Social Work (Master of Social Work)
Offered by: Social Work ProgramAdvance your career, gain knowledge and skills, earn a Master of Social Work degree with a program- embedded Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certificate from Slippery Rock University. The SRU Master of Social Work (MSW) program can be completed online or in a hybrid format. The program prepares students to provide social work interventions with diverse populations in a variety of practice settings. SRU’s MSW prepares students for a specialized practice in “Advanced Clinical Practice with Children, Adults and Families.”
Slippery Rock University's Master of Social Work Degree is a 60-credit program, or 39-credits for advanced standing (Advanced standing students are those with a BSW from a CSWE-accredited program). Built on the foundation of SRU's successful Bachelor of Social Work, the program nurtures students’ passion to help others while providing rigorous academic courses that enable them to translate that passion into best practices.
ACCREDITATION
SRU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The University’s social work programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation. Accreditation by CSWE indicates that the SRU MSW program meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process. The program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals, and the Board of Accreditation has verified that the SRU MSW program demonstrates compliance with all sections of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Accreditation applies to all program sites and program delivery methods of the SRU MSW Program.
Curriculum & Coursework
Slippery Rock University’s Master of Social Work offers flexible options for working professionals along with opportunities to increase specialized clinical skills. The program includes:
- Flexible options for working professionals – the MSW can be completed online or for those who thrive in an in-person classroom, the program offers a hybrid option.
- Students can complete the 60-credit MSW degree in two years attending full-time.
- Students who have an undergraduate degree in social work and have advanced standing can complete the degree (39 credits) in one calendar year.
- Part-time, individualized plans for program completion.
- In-person field placement near the student’s physical location.
- Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) obtained simultaneously.
- Advanced clinical electives include crisis intervention, grief & loss, forensic social work, and animal-assisted interventions.
- An opportunity to earn a certificate in Animal-Assisted Social Work (AASW) with a one-time in-person requirement.
Field Education
Field education serves as the signature pedagogy of social work education. This opportunity allows MSW students to apply classroom learning to real-life social work practice.
The Social Work Program works with a variety of human service agencies which provide the students with the opportunity to collaborate with different client systems in diverse practice settings. Field education is divided into a generalist experience for 1st year MSW students and a specialized clinical experience for 2nd year and advanced standing students.
For any questions related to Field Education and/or agency partnerships with the MSW program, please contact the MSW Field Director, Dr. Kristie Abbs at kristie.abbs@sru.edu.
Careers in Social Work
SRU Master of Social Work graduates are prepared for clinical practice in a varied social work setting including mental and behavioral health, substance abuse, medical/hospital, school/education, forensic/police, veterans/military, aging, and more.
The need for social service managers and clinical social workers has grown by 25% between 2012 and 2022 and will continue to grow faster than average into 2032 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The need for mental and behavioral health and substance abuse practitioners is set to increase by 19%, increasing from about 450,000 workers in 2023 to 534,000 by 2033, making it among the top 20 fastest-growing occupations.
The national mean annual wage in 2022 for social workers was $61,420 with social workers in Pennsylvania earning an annual mean wage between $73,390 and $83,430. The top 10% of social workers in the United States can earn $95,560.
LICENSING
Social workers are eligible for licensure at multiple levels as determined by each state. The purpose of licensing in social work is to protect the public by setting and enforcing standards for social work practice. Graduates of SRU’s MSW Program are eligible for licensure. State guidelines can be found on the Association of Social Work Board’s website: https://www.aswb.org/licenses/
MSW Program Requirements
To apply for Slippery Rock University Master of Social Work degree, prospective applicants must provide the following materials:
Attention: To apply for admission, please use the following link to apply now.
- $25 Application Fee
- Resume
- Two Electronic Recommendation Forms
- Personal Statement: write an essay 1 1/2 - 2 pages describing yourself and the qualities that will make you an effective social worker; your experiences related to social work; your career goals
- Official Transcripts - Undergraduate/Graduate (official transcripts must be sent by institution via electronic transcript e-share to graduate.admissions@sru.edu or via mail - faxed copies will not be considered official
- SRU current/Alumni/former students click here to order your official SRU final transcript and have it sent to graduate.admissions@sru.edu
All applications for the Master of Social Work program must be submitted by July 25, 2025. Additionally, students who are accepted to the program must identify an appropriate field placement site, gain approval, and complete all related documents by August 1, 2025.
*If you are requesting review of your graduate transcripts for transfer of credit, please complete the transfer of credit form and submit to the Office of Graduate Admissions with official graduate transcripts. Please review SRU's transfer of credit policy.
Earn your Master of Social Work degree at SRU!
Slippery Rock’s Master of Social Work program allows students with a BSW degree to take the next step in their career. Learn more about the online and on-campus/hybrid formats of our MSW program by requesting more information today!