Lead change with a Brown School MSW.
Choose flexible options: full-time, part-time, advanced standing, or dual degree.
Master of Social Work
Overview
Curriculum
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.
With a concentrated and curated model built on our 100-year legacy of social work education, our MSW curriculum is designed to prepare students to connect theory with policy and practice, bolstered by real-world learning experiences and research opportunities.
Practicum
In field education, known as a practicum, you’ll step out of the classroom to implement real change in the community while continuing to earn credit toward your degree. The Brown School’s Office of Field Education has affiliations with more than 400 organizations across the St. Louis region, throughout the United States, and around the world.
Our students are able to select their own practicum sites with input and guidance from their field faculty advisor. As part of your MSW curriculum, you will complete two practica experiences: a 360-hour Foundation Practicum and 600-hours of Concentration Practicum.
Student Support
As a student-centered institution, our entire faculty and staff are committed to providing our student scholars with the personalized attention and tailored solutions to thrive academically, personally, and professionally.
Our holistic advising system ensures you have faculty and administrative guidance throughout your studies. In addition, our Career Engagement staff prepares you to navigate the job market successfully with one-on-one coaching, specialized workshops, and networking events.
Your Degree. Your Direction.
MSW students begin their study by selecting a required concentration that will guide your coursework. Elective credits can also be used to add an optional specialization to deepen your expertise.
Shape Your Future. Transform Communities. Lead Change.
At the Brown School, your MSW is more than a degree. Its options to creating lasting change both locally and globally. Whether you’re just entering the field or advancing an established career, we offer flexible options designed to fit your life and goals.
MSW Options:
- Full-time MSW: Complete your degree in two years through our traditional, immersive option. Apply to the full-time MSW
- Part-time MSW: Balance work and life with evening and weekend classes over three years. Discover flexible options.
- Advanced Standing MSW: Earn your degree in 12–16 months if you hold a recent BSW from a CSWE-accredited school. Fast-track your MSW.
- 3-2 MSW: For WashU Arts & Sciences undergraduates, complete your MSW in just one additional year. Earn two degrees faster.
- Dual Degree MSW: Pair your MSW with another graduate degree for a transdisciplinary edge. Explore dual degree options.
No matter your option, you’ll prepare to lead with purpose, integrity, and impact. Working alongside scholars, faculty, and community partners, you’ll gain versatile skills to influence individuals, systems, and institutions at every level.
“The nationally ranked Master of Social Work program at the Brown School offers the next generation of practitioners the resources they need to generate solutions and enhance the lives of clients and communities. Our full-time, part-time, and advanced standing scholars engage in course content in micro-, mezzo, and macro practice to develop their professional skills. MSW graduates are prepared to use evidence-based knowledge to create interventions and programs to implement in local, national and global contexts.”
Janelle Gibson, Assistant Dean for Social Work
“Your degree is about the impact you want to make. My trajectory at the Brown School has been about looking at the wider play: What can you do that has the most significance?”
Jackson Sarter, MSW ’20
It’s your chance to make a difference.