If you’ve decided to become a social worker in California, you’re embarking on a journey of endurance, advocacy, and service. Maybe you’re driven to help the homeless, immigrants, children, or just anyone left behind by an often uncaring world. But no matter your passion, earning a Master of Social Work (MSW) can help you become a catalyst for real, meaningful change.
Though some social workers pursue Doctorates, MSW degrees are widely regarded as the gold standard for practicing professionals. Like other types of degrees, though, MSWs are investments of time, money, and work. To help you get the most out of your own investment, here’s what you need to know about the requirements, costs, and education provided by MSW programs in California.
Common Prerequisites for MSW Programs
The specific prerequisites for MSW programs in California vary slightly from one institution to another. However, many programs ask new students to provide details about their:
- Bachelor's Degree. Master’s programs of all kinds require students to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Many MSW programs accept students with bachelor's degrees in any field, but others may prefer applicants with a bachelor's in social work (BSW) or a related field.
- GPA Requirements. GPA requirements vary, but a competitive GPA is typically around 2.75 to 3.0 or higher.
- Prerequisite Coursework. Some MSW programs require applicants to have completed courses in social science (sociology, psychology, anthropology, etc.), research methods, statistics, human biology, and human development.
- Volunteer or Work Experience. Though not always required, many MSW programs value experience. This can include previous employment as a social worker, internships, volunteer activities, or any other work done in the broader field of social services.
- Letters of Recommendation. MSW programs often require up to three letters of recommendation from people who can speak to your academic abilities, work experience, or personal qualities. You may want to ask professors from your bachelor’s program or work supervisors about writing recommendations.
- Statement of Purpose. While MSW programs are an investment for students, programs are investing in their students, as well. Because of this, you may be asked to write an essay that outlines your motivation for pursuing an MSW and how you align with the program’s values.
- GRE Scores (optional). While many MSW programs do not require GRE scores for admission, some may still consider them if provided by the applicant. However, an increasing number of programs have been moving towards a test-optional admission process.
Remember, these are only common things Social Work Master’s programs ask for. When applying, reach out to the program’s admissions office if you have any questions.
Time Commitments and Different Types of Programs
MSW programs in California are perhaps more accessible than ever. Due to the state’s abundance of programs, students of all kinds can find a program that fits their goals and lifestyle.
The four types of MSW programs you’ll find in California include:
Traditional MSW Programs
These programs are designed for students with a bachelor’s degree in a non-social work field. They usually take around two years to complete on a full-time basis. Most traditional MSW programs require students to complete 60 credit hours of classes.
Part-Time or Extended MSW Programs
Some universities offer part-time or extended MSW programs, allowing students to pursue their degree while continuing to work or manage other responsibilities. The completion time for these programs can range from two to three years or more. These programs typically have a 60-credit-hour graduation requirement.
Hybrid and Online MSW Programs
Whether you’re new to the field or a working professional, hybrid and online programs allow you to take courses whenever and wherever is convenient. New students may be able to earn their MSW in anywhere from 18 months to three years. Hybrid and online MSW programs in California typically have a 60-credit-hour graduation requirement.
Advanced Standing MSW Programs
These programs are intended for students who already hold a BSW. They typically take one year of full-time study and have about a 30-credit-hour graduation requirement. These types of programs can be on-campus, online, or hybrid.
It’s important to check a program’s duration and format before applying. Some programs even offer summer classes that could potentially shorten the time it takes to earn an MSW.
Common MSW Costs in California
The cost of MSW programs in California can vary significantly depending on the specific institution, whether the program is public or private, the program’s duration, and whether you are an in-state or out-of-state resident. Additionally, other expenses such as textbooks, fees, and living costs should be considered.
It’s difficult to put an average cost on MSW programs in California, but the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) lists accredited schools that cost anywhere from about $500 to $1,000 and up per credit hour. Students who enroll in online, part-time, or advanced standing programs may pay slightly different rates. Some schools may fall outside of this range and costs are subject to change.
Wondering how to pay for an MSW program in California? Explore scholarship opportunities and grants that can make your education more affordable.
An Important Note About Accreditation
The CSWE isn’t just a database for MSW programs in California. Since 1952, they’ve been the agency responsible for accrediting the country’s social work education programs. They do this by ensuring each program teaches career-relevant curriculum, hires experienced faculty, and helps students meet all legal requirements to practice in their states. Schools that meet these standards (along with a long list of others) can seek CSWE accreditation.
