Being in the MSW program has helped me feel more competent and confident in my work as a school social worker. It has helped guide me and shape me for the future. The program encouraged me to advocate for what is right and to look at things critically, while still being focused on strengths.
ONLINE
Master of Social Work
Master's Degree
Meet the needs of your community
Become the social worker your community is counting on.
Goshen College offers the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in partnership with Bluffton University. This CSWE-accredited online program includes a mental health specialization and emphasizes anti-racism, anti-oppressive practice and the integration of spirituality. You’ll attend synchronous evening classes over Zoom and watch recorded micro-lectures on your own schedule.
Field education plays a central role in the degree, and our team arranges your placement near your community rather than leaving the process to you. Foundation-level students complete 900 hours in the field, while students with advanced standing complete 500. The program prepares you for social work licensure in any U.S. state or territory.
View our Accreditation. Our program assessment outcome data is available here.
Two ways in, one strong degree
If you already hold a BSW from a CSWE-accredited program earned within the last 10 years, you can enter with advanced standing, skip the generalist courses and finish the 30-credit specialized practice courses in one to two years. Applicants whose BSW was earned more than 10 years ago may submit a special request for admission.
If your bachelor’s degree is in another field, you enter at the foundation level and complete the full 57-credit program of generalist and specialized practice courses in two to four years. Either way, you learn in a small, private, liberal arts setting that draws connections between diversity, equity, spirituality and social work. These values prepare you to connect with and assist clients of many different backgrounds.
What you’ll study
- Mental Health Specialization: Every student specializes in mental health, building the clinical and community-level knowledge and skills to meet real needs.
- Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression: Coursework centers anti-racist, anti-oppressive practice and the integration of spirituality into your work with clients.
- Field Education Near You: Complete 900 hours (foundation) or 500 hours (advanced standing) at a social service organization local to you.
View the complete program requirements in our catalog.
Mary Schmauss Heavyrunner '25
school social worker in the Bernalillo Public School District
The program helped me grow and maintain my professional confidence and my academic values and standards. The program provided me with the flexibility and opportunity to work in a variety of settings, either clinical or non-clinical.
Samra Stoner '25
Hospice social worker at Faith Hospice
Paying for Goshen
Tuition is $535 per credit hour for the 2026-27 academic year. The total cost is dependent on your previous schooling — 30 credits with advance standing if you have a BSW, or 57 credits at the foundational level if you did not complete a BSW.
Goshen College offers a 10% tuition discount on post-baccalaureate programs to students who earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from Goshen, and a 15% discount for employees of participating Affinity Partner organizations. Explore graduate and licensure aid options to plan your investment.
How to apply
- You can apply year-round. Advanced-standing students can begin in January, May or August, while foundation students begin in August.
- To apply, submit official transcripts from every college you attended, two professional references, a personal statement and a résumé. You should also have a GPA of at least 3.0. (Applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement may be conditionally accepted.)
Common questions about the Goshen MSW
We design our curriculum and assignments to “mimic social work practice.” That means we emphasize learning over grading, ask students to complete first versions of assignments, and provide meaningful feedback. In this way, students become well-prepared for social work licensure and practice.
It’s fully online: recorded micro-lectures plus a weekly evening Zoom class for each course. Advanced-standing students (with a recent BSW) finish in one to two years, and foundation students in two to four. Our field team arranges field education placements near you at a local social service organization.
Advanced standing is for graduates of a CSWE-accredited BSW program; the program waives generalist practice courses, so you take only the 30 credits of specialized practice courses. If your bachelor’s degree is in another field, you enter at the foundation level and complete the full 57-credit generalist-plus-specialized program.
Field education is social work’s “signature pedagogy” — the place where you apply coursework in a real practice setting with supervision and support. Because the MSW is online, your placement happens at an approved organization near you, so you don’t have to relocate.
Our field team arranges field education with you instead of leaving the process to you. Foundation students complete 900 hours and advanced-standing students complete 500 hours. The MSW field education director sets up placements in conversation with you.
You’ll build a learning contract around CSWE’s nine competencies, receive at least one hour of weekly supervision from a field education instructor who holds an MSW and has at least two years of post-MSW experience, work with an assigned faculty field liaison, and attend field education seminars every other week. You, your liaison, and your instructor meet every four to six weeks to review your progress.
Yes. Our MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation, and Goshen College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The program prepares graduates to pursue social work licensure and careers as counselors or therapists, program managers and community or policy advocates.
Turn insight into impact.
Apply now to become the social worker your community is counting on
Jeanette Harder
Program Director of the Masters Program of Social Work and Professor of Social Work
Laurel Neufeld Weaver
MSW Field Education Director
Assistant Professor of Social WorkCourtney Cotter
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Anayeli Lopez
Assistant Professor of Social Work
