Online social work degree programs in New Jersey offer a flexible path for individuals pursuing a career in social work without sacrificing the comprehensive education needed to thrive in the field. These programs are designed to meet the standards of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), ensuring that students receive a robust curriculum that covers essential social work practices, ethics, and practical experiences.
Whether you’re a working professional seeking to advance your career or entering the field for the first time, New Jersey’s online programs provide the tools necessary to address diverse community needs effectively and advocate for social justice across various settings.
Online Social Work Programs in New Jersey
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering online social work degree programs in New Jersey:
- Grand Canyon University
- Arizona State University Online
- Rutger University
- Fairleigh Dickinson University
- National University
- Simmons University
- Syracuse University
- Walden University
Grand Canyon University
Online Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
In the the CSWE-accredited 120-credit Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at Grand Canyon University, you will acquire the skills necessary to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities by working with diverse groups in various settings.
The program is available both online and on-campus, giving you the option to select the learning environment that best fits your needs. Regardless of the chosen format, you will complete supervised, in-person field experiences within a professional setting.
In the BSW program at GCU, you will study how individuals’ reactions to different factors influence a social worker’s approach. As you progress through the curriculum, you will develop skills in cultural competency and advocacy.
You will also learn to analyze human behavior within the social environment by critically evaluating biopsychosocial development from conception through late adulthood using an integrative and multidimensional approach. Courses provide opportunities to acquire, practice, and reflect on skills across the stages of intake, assessment, treatment, evaluation, and termination. The curriculum is designed to equip you with the tools needed to positively impact families and individuals.
As a student, you will apply knowledge from academic and field experiences to create a final project and presentation demonstrating your understanding of key competencies, including assessment, ethics, application of theory, cultural sensitivity, and practice skills.
Core courses of the program include:
- Introduction to Social Welfare: This course provides an overview of social work in the United States, examining cultural and social values, history, and theoretical models that have shaped the profession.
- Social Service Delivery Systems: In this course, you will learn about human service agencies at federal, state, and community levels, along with the delivery of services to special populations. This course includes 25 hours of service-learning integrated with course content.
- Human Biology and Social Work Practice: In this course, you will study how human biology impacts social work practice, focusing on the body’s responses to different variables and factors influencing both individuals and practitioners.
- Social Work Ethics and Decision-Making: This course explores the history and application of ethics in social work, examining professional and personal values in relation to the NASW Code of Ethics.
- Social Welfare Policy and Services: This course helps you develop strategies for ensuring quality health care and safety for patients and populations, with a focus on sustainable change and ethical principles.
- Trauma-Informed Care: In this course, you will gain introductory knowledge of trauma-informed care, learning about trauma types and adverse outcomes, as well as methods for assessing and addressing traumatic stress.
- Field Instruction I and II: You will complete foundational social work practice in approved community agencies under professional supervision, with experiential integration of theory and skills. Field experience hours: 200 per course.
- Case Management: In this course, you will develop entry-level case management skills by understanding the role of a case manager, learning to track and manage client cases, and practicing client assessment and problem-solving techniques through case study analysis.
The program culminates in a capstone project where you integrate previous learning to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in social work.
To apply directly to GCU’s BSW program, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- High School Graduate with Unweighted GPA of 3.0+: Home school transcripts are accepted from states where home schooling is a recognized secondary education option.
- High School Graduate with Unweighted GPA of 2.5+ and Qualifying College Entrance Exam Score: ACT: 19 and SAT (math and reading only) 1000 (post-3/1/2016), 1380 (pre-3/1/2016).
Arizona State University Online
Online Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
If you are dedicated to helping individuals, families, groups, and communities cope with various challenges, the online BSW at Arizona State University (ASU) might be the ideal choice for you. Offered through ASU’s School of Social Work, this program equips you with the knowledge and practical experience needed to forge a rewarding career in social work. You will graduate ready to offer direct services and make a positive impact on your community.
Earning a BSW degree prepares you to function as a social work generalist, where you interact with individuals, groups, communities, and broader societal systems. In this role, you will handle direct practice with those affected by issues related to mental health, aging, child welfare, criminal justice, disability policy, human rights, and more.
Your courses will address a variety of topics, including micro and macro human behavior, ethics, and whole-person health. In your final two semesters, you will apply these concepts in a 480-hour practicum within your geographic region, potentially at sites such as hospices, youth organizations, and community centers.
This program is suitable for individuals from various backgrounds. If you have experience working or volunteering in social services, this degree may align well with your interests. Typically, successful candidates possess a passion for aiding others and tackling complex social issues affecting vulnerable communities.
