Clinically Focused, Socially Conscious
Prepare to become a clinical social worker advocating for social change, ready to impact individuals, communities, and the nation.
Expand Your Network and Influence
Benefit from our faculty’s connections with professionals nationwide, as they support your personal growth.
Support Through and Beyond Graduation
Our Student Advisors will guide you throughout your educational journey and support you to find local practicum sites.
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Be Empowered to Make a Positive Social Impact.
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Marymount University’s online Master of Social Work - Traditional Track degree promotes career preparation and opportunities for professional growth. Through expert guidance and a curriculum that uniquely blends counseling modalities with essential policy knowledge, the online MSW prepares you to serve as an ethical practitioner and committed advocate for social change.
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Marymount University’s online Master of Social Work - Traditional Track degree promotes career preparation and opportunities for professional growth. Through expert guidance and a curriculum that uniquely blends counseling modalities with essential policy knowledge, the online MSW prepares you to serve as an ethical practitioner and committed advocate for social change.
Online MSW Program Curriculum Snapshot
Access your comprehensive digital program guide for a complete list of courses and course descriptions.
This course introduces students to the generalist approach to social work practice and social welfare policy. It presents social workers in a wide range of professional roles demonstrating a commitment to human rights and social justice, an eclectic knowledge base, and effective and ethical service delivery to a diverse constituency of clients and populations.
This course provides students with information on advanced practice techniques and program assessment. It teaches both qualitative and quantitative research designs. It also addresses evaluation research design, instrument selection and development, and data analysis techniques. Finally, it presents ethical and behavioral issues in evaluation research.
The current socio-political climate is increasingly focusing on assessing the costs, quality and effectiveness of mental health services. As a practicing social worker, you will apply research findings in your clinical work and use research methods to monitor and evaluate clinical interventions and services to clients in complex urban environments. This course focuses on applying the scientific research concepts introduced in the introductory research course to several areas of social work practice: The evaluation of clinical practice, program evaluation, and critique of the research literature to develop and update evidence-based practice guidelines. The course will help students assess research to evaluate clinical practice, develop skills for applying research principles and techniques to systematically monitor and evaluate mental health programs with diverse clientele, and develop skills for critically evaluating published research.
This practice course provides students with theories and skills needed for direct supervision of line workers, and middle and upper management skills in human service organizations. The course addresses relevant theories and models of supervision and administration as well as key skills needed to perform these functions in complex organizations. Special attention is given to empowerment theories and the importance of resource development in underserved rural areas.
Next Start Date:
- January 13, 2025
Spring 2025
Be a Leader. Make a National Impact.
Marymount’s MSW program cultivates socially conscious leaders, scholars, and lifelong learners dedicated to upholding the intrinsic value, quality of life, and dignity of all individuals, locally and globally. Our program achieves this mission by introducing you to the core values of social work, developing ethical and professional integrity, integrating evidence-based practices, highlighting the importance of human relationship, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to advance inter-professional practice rooted in contemporary and futuristic social work practice.
Be a Catalyst for Social Change
Become an ethical practitioner advocating for others.
Ignite Your Curiosity
Learn from expert faculty who are passionate, experienced, licensed social workers.
Build a National Network
Take advantage of our proximity to the nation’s capital as you strengthen your knowledge of policy and expand your network.
Graduate Career Ready
Be prepared for clinical licensure through hands-on experience and virtual learning.
Online MSW Placement Services
Practicum placements near your community are an exciting and rewarding component of earning your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. You will complete 900 practicum hours, which will give you the hands-on experience necessary to become a licensed clinical social worker. Placement support is included in the program cost.
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How does the practicum placement process work?
Practicum hours are guided and directed by Marymount University faculty in collaboration with your on-site practicum supervisor at the agency where you are assigned. Support to find practicum placement sites that align with your career goals is integrated into the program cost.
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How do placement services help me?
Concurrent coursework and practicum experiences connect classroom learning with real-world experience. Practicum placements provide the 900 hours (400 foundation hours, 500 advanced hours) of hands-on social work experience required to graduate. Your Student Advisor will provide resources to help guide you in your search for a practicum placement site and will work to facilitate any behind-the-scenes paperwork to ensure you are ready to start on time.
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How should I prepare for my practicum placement?
You can begin the process of thinking through what kind of site and experience you would like to gain during your practicum experience. If there are sites that you are interested in, start researching the services they provide and the type of providers they have. This will ensure that you have a better understanding of different facilities. When you meet with your Student Advisor, you can assess whether or not they are appropriate for your practicum experience.
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In what types of agencies do students complete their practicum hours?
Typically, students complete their practicum hours at:
- Community centers/organizations
- Human service agencies
- Counseling and therapy centers
- Addiction and mental health treatment facilities
- Adoption agencies
- Senior care facilities, such as nursing homes
- Correctional facilities
- Hospitals/clinics
MSW Degree Career Outcomes
Our graduates emerge as ethical and proficient practitioners, equipped to deliver effective services to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities within their social contexts. They recognize the effect of historical, political, economic, environmental, social, cultural, demographic, institutional, local, regional, and global contexts. They are committed advocates who work tirelessly to influence policies that uphold human rights, eliminate poverty, celebrate diversity, and champion social justice. Below are examples of careers and practice settings.
Sample Careers
- Mental Health Therapist
- Substance Abuse Counselor
- Agency Executive Director / Administrator
- School Social Worker
- Medical Social Worker
- Family Social Worker
Areas of Practice / Settings
- Military
- Child Welfare Specialist
- Advocacy and Community Organizing
- Aging
- Intellectual Disabilities
- Justice and Corrections
- Policy
- Research
Frequently Asked Questions
A recent survey of MSW graduates shows that the majority work in mental health settings as clinical social workers rather than in organizational or other social work-related roles. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 9% increase in social work jobs through 2030.
Example careers for MSW grads include:
- Mental Health Therapist
- Substance Abuse Counselor
- Agency Executive Director / Administrator
- School Social Worker
- Medical Social Worker
- Family Social Worker
Areas of Practice / Settings include:
- Military
- Child Welfare Specialist
- Advocacy and Community Organizing
- Aging
- Intellectual Disabilities
- Justice and Corrections
- Policy
- Research
Social workers comprise most mental health and behavioral health therapists, a growing career sector. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the median pay for social workers in 2022 was $55,350, with substantially higher wages for those living in higher cost-of-living areas and those independently licensed.
The online Master of Social Work – Traditional Track program at Marymount University can be completed in 9 semesters or 3 years in a part-time format.
The online MSW at Marymount University costs $850 per credit hour, plus applicable fees. Financial aid may be available to our online students.
No, the online MSW program is available for residents in Alabama, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Yes. Marymount’s online MSW program faculty have years of experience as licensed social workers. They are passionate educators who foster students’ intellectual curiosity and support their personal growth and MSW journey.
Marymount University’s Master of Social Work program is currently in pre-candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA).
Pre-candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the BOA indicates that it submitted an application to be reviewed for candidacy and received approval of its Benchmark 1 from CSWE accreditation staff to move forward for a candidacy review within 1-year. A program that has attained pre-candidacy status has not yet been reviewed by the BOA nor verified to be compliant with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS).
Students admitted to pre-candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Candidacy is typically a 3-year process and attaining pre-candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain candidacy and initial accreditation.
Pre-candidacy applies to all program options, which includes locations and delivery methods.
Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
Review our program’s pre-candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation
