What are my options for obtaining an MSW?
We offer two program options:
- Online MSW Program – Our program enables you to work full-time while pursuing your graduate degree through online evening classes.
- MSW Campus Program – Offers full or part-time coursework on the Urbana-Champaign campus.
Am I qualified to apply?
If you meet the following criteria, then you are qualified to apply:
- There are a few additional requirements for international applicants
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
- Evidence of personal attributes that are suitable for the profession of social work
- A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better for the last sixty (60) semester hours or ninety (90) quarter hours of coursework
- Experience in human services (paid, volunteer, research, and/or internship)
- Twenty hours of coursework in the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and biological sciences
My bachelor’s degree is not in social work. Can I still apply?
Absolutely. In fact, about 65% of our students have degrees other than social work, including psychology, sociology, photography, English, music, finance, philosophy, anthropology, and many others. You will just need to make sure that you have completed 20 hours of social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and biological sciences.
When do I begin the program?
Advanced Standing students who have a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school of social work within the past seven years will begin the program in the fall. Traditional students with a bachelor’s degree in any other area must begin the program in the summer session II. Summer session II begins mid-June.
Do I have to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination)?
We do NOT require GRE scores for the MSW program.
Is the program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education?
Yes, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s MSW program has been continuously accredited by CSWE since its inception over 75 years ago.
What concentrations do you offer?
As you work toward your MSW degree, you’ll achieve competency in one of two concentrations:
When do I need to decide my concentration/focus area?
We ask you to declare your concentration on your application materials; however, you may change it once you begin the program if you develop an interest in a different concentration. You must decide on your concentration by the time you enroll in spring classes. You will receive individual academic advising from a faculty advisor.
How long will it take me to complete the program?
How quickly you complete the program will depend on your concentration, course load, and your status on the prerequisite and foundation requirements. For the MSW Campus Program as an Advanced Standing student, you may complete the MSW program in as little as 12 months (3 semesters). For all other students, you can complete the program in as little as 18 months (5 semesters) if you have an undergraduate degree in a field other than social work. If you are in the Online MSW Program, Advanced Standing students can complete the program in 12-18 months (3-5 semesters), while all others can expect to complete it in 36-48 months (8 semesters).
How do I apply?
There are a few steps you must complete.
- Official Transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. Mail directly to the School of Social Work, 1010 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, IL 61801
- Graduate College Application– To be completed online at www.grad.illinois.edu
- All items below will be uploaded to the Graduate College Application.
- Three (3) letters of reference (must be academic and/or professional in nature).
- Personal Statement
- Resume – This should include relevant education, volunteer, and work experience.
- Unofficial transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.
How many hours of coursework will it take to complete a MSW degree?
Advanced Standing students are required to complete a minimum of 44-56 hours of MSW coursework to graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an MSW degree. 12 to 24 of the 44 hours are internship hours. Traditional students without an undergraduate degree in Social Work are required to complete 72 hours to earn an MSW. Twenty-four of the 72 hours are internship hours. Students take classes in advanced social work practice, policy, research, human behavior, and a range of topic-specific courses such as trauma-informed practice, family therapy seminar, cognitive and behavioral therapy, Social Work practice with groups, and Social Work practice with Children and Adolescents.
What courses are taught in the summer?
Traditional students starting in the campus program take SOCW 400: Generalist Social Work Practice Methods and SOCW 451: Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) their first summer. These courses are only offered during the summer and must be completed before taking advanced methods or HBSE courses. Online MSW students starting in the summer take SOCW 451: Human Behavior and the Social Environment and SOCW 410: Social Welfare Policy.
How do I complete the foundation courses without a bachelor’s of social work?
SOCW 400: Generalist Social Work Practice Methods and SOCW 451: Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE I) are completed during the initial summer semester. SOCW 410: Social Welfare Policy and SOCW 427: Social Work Research Methods will be completed during your first fall semester.
Does it count if I’ve already completed a foundation course in another discipline?
If you completed research methods, social welfare policy, or HBSE in psychology/sociology or another similar program, you will still be required to complete these courses through our program. Per accreditation guidelines, these courses must be completed through an accredited school of social work.
What is the average class size?
Every year, we enroll approximately 110 new students in our MSW Campus Program and 125 students in our Online MSW Program. The average class size is 25 students, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, including courses taught by distinguished community practitioners.
Will I have to complete an internship?
The internship experience is the capstone of Social Work education. We require our MSW students to complete an internship in their concentration/focus area. Our internship experience is distinct because you will complete your internship in a “block internship placement” that occurs after you complete all your MSW coursework. This unique “block internship placement” structure allows you to complete your MSW internship throughout urban, suburban, and rural Illinois, and there is the potential for out-of-state placements as well. Our MSW program requires you to complete an internship in an agency where you will gain hands-on experience working with clients. The internship allows you to put into practice all the skills that you have learned in your MSW coursework in a supportive internship placement. Through these hands-on learning experiences, you will be well prepared to work as a professional social worker upon graduation.
What is the structure of a MSW internship?
In your MSW internship:
- You will work with a full-time faculty member whose time is devoted to working with students during their internship. This faculty member will help you both before and during your internship.
- Traditional students, you will complete a two-semester internship, working 4 days/30-32 hours.
