degree within the last ten years. The program has a Clinical Social Work Practice curriculum that requires advanced standing students to complete two 300-hour practicums for a total of 600 hours of field education. Full-time students can graduate from the program in three consecutive semesters. while part-time students take five consecutive semesters to earn their degree.

Walden University, which is a primarily online private university headquartered in Minneapolis, offers its MSW program in an advanced standing format for qualified graduates of CSWE-accredited BSW programs who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The program’s didactic coursework can be completed entirely online, although students have the option of attending two face-to-face sessions at Walden University’s Minneapolis campus to participate in two clinical social work skill labs. The on-campus intensives last for three days, but can also be attended online. The MSW program has an Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice specialization with optional focus areas in Addictions, Child and Family, Healthcare, Military, or Trauma. Advanced standing students who would like to earn an embedded certificate in one of these focus areas can do so by taking an additional course in that specialization. As part of the clinical social work curriculum, students complete 500 hours of site-based field education. The advanced standing track is designed to be complete in one year of full-time enrollment or two to three years of part-time enrollment.

Winona State University offers its online Trauma-Informed Clinical Social Work MSW program in an advanced standing format for BSW graduates whose degree was conferred within the last seven years by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. In addition, advanced standing program applicants are expected to have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale and a 3.4 or higher in their undergraduate social work courses. Advanced standing students complete a 42-credit curriculum that includes 600 hours of field education. The completion time for full-time advanced standing students enrolled in the program is one year, while part-time advanced standing students generally finish the program in two years.