Courses in this program are taken sequentially, enhancing your grasp of social work concepts and skills. You will concentrate on key areas like advocacy, consultation, and education to develop abilities in assessment, engagement, evaluation, intervention, intake, and research.
During the 480-hour practicum, you will operate under supervision at a local site, gaining practical experience and impacting your community directly. This practicum cements your skills and lets you explore your professional identity. Potential settings include schools, hospitals, nursing homes, correctional facilities, and more.
ASU provides this BSW program through ASU Sync for transfer students or those with an associate degree. ASU Sync allows you to attend live classes remotely via Zoom, featuring real-time discussions and collaboration.
Upon graduation, you are prepared for generalist roles in social work, focusing on advocacy, case management, and problem-solving with individuals, groups, families, and communities.
To apply, you must meet the following requirements:
- First-Year Students: You are considered a first-year applicant if you have never attended college or have fewer than 12 transferable credit hours. To be admitted to ASU, you must hold a high school diploma and have completed at least 14 core courses, including four years of math and English, three years of lab sciences, two years of social sciences, two years of the same second language, and one year of fine arts or technical education. You must also meet one of the following criteria:
- Top 25% in your high school graduating class.
- 3.00 GPA in competency courses – ACT score of 22 (Arizona residents) or 24 (non-residents), or SAT score of 1120 (Arizona residents) or 1180 (non-residents).
- High School Equivalents: If you do not hold a high school diploma, you may meet undergraduate requirements through GED, HiSet, TASC, or California High School Proficiency Examination. Specific scoring requirements apply.
- Transfer Students: You are a transfer applicant if you have attended college or university with at least 12 transferable credits. Transfer applicants with 12-23 credits must meet first-year student requirements and have a minimum cumulative transfer GPA of 2.50. Applicants with 24 or more credits must have a minimum cumulative transfer GPA of 2.50 to qualify.
Rutger University
Online Master of Social Work (MSW)
Rutgers University’s 100% online CSWE-accredited MSW degree program is tailored for professionals like you who are seeking to enhance their credentials and advance their careers in the field, from anywhere in the country, on your own schedule.
Through flexible, asynchronous online assignments and practicum learning hours, you will graduate with the confidence that you have the knowledge and experience needed to effect change in people’s lives, both within the broader profession and in your specialized area of expertise.
As an online MSW student at Rutgers, you can complete your degree, including the valuable practicum learning experience, in either two or three years.
The program is delivered entirely online, similar to other Rutgers School of Social Work programs. You will engage with the same rigorous content as your on-campus peers, taught by accomplished faculty, but you will submit assignments and connect with peers and professors virtually, through interactive quizzes, modules, readings, and online discussions.
In this cohort-based program, you will build lifelong relationships in a supportive, collaborative environment, gaining new perspectives from peers of various professional backgrounds while focusing your education on your goals.
You can choose a two-year full-time option or a three-year part-time option for your studies. Each path involves 60 credits, while those admitted to the Advanced Standing program complete 39 credits.
The two-year option demands an intensive course load, including practicum hours starting in your first semester, whereas the three-year option begins practicum learning in the third semester.
Classes are held asynchronously, which means you are not required to attend at fixed times. Instead, you will complete assignments on your own schedule with regular due dates and engage with faculty and peers through virtual discussions and web-based technologies.
All students, except those with baccalaureate degrees from programs accredited by the CSWE, must complete all of the generalist courses. These courses provide a body of knowledge, values, and skills critical for social work practice. This foundational base is applicable across various settings, population groups, and problem areas. The generalist curriculum includes courses on generalist social work practice with corresponding field instruction, human behavior and the social environment, clinical assessment & diagnosis, introductory social work research methods, social welfare policy and services, and a course focused on diversity and oppression.
You must successfully complete the generalist program before you can start the specialized curriculum.
The specialized curriculum offers a choice between a specialization in advanced clinical practice or management and policy, an advanced research course, advanced field instruction, and electives. You can only begin this specialized curriculum after you have successfully completed the generalist courses and the statistics requirement.
All MSW students choose a specialization: either Management & Policy (MAP) or Clinical Social Work.
Clinical Specialization: You will acquire comprehensive skills in engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation for clinical social work. This specialization enables you to assist clients in addressing behavioral or emotional issues related to their environment, including working with child welfare families and individuals in hospice or the criminal justice system.