- Advanced Standing students will complete a one-semester internship, typically a 14-week extended summer internship.
- We have numerous placement sites across Illinois and can consider out-of-state placements.
- You will also take part in an online seminar course that integrates your internship experience with social work values, ethics, and practice.
- Students with a School Social Work focus area will likely be required to complete a two-semester internship, even if they are advanced-standing students.
Where will I complete my internship?
You will work closely with the School of Social Work’s field education faculty to secure an internship. You are given the opportunity to choose an internship from a variety of social service organizations based on your interests and concentration/focus area. The agencies we work with serve diverse populations, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic classes across areas including healthcare, child welfare, extended care facilities, and community advocacy. MSW students have interned in schools, hospitals, mental health centers, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and several hundred other organizations.
What can you expect to do during an internship?
During your last semester/s of graduate studies, you will gain rich learning experiences as you are immersed in a full-time internship within an agency. Through the internship experience, you can gain great hands-on experience, which includes:
Foundation Skills
Following are just a few of the foundation skills that you will develop during your internship:
- Assessing client and community needs
- Obtaining social histories
- Empowering clients, communities, and systems of all sizes
- Contacting and using community resources
- Offering individual, group, and family counseling
- Conducting interviews with individuals, families, and stakeholders
- Implementing intervention plans
- Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions
- Keeping concise and accurate records
- Managing client caseloads
- Conducting crisis interventions
- Advocacy
- Advanced Skills
These are some of the advanced skills that you will acquire in your field education:
- Mobilizing coalitions for implementing social change
- Identifying and handling ethical dilemmas
- Developing advanced interviewing and relationship skills
- Employing a person-in-environment perspective in assessments
- Using literature and research to empirically validate and guide practice
- Functioning as an autonomous practitioner
- Planning for social policy and community organization
- Promoting social and economic justice
Is it possible to be licensed as a social worker with a MSW degree?
If you graduate from an accredited MSW Program, you can apply to become a licensed social worker (LSW).
What will it cost me to study at the School of Social Work?
A semester of tuition and fees for a full-time graduate student in the on-campus MSW Program for the 2025-2026 academic year is approximately $11,360 per semester for residents and $19,916 for non-residents. The online MSW program is $623 per credit hour. Students in the Online MSW Program typically take two courses per semester.
Is financial aid available for MSW students?
The School of Social Work has a competitive financial program, which results in several of our students receiving some type of aid that does not have to be repaid. Included in the possibilities are grants, pre-professional assistantships, fellowships, stipends, tuition waivers, and endowed awards. Awards and scholarships are available based on academic merit and experience, not financial need. Some awards are for first-year students exclusively, while others are reserved for current students. Only full-time campus students are eligible for financial aid. You can also check your eligibility for FAFSA on their website.
Students in the Online MSW program are not eligible for campus funding opportunities.
Why social work?
There are many reasons why social work is a good choice for your future. Social work is a challenging and rewarding profession that offers national and international career opportunities. Social workers have a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of others. They help people with disabilities, life-threatening illnesses, inadequate housing, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, or mental illness. Social workers also assist people experiencing domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. MSW graduates are trained to be therapists, clinicians, advocates, policy reformers, etc. Social Works are change agents in the lives of the individuals that they serve. The book, 101 Careers in Social Work, is a valuable resource if you are interested in learning more about the field of Social Work and what social workers do.
What can you tell me about the faculty?
The faculty at the School of Social Work is comprised of a diverse group of innovative scholars who share one common trait: they are highly approachable, student-focused professors. They hold advanced degrees in social work, law, business administration, public health, psychology, and public administration. They regularly publish in a variety of premier journals.But most of all, they are committed to teaching excellence and mentoring students for academic and professional success. Both caring and effective, they conduct research about critical issues facing Illinois and the nation, such as:
- The quality of life of low-income families
- The safety and well-being of abused and neglected children
- The development of interventions for treating vulnerable adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders
- The assessment of parenting risk in parents with mental illness
Our faculty serves the citizens of Illinois, helping to meet community needs, educating students for public service, and sharing the School’s resources with the community.
What are the advantages of an MSW from the U of I School of Social Work?
We use the latest research to inform best practice and arm you with the skills you need to be a successful leader in the field of social work – be it as a practitioner, advocate, policymaker, or community organizer.
Our vibrant student organizations and active alumni association are valuable resources for you throughout your years here and throughout your career
- We have earned a national reputation for providing excellent education
- Our award-winning and student-focused faculty guides you through the program, helping you build the skills you need
- Our unique internship structure allows you great input into your experience and prepares you for success in the field
- Our vibrant student organizations and active alumni association are valuable resources for you throughout your years here and throughout your career
What are the advantages of obtaining a graduate degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is ranked #33 of national universities and #12 in top public schools by U.S. News & World Report. The University of Illinois is where world-class academics meet thriving micro-urban diversity in the arts, culture, and technology. With a combined population of 180,000, the twin cities feature a variety of theaters, restaurants, and concert arenas, as well as more than a dozen major museums and art galleries. The two cities also offer more than 80 parks and recreation facilities, and the University of Illinois is ranked among the most disability-friendly campuses in the nation. Urbana-Champaign is ranked among the Top 10 Green Cities and Top 10 Tech Cities.