According to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), all licensed clinical social workers in the state must have a degree from or must have completed courses at a CSWE-accredited institution. But whether you want to become a clinical social worker or not, remember that degrees from CSWE-accredited programs are highly regarded by licensing agencies and employers alike.
Foundational Classes And Core Competencies
MSW programs in California typically include foundational classes that provide students with a solid understanding of the core principles and theories of social work. These courses lay the groundwork for more advanced studies and make up about half of an MSW’s 60-credit-hour curriculum. Students who already have a BSW or social work experience may be able to skip these classes if they qualify for an advanced standing program.
Cultural Competence
MSW programs emphasize cultural awareness and competence, preparing social workers to work effectively with California’s diverse populations and respect different cultural backgrounds, identities, and beliefs.
Social Welfare Policy and Services
This class explores the history, development, and current state of social welfare policies and services in the United States and California. Students examine the impact of social policies on individuals and communities and learn to critically analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the existing system.
Social Work and the Law
This course explores California law as it pertains to social work practice. Students learn about their legal responsibilities, client rights, and regulations about their industry.
Specifically for MSW programs in California, law classes will likely cover social work regulations as set forth by the Board of Behavioral Sciences: the agency responsible for overseeing marriage and family therapists, clinical counselors, educational psychologists, and clinical social workers.
Human Behavior and the Social Environment
In this course, students study human behavior and the influence of various social, cultural, and environmental factors on individuals and families.
Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families
After learning how psychological and social issues influence human behavior, students can then learn how to assess client needs, apply intervention techniques, and develop therapeutic relationships. At this level, classes typically focus broadly on how to accomplish these tasks with individuals and families.
Crisis Intervention and Trauma-Informed Care
Many of the people social workers serve have experienced or are currently experiencing some form of trauma. This might include domestic violence, abuse, neglect, or mental health crises. Social workers must be prepared to tailor their approach to these circumstances and help clients through crises on a short- and long-term basis.
Case Management and Client Advocacy
Social workers don’t typically work alone. They must collaborate with other professionals like doctors, therapists, housing agencies, and more. Case management classes teach students how to bring these resources together for the benefit of their clients and how to advocate for their clients’ basic rights. This is especially important for marginalized groups who are virtually cut off from vital services.
Research Methods
This class introduces students to research design, data collection, and analysis methods used in social work research. Because social work is constantly evolving, students need to know how to apply the latest research to their practices.
Ethics and Professional Values
Social workers must protect their clients from harm, maintain trust within the community, and respect their clients’ rights. While this may sound like a tough yet straightforward objective, social workers need a strong ethical framework to rely on in complex situations. In these classes, students explore common professional dilemmas and learn how to make ethical decisions.
Social Work Specializations and Advanced Classes
After completing foundational classes, many social workers choose to specialize in a particular area of their field. While specializations vary by school, here are a few to consider as you explore California’s MSW programs.
Clinical Social Work
Though foundational classes often deal with assessing clients’ basic needs, advanced clinical classes teach students how to diagnose mental health disorders. Because clinical social workers in California need to earn a license before they can practice, the curriculum will likely be informed by the BBS’s licensing laws and regulations. You’ll also likely take classes on specific types of treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.
Child and Family Welfare
In 2020, over 60,000 children were the victims of abuse or neglect in California. To address this widespread issue, future child and family welfare social workers must learn how to recognize and address signs of abuse, navigate the state’s robust family court system, and support families through dire circumstances. Other important topics covered might include child development, the foster care system, and supporting children as they transition into adulthood.
Mental Health Social Work
Mental health social workers specialize in providing support, counseling, and intervention services to individuals, families, and communities dealing with mental health challenges. However, mental health social workers must also know when to refer their clients to other professionals. Though mental health social workers aren’t necessarily clinical social workers, they still typically take classes that cover mental illnesses, therapeutic techniques, and the effects of medications and environments.
Substance Abuse Social Work
The California Healthcare Foundation estimates that in 2022, around 2.9 million Californians 12 and older suffered from substance abuse issues. In addiction specialty programs, students learn how to use evidence-based interventions to help their clients and their clients’ loved ones. Typically, there are also classes focused on the intersections between addiction, poverty, mental health, and other circumstances.
School Social Work
School social workers support students’ academic and social-emotional needs in and outside of the classroom. Some of their classes may be similar to classes taken by child and family social workers, but school social workers must also learn about school-based interventions, their legal obligations to students, and how to collaborate with educators and families.
