Social Work Graduate Program
Why study social work at Missouri State?
- Our program focuses on family health, which prepares you to work with families at all levels of advanced social work practice.
- You gain valuable hands-on experience through field education placements in a variety of local and global settings.
- On-site, online and off-site class options provide you with flexibility in your scheduling, especially if you work or commute.
- The Springfield, Mo., community supports both urban and rural environments for you to work in, providing you with a diversity of opportunities to explore the social work profession before graduating.
- Our program offers a small student-to-faculty ratio, providing you with direct access to highly trained experts and advising support.
- Our graduate program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, which increases your eligibility for licensure.
Developing a family health perspective
With a concentration in family health, the Master of Social Work program develops ethical leaders in the social services, with a commitment to community improvement and a respect for the diversity of its members. Advanced practice classes provide in-depth training on counseling with couples, families and individuals from a family context.
The social work graduate program provides the education and training needed you to enter into a full-range of advanced social work roles:
- Administrative positions
- Assessment and triage
- Direct practice
- Program development and/or management
Springfield and Joplin campuses
The MSW program is currently offered at two campuses: one in Springfield and one in Joplin. The Springfield site is located in Pummill Hall on the main Missouri State campus, and the Joplin site is located at 724 Illinois St. The MSW program at the Joplin location is considered a satellite program and offered via Missouri State Outreach; in-state tuition is available to residents of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
The MSW course work and degree requirements are the same for both campuses. Although you select your primary campus, you may take classes at either campus, with notification to the program coordinators. Social work faculty travel or teach between both campuses at regular intervals, so students at both sites will have access to the same set of faculty teaching expertise.