Widener University offers a CSWE-accredited online MSW program that is a social justice oriented clinical program that focuses on trauma. Widener University’s online MSW program is specifically designed to give students an understanding of how various forms of trauma are at the root of many of the mental, emotional, and social issues that individuals face across the lifespan. As a result, trauma and its impact on the individual is a theme that overlays the coursework within Widener University’s program.

Widener University’s online MSW program requires the completion of 64 course credits over the course of three years of part-time study. A 41- credit hour Advanced Standing admission is offered to applicants who have completed a CSWE-accredited undergraduate degree in social work, within the past six years. Some of the course offerings include Human Behavior & the Social Context, Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, & Small Groups, Social and Economic Justice, Social Work with Individuals and Communities Experiencing Trauma, and Social Work with Immigrants and Refugees.

The curriculum for Widener University’s online MSW program is entirely online, and does not require students to make any visits to campus (though students are welcome to travel to campus for optional events such as recruiting opportunities and career fairs). However, students must still complete 1100 hours of field placement (420 hours of generalist social work and 680 hours of specialized clinical social work practice) at a local health services organization or agency (advanced standing students only complete the 680 hour placement). The Director of Field Instruction actively matches students to field agency sites according to their preferences, skill level, professional goals, and geographic location. Field placements are designed to allow students to apply what they have learned from the MSW curriculum, in an agency setting while having guidance from a supervisor.

Applicants to the traditional standing program must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have maintained a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Application materials include a personal statement, transcripts of all college coursework, and two letters of recommendation (one professional and one academic). Applicants to the advanced standing program must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (within the past six years), an overall GPA of 3.0 or better, and a GPA of 3.3 in the social work major. Application materials include a letter of recommendation from the BSW field instructor or field director.

Widener University’s online MSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Widener University is also regionally accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Department: School of Human Service Professions

Degree Types: Traditional and Advanced Standing

Concentrations: Clinical Social Work Specializing in Trauma

Program Structure: Online with field instruction (no campus visits required)

Instruction Methods: Program follows a fixed curriculum path with electives and the majority of instruction is asynchronous.

Program Overview

Program Requirements

Program Length

Admission Requirements

Program Overview

Program Requirements

Program Length

Admission Requirements

Widener University’s MSW program information was last updated in March 2020. For more information, visit the university’s website above.

If you have additional information about this program, email us at contactus@onlinemswprograms.com.