Master of Social Work | Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
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Social Work

Master of Social Work

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Join our top-ranked Master of Social Work program, led by a community of passionate individuals dedicated to creating positive change.

Your career can affect the systems that create disparity and disadvantage.

an msw will connect you to your path

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.

Whether you pursue the MSW full-time or take advantage of our part-time option, there are multiple pathways to earning your degree. The Part-Time MSW program offers flexibility for working professionals to develop skills and credentials that can advance careers in clinical social work.

One of seven schools at Washington University, the Brown School will connect you to renowned scholars across various fields for multidisciplinary collaboration and solutions.

Define how you’ll change the world.

Whether you dream of making a difference in your hometown or on another continent, your Brown School experience will prepare you to engage with the issues you care about most.

As a part of your MSW, you’ll first select a concentration to define your study. After that, you can add a specialization for increased expertise in a particular area.

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Overview

Master of Social Work

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Practicum
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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.

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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.

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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:

The MSW tuition rate for the 2022-2023 academic year is $22,850 per semester. Every student who requests scholarship consideration receives an award.

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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.

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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
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“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



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It’s your chance to make a difference.

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