Healthcare Social Work
Though California expanded its low-cost healthcare program in early 2023, many people in the state remain uninsured. Healthcare social work classes teach students to connect people to much-needed medical resources, address psychosocial aspects of illness, and provide support to patients and their families. HIPAA regulations and industry-specific laws are also usually included in the curriculum.
Gerontology Social Work
From Alzheimer’s to social isolation, California’s aging population faces unique challenges. Gerontology social workers take classes about the social, economic, and health-related challenges of aging as well as the specific services and laws that aim to protect this vulnerable population. Many students even narrow their focus down to working with hospice and palliative care residents and their families.
Immigration and Refugee Social Work
In 2022, the US Census Bureau estimated that around 27% of California’s 39 million residents were born outside the US. Immigration and refugee social workers play a crucial role in helping these populations navigate the complex immigration system, adjust to a new culture, and overcome various challenges related to resettlement. Some students focus on working with clients from specific cultures and places.
Disaster Response
More than 73,000 acres of California suffered wildfire damage in 2022 alone, displacing families and reducing entire communities to ash.
In disaster response courses, social workers learn how to help individuals, communities, and overwhelmed local agencies by providing counseling and logistical support. As these types of crises continue, environmentally-focused social workers stand to become an important part of the state’s social services community.
Community Social Work
Instead of focusing on individual needs, community social workers assess and address issues that affect large groups of people like homelessness, food insecurity, crime, and a lack of access to proper healthcare services. In community organization classes, students learn how to run and cooperate with multiple agencies that address these widespread challenges.
Policy Analysis and Macro Social Work
Helping individuals is only one part of social work. Another major component is addressing the systemic wrongs and social issues that put vulnerable people in harm’s way. MSW programs teach students how to engage with communities, advocate for social change, and address wide-spread issues at the macro level. These types of courses are particularly helpful for people looking for jobs in non-profit advocacy organizations.
Advanced Research and Program Evaluation
As people’s needs change, social service programs must follow suit. Advanced research classes teach students how to not just conduct research, but use their findings to improve social services at every level. Though the majority of social workers in California take on front-line or administrative roles, some work in vital teaching roles at universities and data analysis jobs in organizations of all kinds.
Other Types of Specializations and Advanced Courses
This list of specializations offered by MSW programs in California isn’t exhaustive. As the state’s population surges and more social issues arise, more groups of people will need help with their own unique challenges.
If you’re not sure what direction to take, consider pursuing advanced generalist studies to develop a toolkit you can use to help people of all kinds. At many schools, this involves taking classes within multiple specialties as well as advanced courses about topics like case management, social work administration, and legal issues. It can also be a great choice for future social work administrators and supervisors.
However, some schools offer more highly-focused social work specialty programs. For instance, more schools are offering courses about racial inequity, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and climate justice. Even if you can’t enroll in a program that offers a full range of courses about these topics, you may be able to talk to program faculty about designing a schedule of classes that fits your needs. You may even be able to combine advanced generalist courses with a practicum experience at an organization whose mission aligns with your calling.
Theory Meets Practice: The Practicum Experience
In Master Social Work programs, classroom learning is only the beginning. Before you graduate, you’ll put everything you’ve learned to the test during a practicum — a hands-on experience that many students say is the most formative, enriching, and challenging part of their education.
A practicum is a lot like an internship in that students work with social work agencies and receive class credit hours. But unlike internships, practicums are often mandatory in social worker schools. In fact, the CSWE requires all accredited MSW programs to include a 900-hour or more practicum into their curriculum. Some schools require more. If you have a BSW or enroll in an advanced-standing program, your prior experience may reduce this requirement.
Practicum Placements
Fortunately, most MSW programs in California have long-standing partnerships with multiple types of social work agencies. You’ll likely work with a faculty advisor on securing a placement that fits your goals.
MSW students in California can complete their practicums by working at:
- State, County, and Local Social Service Agencies
- Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
- Schools and School Systems
- Mental Health Clinics
- Child Welfare Agencies
- Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
- Aging and Gerontology Programs
- Homeless Shelters
- Immigration and Refugee Services
- Criminal Justice Agencies (parole offices, correctional facilities, juvenile justice programs, court systems, etc.)
- LGBTQ+ Community Centers
- Community-Based Organizations (local health clinics, domestic abuse shelters, etc.)
Ultimately, it’s up to program administrators to approve your practicum placement site.
Duties and Field Supervision
At your practicum site, you’ll have a chance to observe social workers in action. But more importantly, you’ll be able to apply your knowledge to different roles in the social services system. At the same time, you can get a better idea of what kind of career you want to pursue after graduation.
