Master of Social Work
Social Work Degree
Online
Online
Graduates will emerge as competent, adaptive professionals equipped to advance the social work profession in military and civilian contexts alike.
Winter classes are December - March
Social Work Degree
Make your mark with an MSW degree.
Bellevue University’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program offers a transformational curriculum designed to prepare students for advanced generalist practice and specialized practice in Military Social Work. The program integrates theory, research, and practice through both didactic and clinical (practicum) instruction, ensuring that graduates develop the knowledge, skills, and values essential for professional social work across diverse settings.
Students gain experience engaging with vulnerable and diverse populations through a variety of frameworks, including evidence-informed practice, person-in-environment perspectives, human rights approaches, and trauma-informed, antiracist, and anti-oppressive practices. The curriculum emphasizes ethical decision-making, cultural humility, and the advancement of social, economic, and environmental justice.
Turn your passion for assisting other into a powerful career move with a Master’s in Social Work.
Whether you’re a recent grad ready to fast-track your career or a working professional looking to level up, a Master’s in Social Work can give you the edge to level up in your career.
The Bellevue University Master of Social Work (MSW) program is designed to prepare ethical, reflective, and skilled practitioners for advanced generalist and specialized practice. Graduates will demonstrate the knowledge, values, and skills required to engage effectively with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities across diverse settings.
Essential skills for a career in the real world of Social Work.
Upon completion of the MSW program, graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
- Engage diversity and difference in practice.
- Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being.
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Courses
What You’ll Learn
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:
- Apply the values and ethics of the social work profession, including integrity, accountability, and professional boundaries, in all areas of practice.
- Recognize and respect how culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socioeconomic status shape human experiences, and apply culturally responsive, antiracist, and anti-oppressive frameworks.
- Advocate for equitable systems and policies that promote human rights and social justice at the local, national, and global levels.
- Critically evaluate, apply, and contribute to evidence-informed research to guide effective and ethical interventions with diverse populations.
- Analyze, influence, and advocate for social policies that advance human rights, service access, and social justice within community and military contexts.
- Utilize person-in-environment and systems perspectives to build collaborative, empowering relationships that promote well-being and resilience.
- Conduct comprehensive, trauma-informed biopsychosocial and contextual assessments that guide effective goal setting and intervention planning.
- Implement culturally responsive and evidence-informed interventions, drawing on trauma-informed, strengths-based, and ecological frameworks.
- Use data-driven approaches and self-reflection to evaluate intervention outcomes and enhance practice effectiveness.
- Integrate specialized knowledge of military and veteran systems, trauma, and resilience into practice that promotes reintegration, family stability, and holistic well-being.
Social Work Degree Courses
Current students please login to BRUIN and select “Academic Progress” for your curriculum requirements.
Requirements (36 credit hours)
(Click a course name below to view course details)
Fall-Generalist Year (9 credit hours)
Introduces foundational theories, models, and skills for direct practice with individuals and families. Emphasizes person-in-environment perspective, strengths-based approaches, and evidence-based interventions, with attention to ethical practice and cultural humility.
Explores the dimensions of self and diversity, equity, and inclusion in social work practice, through a lens of reflection. Focuses on anti-racist practice, cultural humility, and strategies for addressing oppression and promoting social justice.
Introduces students to the field education experience and the integration of classroom learning with supervised practice. Students complete a minimum of 115 hours of supervised field experience in a social service setting, focusing on developing foundational social work practice skills. Emphasis is placed on professional identity development, ethical practice, and understanding agency context and service delivery systems. Students engage in beginning-level direct practice activities under close supervision while developing cultural humility and self-awareness.
Concurrent weekly integrative seminars that align theoretical knowledge and practice experience, focusing on professional development, ethical decision-making, and the generalist practice framework.
Winter-Generalist Year (9 credit hours)
Examines biological, psychological, social, and spiritual development across the lifespan. Integrates theories of human behavior with social systems perspectives and explores factors influencing individual development.
Analyzes historical and contemporary social welfare policies and their impact on social service delivery. Examine policy development, implementation, and evaluation with emphasis on social and economic justice.
Building upon Practicum I, students continue supervised field experience with increased responsibility and complexity of practice activities. Students complete a minimum of 115 hours of field experience, developing competence in engagement, assessment, and beginning intervention skills with individuals, families, and groups. Focus areas include strengthening communication skills, conducting biopsychosocial assessments, and implementing evidence-based interventions under supervision. Students demonstrate growing professional identity and ethical reasoning while working with diverse populations.
Concurrent weekly integrative seminars emphasize skill development, case conceptualization, and integration of human behavior and social environment theory with practice.
