A leading private research college, the University of Southern California enrolls more than 47, students each year. USC's School of Social Work was one of the first research colleges to offer a master of social work online.

This MSW program offers a credit traditional track and credit advanced standing track. Faculty deliver the curriculum for this California social work degree through virtual classrooms that use breakout rooms for students to work together, opportunities for live chats, and document sharing.

The online MSW program incorporates a unique feature for students in the traditional MSW program: hours of virtual field education in an intimate classroom. Students work in small group sessions role-playing with an actor who portrays a client. Students in both the traditional and advanced standing programs also complete hours of field placements in their own communities. The school offers 70 programs, including online options. Students can earn the school's quarter-unit master of social work online through the Pathway Distance Education Program.

This three-year program offers an MSW generalist core in the first two years followed by a year of concentration courses. Concentration options include homeslessness, domestic violence, child abuse, immigrants and refugees, and correctional services. Students complete hours of field education at approved agencies in areas such as mental health, child welfare, school-based counseling, gerontology, and forensic social work.

While faculty designed this California social work degree for nontraditional learners, the program's rigor does not suit full-time professionals. A large school with more than 32, students, San Jose State University offers areas of study. In , the university began offering an on-campus master of social work to train students to work with the area's Spanish-speaking population. In , the School of Social Work began offering an online MSW that emphasizes a transcultural perspective, including cultural knowledge, cultural competency, and positionality and self-reflexivity.

The MSW trains social workers to address the needs of Latinos and other marginalized groups. The online MSW is a part-time program that students complete in two years. Students can complete all courses online.

Courses feature asynchronous and synchronous components. The program begins with a foundation year that provides students with generalist skills. The second year focuses on a transcultural, multi-systems practice concentration. Students integrate theoretical learning, models, and professional values with a transcultural emphasis at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Learners engage in hours of field experience at California agencies. Situated on a acre campus in San Fernando Valley, California State University, Northridge features a diverse learning community of about 38, students.

The school was one of the first colleges to offer distance education programs in the U. Students can pursue a master of social work online. The Department of Social Work delivers the program in two- and three-year formats for full-time and part-time students, respectively. Students can meet for live online classes one night each week or watch recordings of the class at their convenience. MSW participants complete hours of field education in their foundation year and hours in their concentration year.

Students enroll in the program as a cohort to facilitate on-time completion, student interactions, and community building. California State University, Stanislaus enrolls almost 10, students annually and operates two campuses in Turlock and Stockton. The master of social work is the school's second most popular graduate program. This unit program trains social workers in core social work practice competencies with a built-in specialization in integrative clinical practice in health and behavioral health settings.

The program cultivates social workers who can advance social justice. Students complete the program mostly online, attending in-person class sessions one Saturday per month. Participants complete 40 hours of field education per week for three consecutive summer months, totalling 1, hours. Students receive field placements primarily in the central California region.

Learners cannot work during this practicum period. The school enrolls almost 8, students annually. Humboldt State offers an online master of social work delivered through the Distributed Learning Community system. The program addresses the needs of individuals in rural communities who are interested in earning an MSW to help strengthen tribal and other communities. Students complete the degree mostly online with one four-day campus session each year.

The part-time MSW offers traditional and advanced standing programs. Faculty deliver live web sessions every Thursday night, and students complete weekly modules on their own schedule. The traditional MSW requires students to complete hours of field education. Learners in the advanced standing program need only complete hours. Humboldt State provides field placements within a network of more than placement settings in Humboldt, Lake, Del Norte, Mendocino, Trinity, and Shasta counties.

One of the best online social work programs in California, the program enrolls students in January and June. The school was among the first colleges to offer a doctor of social work online. While a Ph. These programs, which are grouped below based on whether they are offered primarily on campus or via online instruction, can typically be completed in two years of full-time enrollment or three or more years of part-time enrollment.

