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Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel-Hill Research Triangle

Updated: December 9, 2025

The Research Triangle region of North Carolina, which encompasses the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, is home to three public universities that offer Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs: North Carolina Central University (NC Central); North Carolina State University (NC State); and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill). All three schools offer both traditional and advanced standing MSW programs. Most traditional MSW programs accept applicants with an undergraduate degree in any field, whereas advanced standing MSW programs are designed for students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

All three of the schools located in the Research Triangle that offer MSW programs have campus-based programs. NC Central, NC State, and UNC Chapel Hill offer MSW programs that are fully accredited by the CSWE.

North Carolina Central University (Accredited)
North Carolina State University (Accredited)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Accredited)

The programs offered by these schools are described in detail in the sections below. Due to the differences in admission requirements, traditional MSW programs are separated from advanced standing MSW programs.

Traditional MSW Programs in the North Carolina Research Triangle

A traditional MSW program is a full-length master’s degree program that offers a CSWE-accredited curriculum that prepares students for careers in clinical and/or macro practice social work. As part of this curriculum, students in a traditional program are required to engage in a minimum of 900 hours of field education, a signature pedagogy of social work training that involves supervised, site-based internships at social work agencies and other places where social work services are provided. Completing a full-length MSW program generally takes four semesters (two years) for full-time students. Students may also be able to enroll on part-time basis in a traditional MSW program, which typically adds one to two years to the completion time.

All three of the North Carolina schools located in the Research Triangle that offer MSW programs have one or more traditional track options for students to hold a bachelor’s degree in any field or discipline. These programs do not require applicants to have graduated from a BSW program.

North Carolina Central University (NC Central) has a full-length traditional MSW program that is offered in a campus-based format through the university’s School of Social Work in Raleigh. The program provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work through its Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities curriculum. This is a 58-credit traditional program that includes 1120 hours of field education. The program is designed to be completed in four semesters (two years) of full-time study. Students may be able to complete some courses online

North Carolina State University (NC State), which is located in the city of Raleigh, offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program through its School of Social Work. The program has an Advanced Generalist Practice (AGP) curriculum that is designed to prepare students for work in clinical and/or macro practice social work. Students in NC State’s 60-credit traditional MSW program are required to engage in 1334 hours of field education (672 hours per year). The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time enrollment.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill) offers a 62-credit traditional MSW program that has both full-time and part-time enrollment options. The program, which is offered through UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, has a two-year completion plan for full-time students who attend classes and engage in the program’s 1000 hours of field education over four semesters, and a three-year completion plan in which students attend classes for one full day per week (Fridays) for the first two years of the program and then move to a full-time enrollment schedule in their third year. UNC Chapel Hill’s MSW program provides students with two specialization options: Direct Practice (DP); and Community, Management, and Policy Practice (CMPP).

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in the North Carolina Research Triangle

Advanced standing MSW programs are master’s programs that provide training and instruction in clinical and/or macro practice social work through a curriculum that is designed specifically for graduates of CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programs. These programs allow students who have already completed all or most of the foundational social work courses and field placements that are part of a BSW curriculum to begin their graduate studies in what would otherwise be the second year of a full-time traditional MSW program. Thus, qualified students are able to complete an advanced standing MSW program in one to two years, depending on the structure of the program and if they enroll on a full-time versus a part-time basis.

It is important to note that many MSW programs require applicants for advanced standing status to have earned their BSW degree within the last five, six, or seven years. Some programs have additional requirements for advanced standing applicants, such as a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. As a result, BSW graduates are not guaranteed admission to an advanced standing MSW program. BSW graduates who are not accepted to an advanced standing track can still earn their MSW degree by enrolling in a traditional MSW program.

North Carolina Central University (NC Central) offers an advanced standing MSW program for qualified applicants who possess a BSW degree, provided the degree was conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program within the last seven years. Advanced standing applicants are also expected to have demonstrated academic excellence reflected in a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale, and by earning a 3.2 GPA in their social work major courses. Advanced standing students in the NC Central program complete a 35-credit Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities curriculum that begins with six-credits of summer bridge courses and includes two 336-hour field practicums (for a total of 672 hours of field education). The program is offered primarily on-campus, although some courses may be offered online, and is designed to be completed in one year of study.

North Carolina State University (NC State) offers its campus-based MSW program in an advanced standing format for BSW graduates who earned their degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and achieved a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher on a four-point scale and a grade of B or better in all social work major courses. This is a 39-credit, one year full-time advanced standing program that includes 1072 hours of field education. Advanced standing students begin the program during NC State’s summer session and complete the rest of the program’s coursework and field training over the subsequent fall and spring semesters. The MSW program has an Advanced Generalist Practice (AGP) curriculum that provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill) offers an advanced standing MSW program track that has two campus-based options: a 12-month, full-time enrollment plan; and a 20-month plan for part-time students. Advanced standing applicants are required to hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredit undergraduate program conferred within the last seven years, although the School of Social work at UNC Chapel Hill may, on a case-by-case basis, waive this requirement for BSW program graduates who earned their degree more than seven years ago if they submit a formal waiver request. The UNC Chapel Hill MSW program has a Direct Practice (DP) clinical specialization and a Community, Management, and Policy Practice (CMPP) macro specialization. The advanced standing program offered by UNC Chapel Hill requires 600-hours of field education.