Home > Programs by State > Texas > San Antonio

Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in San Antonio, TX – Campus and Online

Updated: December 9, 2025

Two Texas universities located in San Antonio currently offer Master of Social Work (MSW) programs: the private, non-profit university Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU); and the state-funded public university The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Both of these schools have traditional MSW programs that are primarily campus based, with OLLU offering a hybrid program that combines in-person and online coursework, and UTSA offering a fully campus-based program. Each of these programs also has an advanced standing track for qualified students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work (CSWE). In addition, OLLU has an online MSW program with a traditional track that does not require students to have a BSW and an advanced standing track designed for BSW graduates.

The MSW programs offered by OLLU and UTSA are fully accredited by the CSWE.

Our Lady of the Lake University (Accredited)
The University of Texas at San Antonio (Accredited)

Details on the MSW programs offered by OLLU and UTSA are provided in the following sections. Programs are grouped based on admissions requirements (traditional vs. advanced standing programs) and then separated into categories based on the delivery mode (campus-based vs. online programs).

Traditional MSW Programs in San Antonio

Traditional MSW programs are full-length master’s programs that are designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university but that do not require applicants to have graduated from a CSWE-accredited BSW program. Students in a traditional MSW programs receive one year (two semesters) of foundational social work training, followed by one year (two semesters) of specialization training in clinical and/or macro practice social work. As part of this training, students are required to complete at least 900 hours of field education, a signature pedagogical tool in social work instruction that involves site-based, experiential learning at social work agencies and other places where social work services are provided. It thus takes approximately two years for full-time students and three to four years for part-time students to complete a typical traditional MSW program.

Both of the universities located in San Antonio have traditional campus-based MSW programs, and OLLU offers an online program as well.

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in San Antonio

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) has a full-length, traditional MSW program for students that is offered through its Worden School of Social Service. The program has a hybrid model option that is primarily campus based that blends in-person evening class meetings at OLLU’s main campus in San Antonio with online instruction. The program has a Social Work Practice with Hispanic Children and Families curriculum that provides training and instruction in both clinical and macro practice social work. Traditional standing students are required to complete 57 credits of coursework, including 950 hours of field education. Full-time students can complete the program in two years; part-time students generally take three to four years to earn their degree.

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has a traditional campus-based MSW program that is offered through the university’s College for Health, Community, and Policy. This is a campus-based program with classes that are primarily scheduled in the evenings to accommodate students who are working while earning their degree. The program has a Cultural Competence and Transformative Social Work curriculum that provides advanced generalist training in clinical and macro practice social work. Students complete a 60-credit curriculum and are required to engage in 900 hours of field education. The time to completion for UTSA’s traditional MSW program is seven semesters for full-time students and ten semesters for part-time students, which equates to just over two years of full-time enrollment or just over three years of part-time enrollment.

Traditional Online MSW Programs in San Antonio

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) offers its traditional MSW program in a fully online format that does not require students to attend any campus-based sessions. The 57-credit program, which is offered through OLLU’s Worden School of Social Service, has a Social Work Practice with Hispanic Children and Families curriculum that includes training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work. While the online program does not require campus visits, students in the program are required to complete 950 hours of site-based field education in order to earn their degree. Full-time students can complete the online program is two years, while part-time students generally take three to four years to graduate.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in San Antonio

Advanced standing MSW programs are master’s programs that are designed specifically for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. Many schools with advanced standing programs require applicants to these programs to have earned their BSW within the last five, six, or seven years. It is also common for advanced standing programs to have other admissions requirements, such as a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The advantage of advanced standing programs is that they credit BSW graduates for the foundational coursework and field practicum hours completed as part of their undergraduate studies, thereby reducing the overall time it takes these students to earn their MSW degree. For example, advanced standing students are generally required to complete 30 to 40 credits of coursework in contrast to the roughly 60 credits that traditional standing students must complete. The field education requirements for advanced standing students are similarly reduced to roughly 500 hours instead of the minimum of 900 hours for traditional MSW programs.

There are two schools in San Antonio that have advanced standing options for qualified students, one of which offers a fully online advanced standing program track. BSW graduates who do not qualify for admission to these programs can still earn their degree by enrolling in a traditional MSW program.

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in San Antonio

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) offers its MSW program in a 30-credit format for BSW graduates who attended an undergraduate program accredited by the CSWE and earned a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. Offered through OLLU’s Worden School of Social Service, the program utilizes a hybrid format that blends online coursework with face-to-face classes at the school’s San Antonio campus. The program has a Social Work Practice with Hispanic Children and Families concentration. Students in the program receive training and instruction in both clinical and macro practice social work. Advanced standing students are required to complete 500 hours of field education and can earn their degree in 12 months of full-time enrollment or two years of part-time enrollment.

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) offers its campus-based MSW program in a 30-credit advanced standing format for qualified students who hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and who have a 3.0 cumulative GPA in their most recent 60 credit hours of college coursework. The program has a Cultural Competence and Transformative Social Work focus with a curriculum that prepares students for careers in clinical and/or macro practice social work. The curriculum includes 450 hours of required field education. The advanced standing track at UTSA can be completed in four semesters of full-time enrollment. Part-time advanced standing students are generally able to graduate from the program in six semesters.

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in San Antonio

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) is currently the only school in the San Antonio area with a fully online MSW program. The program, which is offered through OLLU’s Worden School of Social Service, has an advanced standing track that is also offered online. To qualify for advanced standing status, applicants must have a BSW degree conferred by a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. The MSW program’s curriculum provides training and instruction in clinical and macro practice social work with a focus on Social Work Practice with Hispanic Children and Families. Advanced standing students are required to complete 30-credits, inclusive of 500 hours of site-based field education. Full-time students can earn their degree in one year, while part-time students generally take two years to graduate from the program.