Programs that require two or fewer campus visits per year are classified as online programs. These schools are grouped by location into the following five regions:. Humboldt State University in Arcata is the only school in the Northern California region that currently offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program. The program is designed for full-time students, has a two-year completion plan, and requires hours of field education.

CSU Chico also offers a three-year, part-time Distributed Learning hybrid MSW program with an advanced generalist curriculum that combines campus-based classes with online instruction. Both CSU Chico programs require hours of field education. The program is offered in a two-year, full-time format for students who can attend classes during the workday and in a three-year, part-time format for working professionals, which holds classes on weekends. Students in the program must engage in hours of field education.

The program can be completed in 16 months of full-time enrollment and includes three required hour field placements for a total of hours of field education. It is designed to be completed in two years of full-time enrollment and requires hours of field education. Both programs require hours of field education and give students the option of three specializations: Advancing Health and Well-being Across the Adult Lifespan; Strengthening Children, Youth and Families; and Strengthening Organizations and Communities.

The program has a two-year, full-time completion plan and a three-year, part-time completion plan, both of which require students to engage in a minimum of hours of field education.

Students who opt for the school social work specialization must complete hours of field education, while students who do not choose to specialize in school social work complete hours of field education. California State University, Bakersfield CSUB has an advanced generalist program that is primarily campus based but which incorporates some online instruction.

The program offers a two-year completion plan for full-time students and a three-year, part-time plan. The CSUB program requires students to complete hours of field education. The Fresno State program has an Advanced Multi-Systems Social Work Practice concentration, and both a two-year completion plan for full-time students and a four-year completion plan for part-time students. This program has a hour field education requirement. Stanislaus State offers two full-length MSW programs: a campus-based advanced generalist program with a two-year, full-time enrollment track and a three-year, part-time enrollment track; and a hybrid program with a Socially-Just Clinical Practice curriculum that blends campus-based and online instruction and has a two-year completion plan.

Both programs require hours of field education. The program allows students to opt for part-time enrollment provided they choose the CMH specialization. The Fullerton campus program has a clinical social work focus and three concentrations: Child Welfare; Community Mental Health; and Aging. The Flex program has a clinical practice focus and two concentration options: Child Welfare, and Community Mental Health. The school has a two-year, full-time program offered on its main campus in Long Beach that gives students the choice of three specializations: Child and Family Wellbeing; Adulthood and Aging; and Integrated Health.

These distance education programs have the same advanced generalist focus as the Long Beach campus program, but only offer one specialization: Child and Family Wellbeing. The SDSU program can be completed in two years of full-time enrollment or three or four years of part-time enrollment. Both the campus-based and hybrid program have two- and four-year enrollment options. University of Massachusetts Global formerly Brandman University , which is headquartered in Irvine but has multiple campuses located throughout California and Washington State, offers a hybrid program with an advanced generalist curriculum and two- and three-year enrollment options.

CBU offers a traditional, campus-based MSW program with an advanced generalist curriculum that provides training in both clinical and macro practice social work. The program requires students to complete a minimum of hours of field education and can be completed in one to two years by full-time students.

The campus program has a two-year, full-time enrollment option and a four-year, part-time enrolment option. The hybrid program is part-time and takes three years to complete. USC offers a traditional, campus-based program with two- and three-year enrollment options that gives students a choice between three concentrations: Adult Mental Health and Wellness; Children, Youth and Families; and Social Change and Innovation. In addition, USC as has 2. The residency sessions occur near the end of each semester and last approximately two days.

The program has a two-year, full-time track and a three-year, part-time track. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large suburb. In , Social Work students graduated with students earning Master's degrees.

In , Social Work students graduated with students earning 93 Master's degrees, and 47 Bachelor's degrees. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In , Social Work students graduated with students earning Master's degrees, and 71 Bachelor's degrees. In , Social Work students graduated with students earning Master's degrees, and 69 Bachelor's degrees.

In , Social Work students graduated with students earning 99 Bachelor's degrees, 97 Master's degrees, and 4 Certificates. It's a large, public, four-year university in a small city.