Master of
Social Work
Our social work program welcomes students who plan to change the world—one person, family, community and system at a time.
Your career can affect the systems that create disparity and disadvantage.
If you are passionate about social change and seek a rigorous professional degree, the Brown School is the right fit for you. You’ll work with groundbreaking scholars, professors, research centers and organizations that are advancing the field and innovating evidence-based practice to create systemic, sustainable impact.
The Part-Time MSW program offers flexibility for working professionals to develop skills and credentials.
Why Choose the Brown School?
Jenni Harpring
Associate Dean for Social Work & Social Policy
Jackson Sarter, MSW’20
Heidi Volkl, MSW’19
Trauma Therapist, Healing Action Network
Our top-ranked Master of Social Work curriculum is designed to be different.
With eight concentrations (including a path to individualize) and eight specializations, there are ample opportunities to tailor coursework to your interests while also preparing for practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
A hallmark of our program is a commitment to evidence-based practice. In addition to learning theories and interventions grounded in rigorous research, you’ll learn to seek, generate and apply evidence in your own practice.
Racism and oppression shape policy and practice. Social workers must be aware of both their own power and privilege as well as how their constituents’ intersecting identities affect access to opportunities. Through our curriculum’s anti-racist and anti-oppression framework, you’ll grasp how these concepts interact and cultivate strategies to challenge racist and oppressive policies and structures.
Leadership with a social work perspective is necessary for creating more just and equitable organizations. The Brown School curriculum will equip students with skills to integrate social work frameworks and values into leadership roles throughout nonprofit, government and forprofit industries.
Our Master of Social Work degree prepares you with the fundamentals you need to enter the professional field, while providing the advanced analytical, problem-solving and team-building skills to thrive in your career.
The hallmarks of our curriculum include its flexibility, evidence-based approach and anti-oppression lens. Our program is designed to prepare students to connect theory to practice, bolstered by real-world learning experiences and research opportunities.
In fieldwork, known as a practicum, you’ll step out of the classroom to implement real change in the community. The Brown School’s innovative Office of Field Education has affiliations with more than 400 organizations, located across St. Louis, throughout the United States and around the world.
Our students have the unique opportunity to select their own practicum sites. This is designed to help you develop skills and meet leading professionals in an organization aligned with your professional interests. With the help of field faculty advising, you’ll complete two practica, a 360-hour Foundation Practicum and a 600-hour Concentration Practicum.
The Brown School offers generous scholarship support—more than $8 million awarded last year—as well as need-based financial aid. Students typically cover their educational expenses through a combination of sources, including:
- Scholarships from the Brown School
- Scholarships and grants from external organizations
- Yellow Ribbon Post-9/11 GI Bill or other military benefits
- Part-time research assistantships and campus-based employment
- Federal funding (student loans and work-study)
- Family or personal savings and out-of-pocket payments
The MSW tuition rate for the 2024-2025 academic year is $24,005 per semester. Every student who requests scholarship consideration receives an award.
We remain a student-centered institution and welcoming community that will guide you in your academic, personal and professional growth, and we are dedicated to connecting each student with the resources they need to thrive.
An Office of Diversity and Inclusion fosters an inclusive environment and promotes dialogue among all students. Our Communication Lab and Stat Lab offer support in critical areas of your academic work. The innovative Career Services team prepares you to navigate the job market successfully with one-on-one coaching, specialized workshops and networking events. As well, our holistic advising system ensures you have faculty and administrative guidance throughout your program.
The Brown School considers each applicant holistically. Our students come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. Although we welcome students with an undergraduate degree in social work, it is not a requirement for the MSW program. Admissions and scholarship decisions are based primarily on a review of the following:
- Commitment to the mission of the Brown School
- Undergraduate GPA
- Additional academic work
- Specialized training relevant to the program
- Human service-related experience
- Leadership experience or potential
- Ability to think critically
- Recommendations from academic and professional references
The Brown School welcomes applications from students wishing to transfer from another graduate institution, subject to our policies for credit earned prior to enrollment.
Master of Social Work program applicants who have completed graduate-level coursework may request to have previous coursework evaluated for transfer credit towards MSW program requirements.