While specific duties vary between agencies, here’s a few roles you might take on:
- Direct Service Provider. MSW students may work directly with individuals, families, or groups, providing counseling, therapy, case management, and support services. This typically includes conducting assessments, developing treatment plans, and facilitating interventions to address clients' needs.
- Case Manager. In this role, MSW students might be responsible for coordinating services and resources for clients, helping them access housing, healthcare, financial assistance, and other essential support.
- Group Facilitator. MSW students may lead therapeutic or support groups, providing a safe space for clients to share experiences, learn coping skills, and build a sense of community.
- Research Assistant. In some practicum placements, MSW students may contribute to research projects, data collection, or program evaluation efforts.
- Policy Analyst. MSW students interested in macro-level social work might engage in policy analysis and advocacy, examining the impact of policies on vulnerable populations and proposing policy changes.
- Program Coordinator. MSW students may have the opportunity to assist in organizing and managing social service programs, ensuring their effectiveness and efficiency.
- Community Organizer. In this role, MSW students may work with community members to identify and address social issues, mobilize resources, and advocate for positive change.
If you’re new to the field, doing any of these jobs as a student probably seems intimidating. But in CSWE-accredited programs, students carry out these duties under the direct supervision of a field instructor — a qualified social worker who works closely with students and their schools. Your field instructor will also provide guidance and assessments throughout this process. Depending on the program, your field instructor may meet with you on an individual basis or in groups with other students.
Practicums for Online MSW Students
Students who complete online or hybrid MSW programs usually have the same practicum requirements as their on-campus counterparts. Faculty can help these students find enlightening fieldwork opportunities in their local area and meet with them in online meetings.
Master of Social Work: CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs In California
Now that you know all the ins and outs of MSW programs in California, you can feel confident as you take the first step towards your new career. To get started, here are a handful of CSWE-accredited MSW programs around the state that offer a surprisingly diverse number of specialties and formats.
Azusa Pacific University
School of Applied Behavioral Sciences
Accreditation: CSWE and WSCUC
Formats: Full-time, part-time, or advanced standing. On-campus.
MSW in Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families
MSW in Community Leadership and Program Administration
Also offers:
- Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential in School Social Work and Child Welfare and Attendance
- Human Services Management Certificate
- Partnerships and training through the Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium
California State University, Los Angeles
School of Social Work
Accreditation: CSWE and WSCUC
Formats: Full-time and advanced standing. On-campus.
MSW in Advanced Generalist Studies
Also offers:
- MA in Child Development
- MA in Communicative Disorders
Fresno State University
Department of Social Work
Accreditation: CSWE and WSCUC
Formats: Full-time and part-time. On-campus
MSW in Child Welfare
MSW in School Social Work
MSW in Behavioral Health and Integrated Practice
Also offers:
- Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential
- Certificate in Cross-cultural Competency
- Gerontology Program
Loma Linda University
School of Behavioral Health
Accreditation: CSWE and WSCUC
Formats: Full-time, part-time, and advanced standing. On-campus and online.
MSW in Advanced Clinical Practice
MSW in Advanced Generalist Studies
Also offers:
- Doctor of Social Work
- PhD in Social Welfare and Social Research
- Play Therapy Certificate
San Jose State University
School of Social Work
Accreditation: CSWE and WSCUC
Formats: Full-time, part-time, and advanced standing. On-campus, online, and hybrid.
MSW in Advanced Generalist Studies
Also offers:
- Pupil Personnel Service (PPS) Credential for School Social Work
- Child Welfare and Attendance (CWA) Program
- Spanish Language Counseling Certificate
- Certificate in Gerontology
University of Southern California
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Accreditation: CSWE and WSCUC
Formats: Full-time, part-time, and advanced standing. On-campus, online, and hybrid.
MSW in Advanced Generalist Studies
MSW in Integrative Social Work
MSW in Mental Health and Wellness
MSW in Children, Youth, and Families
MSW in Social Change and Innovation
MSW in School and Educational Settings
MSW in Military Populations and Settings
Also offers:
- Doctorate of Social Work
- Graduate certificates in Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice, Advanced Integrative Social Work and Nursing Practice, Aging and Health, Child and Family Well-being, Ending Homelessness, LGBTQ+ Affirmative Care, Social Work Administration, Social Work Practice in Addiction, Telebehavioral Health, and more.
- Dual degree options like earning an MSW with an MS in Gerontology or a Master of Public Health.