Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in Duluth, MN

Duluth, Minnesota is home to two schools that offer Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs: The College of St. Scholastica; and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Both schools have hybrid MSW programs that combine campus-based classes with online instruction, and both schools have tracks for traditional standing students and for advanced standing students. Traditional standing students are defined as bachelor’s program graduates who earned their degree from an accredited college or university, while advanced standing students must hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

The MSW programs offered by The College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota-Duluth are both fully accredited by the CSWE.

• The College of St. Scholastica (Accredited)
• University of Minnesota-Duluth (Accredited)

The sections below provide detailed information on the MSW programs offered by these two schools. Traditional programs and advanced standing programs are classified separately due to the differences in their admissions requirements. Students who are interested in exploring CSWE-accredited online MSW programs offered by schools in Minnesota and in other states can find information on those types of programs as well.

• Traditional MSW Programs in Duluth
• Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Duluth
• Additional Online MSW Options for Students in Minnesota

Traditional MSW Programs in Duluth

Traditional MSW programs are full-length master’s programs that generally take two years of full-time study to complete and that accept applications from students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. These programs provide foundational instruction and advanced training in clinical and/or macro practice social work and do not require applicants to have majored in social work or to have earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree. While full-time enrollment in an MSW program typically leads to graduating in four semesters (two years), many programs allow for part-time enrollment, which extends the time it takes to earn an MSW degree to three to four years.

As part of a CSWE-accredited traditional MSW program, students are required to engaged in a minimum of 900 hours of field education, a signature pedagogy of social work education that involves supervised experiential learning at sites where social work services are provided. The placement process for field education varies by school, with some programs providing placement services while others ask students to set up their own placements which must then approved by the program.

The College of St. Scholastica offers a traditional MSW with an Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice specialization that provides training and instruction in direct practice with individuals, families, and groups. Offered through the school’s Department of Social Work, this is a 62-credit, full-length master’s program that is designed to be completed in two years of full-time enrollment. The program’s clinical social work curriculum includes 900 required hours of supervised field education. The College of St. Scholastica utilizes a hybrid course delivery format for its MSW program, combining weekly campus-based classes with online instruction.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) has a traditional MSW program that is offered in a hybrid format that requires students to attend campus-based classes one day per week while receiving additional instruction online. UMD’s MSW program has an Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice curriculum that provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work with a focus on American Indian social services. The program also allows students to specialize in Child Welfare, Mental Health/Clinical Social Work, and Macro/Community-Based Social Work Practice. Traditional standing students must complete 900 hours of field education and can graduate in two years of full-time enrollment or three to four years of part-time enrollment.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Duluth

Advanced standing MSW programs are designed for students who have completed a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a program that is accredited by the CSWE. These programs typically have selective admissions policies and often require applicants to have earned their BSW degree within the last five, six, or seven years. They may also have academic achievement requirements for applicants, such as a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale and/or specific grades in all social work major courses.

Students who are granted advanced standing status in an MSW program are given graduate credits for social work courses and field placements that students completed during their BSW program. Therefore, advanced standing students do not have to repeat foundational courses and generalist field practicums that are part of a traditional standing MSW program. Thus, advanced standing students can typically earn their MSW in one year of full-time enrollment, which is half the time it takes for traditional standing students. Part-time advanced standing programs can typically be completed in two years.

The College of St. Scholastica offers its Advanced Clinical Practice MSW program in an advanced standing format for qualified students who hold a BSW degree conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. Advanced standing candidates are also expected to have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in their most recent 60 credits of college coursework. The College of St. Scholastica’s MSW program utilizes a hybrid delivery format that blends campus-based classes with online instruction. The Advanced Clinical Practice curriculum requires advanced standing students to complete 450 hours of supervised field education in clinical social work settings. Students can complete the program’s 38 credits in one year of full-time enrollment.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) offers its Advanced Generalist MSW program in a 34-credit advanced standing format that can be completed in one year of full-time enrollment or two years of part-time enrollment. Advanced standing applicants are expected to have a BSW degree conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on four-point scale. The Advanced Generalist curriculum focuses on American Indian social services in clinical and macro practice settings. Students can choose from three program specializations: Child Welfare; Mental Health/Clinical Social Work; and Macro/Community-Based Social Work Practice. This is a hybrid MSW program in which students attend on-campus classes one day per week and receive additional instruction online. Advanced standing students are required to complete a minimum of 480 hours of supervised field education.

Additional Online MSW Options for Students in Minnesota

There are several schools in Minnesota and numerous schools located in other states that offer fully online traditional and advanced standing MSW programs that are accredited by the CSWE. Students in these programs receive all or most of their didactic instruction online. (Note: Most online MSW programs offer fully online instruction, however, some require a limited number of campus-based requirements.) However, CSWE-accredited online MSW programs still require site-based field education hours, which students are typically able to complete at approved sites in their geographic region or within commuting distance to their place of residence. For more information about online MSW programs offered by in-state and out-of-state schools, refer to our MSW Programs in Minnesota page and our CSWE-Accredited Online MSW Programs page.