Howard University Online Master of Social Work (MSW)

The Howard University School of Social Work offers an online Master of Social Work (MSW) with Traditional and Advanced Standing Tracks. MSW students also choose a concentration in Direct Practice or Community, Administration, and Policy (CAP) Practice. Additionally, students choose a specialized area of practice in Child and Family Welfare or Mental Health. The online MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the curriculum incorporates CSWE standards throughout.

The MSW program weaves the Black Perspective into the curriculum, revealing how oppression, culture, and perseverance affect how social workers serve communities. Students are challenged to contemplate social justice issues, economic and health disparities, and criminal justice reform, giving attention to their historical and cultural contexts. Thus, Howard University MSW graduates are prepared to serve in Black, underserved, and marginalized communities.

The Traditional Track comprises 60 credits and includes 1,000 field practice hours. It is designed for applicants with a bachelor’s degree outside of social work. This track takes 16 months to complete full-time or three years part-time. Full-time students will not be able to work during the program.

The Advanced Standing Track is designed for those who have earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree within the past four years from a CSWE-accredited program. This option comprises 45 credits and requires the completion of 777 field practice hours. It can be completed in 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. Again, prospective full-time students should be aware that they will not be able to work during the program.

Students who choose the Direct Practice concentration may go on to work with children, adolescents, and adults, as well as families and small groups, utilizing psychotherapy skills, assessment and diagnosis methods, and evidence-based intervention techniques. Direct Practice social workers are prepared to identify appropriate treatment strategies for various mental health diagnoses, and individual and family relational, addiction-related, and loss and grief issues.

Work settings for Direct Practice social workers may include individual and family services, private practice, schools, mental health centers, hospitals, substance abuse recovery programs, government facilities, and residential care facilities. Job titles may include Child and Family Social Worker, School Social Worker, Family Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, Psychotherapist, Substance Abuse Therapist, Behavior Analyst, Clinical Case Manager, Intervention Specialist, Child Welfare Worker, Child Protective Specialist, or Trauma Services Social Worker. Graduates will be eligible to pursue licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) through the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB).

Those who choose the Community, Administration, and Policy (CAP) Practice will likely work with communities and organizations to improve community access to resources, programs, and opportunities that will improve the lives of individuals, families, and groups within communities. Courses focus on human services administration, community organizing, social policy analysis, group empowerment, and resource development, including income streams, fundraising, budget analysis, and writing proposals. Social and economic justice also play a key role for CAP social workers, such as human rights, rights of the elderly and young children, women’s rights, poverty, and cultural diversity.

CAP social workers may work with Direct Practice social workers to understand the needs of the communities with which they interact and to ensure that social and economic justice prevails. Special emphasis is placed on the distinctive challenges faced by African-American communities and other communities of color. Job titles may include Community Policy Maker, Program Developer, Community Organizer, and Government Official.

Coursework is 100 percent online, and field experiences are secured local to the student. A placement specialist works with students to locate suitable field education placements in their communities. Courses are delivered through the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) and include live, weekly classes with a cohort of students, assignments, and other asynchronous content outside the live class times.

Applicants to the Traditional MSW must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in a field other than social work, while applicants to the Advanced Standing MSW must hold a Bachelor’s in Social Work from a CSWE-accredited program earned within the previous four years. Part-time enrollment is designed for working professionals who intend to continue working during MSW study. Full-time students will not be able to work during the program. No GRE/GMAT is required, and cohorts begin in January, May, and September. Application materials include college transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a resume, a personal essay, and an application essay.

Foundation courses include Social Welfare Policy and Services I-II; Human Behavior and The Social Environment I-II; Research Methods for Social Workers; Data Analysis for Social Workers; and Social Work Practice and Processes. Students also complete an advanced research course and four field education courses. Direct practice concentration courses include Direct Practice; Intervention and Planning Strategies; Intervention Strategies with Selected Clinical Problems; and Psychopathology. Community, Administration, and Policy Practice Concentration courses include Community and Organization Practice; Human Services Administration; Resource Development; Advanced Community Organizing; and Seminar in Advanced Social Policy Analysis. The CAP concentration courses also cover one elective.

Fields of Practice specialization courses include Criminal Justice I-II; Social Gerontology I-II; Family and Child Welfare Services I-II; Social Work in Mental Health Settings I-II; Social Work in Healthcare Settings I-II; and Social Work with Displaced Populations I-II. Direct Practice elective courses include Group Therapy, Social Work Services for Children and Youth with Developmental Disabilities and their Families, and Psychopharmacology for Social Work Practice.

CAP elective courses include Program Development and Entrepreneurship; Systems Analysis; Women, Power, and Change; Social Work Supervision; Substance Use and Abuse; Environmental Justice and Community Health; Contemporary Issues in Domestic Violence; and International Social Development. A research elective course called Integrative Research Seminar is available, as well as Human Behavior in the Social Environment elective courses titled Human Sexuality. and Race, Class, and Gender. Students can also complete independent study courses and international independent studies.

Howard University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).