Spring-Generalist Year (9 credit hours)
Explores theories and methodologies for engaging with groups and communities. Focuses on community assessment, resource development, and empowerment approaches with diverse populations.
Builds upon HBSE I to analyze organizations, communities, and societal structures. Emphasizes power, privilege, and oppression in relation to human development and social functioning.
Students advance their practice skills through continued supervised field experience, completing a minimum of 115 hours while demonstrating increased autonomy in intervention activities. Emphasis is placed on implementing comprehensive intervention plans, facilitating groups, and engaging in community-level practice activities. Students develop competency in crisis intervention, advocacy, and resource coordination while maintaining focus on ethical practice and cultural responsiveness. Field experiences include exposure to program evaluation and policy practice at the agency level.
Concurrent weekly integrative seminars focus on intervention theory application, professional development, and preparation for advanced practice.
Summer-Generalist Year (9 credit hours)
In addition to the 3 courses listed below, students must take an additional 500-level SW course.
Introduces research methodologies and their application to social work practice. Covers quantitative and qualitative approaches, ethical considerations in research, and critical evaluation of research literature.
The culminating foundation field experience focuses on integration of generalist practice competencies and evaluation of practice effectiveness. Students complete 180 hours of supervised field experience while demonstrating competence across all nine CSWE competencies. Emphasis is placed on evaluating practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, conducting program evaluation activities, and engaging in policy practice. Students prepare for advanced practice through leadership activities and participating in agency improvement initiatives.
Weekly integrative seminars focus on competency demonstration, professional portfolio development, and preparation for concentration-year practice.
University Accreditation
Bellevue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org).
Whether a college, university, or program is accredited is important to students with financial aid, employers who provide tuition assistance, donors, and the federal government.
This program is considered a non-licensure degree/certificate program and is not intended for those seeking licensure or the practice of licensed profession. This program may be relevant to multiple occupations that do not require licensure and was not designed to meet educational requirements for any specific professional license or certification.
*Consult with an admissions counselor to determine your eligible credits, as well as to verify minimum graduation requirements for this degree. Transfer credits must be from a regionally accredited college or university. Bellevue University makes no promises to prospective students regarding the acceptance of credit awarded by examination, credit for prior learning, or credit for transfer until an evaluation has been conducted.
Format
100% Online learning that works for your life and your goals.
Our flexible online courses are designed to bring quality learning into a format that fits your schedule, without sacrificing meaningful faculty feedback and collaboration with peers across the country. Stay on track with the help of your Student Coach — with you from day one to graduation.
Tuition & Financial Aid
Graduate degrees can be more affordable than you think.
Earning a degree is an investment in yourself. We want to help you make sure it’s a wise one.
2024 / 2025 Academic Year
$660 In-Class or Online Cost Per Credit
(Additional fees may apply to individual courses within your major requirements)
2025 / 2026 Academic Year
$680 In-Class or Online Cost Per Credit
(Additional fees may apply to individual courses within your major requirements)
Curious about financial aid? We’ve got the answers.
As a graduate student, you may be eligible for up to $20,500 per year in unsubsidized Direct Student Loans.
And, students often apply for graduate program scholarships through Bellevue University or tuition reimbursement through their employers. Talk to us and we’ll help you explore your options.
Admissions
Start on the path to your master’s. No GRE or GMAT required.
We believe in reducing roadblocks to education. That’s why our admissions requirements focus only on what matters—helping hardworking students access the education they deserve.
For admission to Bellevue University, applicants must:
- Possess a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or a U.S. equivalent degree from a nationally or internationally accredited college or university.
- Have maintained a GPA of 2.5 or better from the most recent 60 credits of coursework earned toward the bachelor’s degree or have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or better in previous graduate level coursework earned toward the graduate degree.
If you haven’t already, take a moment to request information about your masters program and get in touch with our admissions team. We’ll help make sure you have what you need and answer your questions.
When you’re ready to apply, start your application online. You’ll then:
- Submit your deposit to Bellevue University. (You can do this at any point in the process.)
- Submit your transcripts from past institutions and any other required documentation.
- Complete the FAFSA and see what grants and loans you’re eligible for.
If you are an international student, please see the following specific information: International Student Master Admissions.
You'll just need to create an account and complete a pre-application to Bellevue University through Guild. Once you receive confirmation that your pre-application to Bellevue University has been approved, you'll need to complete the required steps to get fully accepted and registered. These include:
- Submitting transcripts from past institutions
- Submitting related documentation
Ready to get started?
Reach out to admissions.
- Get your questions answered about the Social Work Degree
- Understand your financial aid and scholarship options
- Map out a schedule that fits with your priorities
