Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

 

Serve Your Community with a Master of Social Work

Social workers are dedicated to protecting vulnerable and at-risk populations, helping people deal with challenges in their lives, and even working with community organization and policymakers to develop and improve social services and programs.

Social workers serve in a variety of settings like long-term nursing facilities, hospitals, courts, schools, and homeless shelters. They also work with national organizations like Veterans Affairs where they serve as clinical therapists to veterans and military members and the Red Cross where they are instrumental in dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters.

If you are passionate about social justice and strengthening communities, and are committed to encouraging organizations to act with integrity, a master's degree in social work could be a fit for you!

The MSW at West Chester University will prepare you to support a diverse society through innovative methods of practice that promote the well-being of individuals, families, and the larger community.

The program is offered in West Chester and Philadelphia, and will equip you to practice from a social justice lens by approaching social work from a trauma-informed, recovery perspective, grounded in human rights.

If you are a leader who wants to empower individuals and make a difference in your community, WCU's Master of Social Work program is your next step.

 

Accreditation and Rankings

CSWE Accreditation

West Chester University's Master of Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, the gold standard in accreditation for more than 70 years.

Ranked Top 100 Social Work Master's Degree Programs

WCU is ranked in the top 100 best schools for graduate social work nationwide by U.S. News & World Report.

Top Employment and Salary Marks

GradReports.com lists a 97% employment rate for students within one year of graduation from WCU's graduate social work program.

The website also compares the median salaries for Master of Social Work graduates across the country. Graduates from our MSW program earn more than average with a score of 77 out of 100.

 

Benefits of Earning your Master's in Social Work at West Chester University

Diverse and Knowledgeable Faculty

Our MSW program considers the expertise and interests of our faculty, resulting in specialties like gerontology and mass incarceration. WCU's program attracts a diverse audience reflecting our diverse and multigenerational society, and is the only MSW in the area led by an African American chairperson. Our faculty remains connected to the community as practitioners and as board members for a variety of local organizations. Their involvement keeps them up-to-date with the latest practice trends and allows them to grow their networks, which in turn allows you to grow yours.

Small Class Size and Personalized Advising

The Master of Social Work program at WCU adheres to a high-touch advising model, which allows faculty to meet your individual academic needs through a supportive, integrated academic environment.

And, because the average class size in our MSW program is just sixteen students, you'll never be a number at WCU. Small classes provide personalized attention, more faculty interaction, and engaging conversations with your professors and classmates.

Two Locations, Flexibility, and Competitive Tuition

West Chester University's master of social work program is available for full-time or part-time study in West Chester and Philadelphia through in-person, hybrid, and fully online courses. Our locations—one in a suburban county seat and the other in one of the largest cities in the nation—offer myriad internship and career possibilities.

Tuition for WCU's MSW degree is the lowest in our region, and the University offers scholarships, graduate assistantships, stipends, and grants to help make tuition even more competitive.

To learn more, visit the scholarship page.

Experiential Learning

The practicum experience is a core component of WCU's MSW program and is essential to your training as a social worker. Practicums allow you to apply your classroom learning in an agency setting and develop key skills in supervised environments. You'll participate in a personalized placement process, working one on one with an advisor to identify the sites that are right for you.

Practicums are challenging—and extremely rewarding. You'll have the opportunity to work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, schools, substance abuse treatment programs, child welfare agencies, advocacy and policy organizations. You'll also have opportunities to work with agencies that serve older adults, veterans and military families that will give you a realistic view of the issues you'll face as a clinical social worker.

Experiential learning doesn't end with your practicum. You'll also have the opportunity to work alongside faculty members on timely research projects.

 

What Can You Do with an MSW degree?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports jobs for clinical social workers are expected to grow 9% through 2031, faster than the average for all occupations.

Your Master of Social Work will help you to secure roles such as:

• Child, family or school social worker: Specialize in improving the well-being of children and their families by providing guidance on issues such as mental health, substance addiction, and cyberbullying.
• Community or social service manager: Lead organizations that work to address quality of life issues such as homelessness and food insecurity.
• Medical social worker: Help families navigate health care services when undergoing cancer treatment, dealing with a chronic condition, or recovering from a traumatic injury.
• Mental health social worker: Collaborate with mental health professionals helping individuals adhere to their psychiatric treatment plans.
• Substance abuse counselor: Guide individuals through their journey of recovery.
• Court and victim advocate: Provide assistance with compensation claims, crisis intervention, and case status updates, and ensure crime victims and witnesses are informed of their rights.
• Adoption social worker: Attend foster care reviews and court proceedings, interview potential adoptive parents, assess children in the foster care system, and facilitate the adoption process.
• Forensic interviewer: Provide developmentally sensitive and culturally appropriate interviews that will stand up to the scrutiny of the court system.

Where are our graduates?

 

What Will You Study as an MSW Degree Student?

West Chester University's graduate program in social work has a simulation-based curriculum that allows students to demonstrate their earned skills through hands-on opportunities and view social work through an anti-racist, human rights, and social justice lens.

You'll also be able to choose from a wide array of electives like Motivational Interviewing and Environmental Racism and graduate certificates such as Gerontology and School Social Work that will give you a well-rounded social work experience.