Management and Policy Specialization (MAP): You will develop leadership skills and obtain the knowledge necessary to build, evaluate, and advocate for programs that support people broadly. Faculty with extensive experience teach MAP coursework, which includes electives focused on marketing and fundraising, strategic program planning, nonprofit management, and policies addressing economic, social, environmental, and racial justice.
MAP alumni often find positions in sectors like government, state and federal departments, nonprofit agencies, healthcare institutions, educational settings, and corporations.
To meet your educational needs, Rutgers leverages relationships with agencies across the country for practicum placements, which are a crucial part of your social work graduate education. Depending on whether you’re in the two-year or three-year program, practicum learning hours start in your first or third semester.
If you hold an accredited undergraduate degree in social work, you can shorten the time it takes to earn your MSW online by applying to the Advanced Standing track. In this track, you can complete degree requirements in just four semesters.
Applications for the 100% Online MSW program are accepted for the spring, summer, and fall semesters. Eligible candidates for admission should have:
- Completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited undergraduate institution.
- A 3.0 cumulative GPA (suggested, not a requirement).
- An introductory statistics course, covering descriptive and basic inferential statistical procedures, required of all MSW candidates before beginning Research 1.
Applications are considered complete and will be reviewed only when all of the following materials have been received:
- Two current, professional letters of recommendation.
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended.
- Personal statement.
- Current resume.
- Undergraduate practicum learning evaluation (advanced standing applicants only)
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Online Master of Social Work (MSW)
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s CSWE-accredited online MSW program equips you to positively influence social and economic justice, human rights, and quality of life for diverse populations. In this program, you will develop valuable skills to promote physical, psychological, and social well-being for clients in various settings and regions of practice.
The online MSW curriculum merges didactic and practical learning through coursework delivered in an online format. It provides a competency-based education, preparing you to work as an advanced social work practitioner capable of leading developmental efforts in both public and private social service arenas. This program is designed for a variety of students, including traditional students, working professionals, and adult learners.
FDU’s online MSW program includes extensive field practicum experience. You will have the opportunity to apply the theory, skills, and approaches learned in the coursework to real-world situations. Placement opportunities may include hospitals, other healthcare settings, schools, criminal justice settings, grassroots organizations, mental health services, and more. You will work closely with a dedicated field coordinator to identify placements for your field experience hours.
In accordance with CSWE, FDU’s online MSW program prepares you to:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
- Engage diversity and difference in practice.
- Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Engage in policy practice.
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
The online program provides a comprehensive learning experience that combines social work theory with practical application. The online MSW degree features two program options, advanced standing and traditional. These tracks allow you to choose the course of study that best aligns with your previous educational experience.
If you have previously earned a BSW, you may qualify for Advanced Standing and complete 30 hours of concentration courses and 500 hours of field experience. The traditional program is ideal for students who have not previously studied social work, featuring 900 hours of field experience and a total of 60 credit hours.
The fieldwork component of the program is essential for advancing students into practitioners. At the graduate level, this practice experience is critical in the preparation of competent professionals equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the needs of clients and constituencies. Field education allows you to apply theory, research, and practice approaches learned in the classroom to real-world situations, while functioning within agencies, providing social work services to clients and constituencies. This opportunity allows you to observe and participate in professional Social Work practices with various populations, organizational settings, problems/needs, and approaches.
FDU’s MSW program relies upon agencies and associated social work entities to deliver high-quality experiential education to its students. Maintaining strong relationships between the university and its field partners are critically important and continued communication a necessity. Each student will work with: a field instructor, an identified field supervisor; a faculty liaison, an FDU faculty member and point person to keep the agency and university connected; and the FDU MSW field coordinator, director of all fieldwork experience.
To apply, you must meet the following requirements:
- A graduate application.
- Official transcripts
- Up-to-date curriculum vitae or resume.
- Personal statement.
In order to be eligible for admission into the traditional program, you must meet the following criteria: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree inclusive of coursework from the liberal arts; and A minimum overall GPA of 2.75.
In order to be eligible for admission into the advanced standing program, you must meet the following criteria: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in social work, accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; and A minimum overall GPA of 3.0.
National University
Online Master of Social Work (MSW) – General Track
National University’s CSWE-accredited 60-credit online MSW program equips you for a wide range of careers in social services. The program is designed to align with CSWE standards, helping you gain the necessary knowledge, skills, and practical experience to succeed in professional settings.
The Generalist Track requires you to complete 60 credit hours, starting with foundational courses before progressing to advanced courses. Your final project, or capstone, will be the last course of the program.
Throughout the program, you will study modern social work practices, ethics, and communication, developing essential social work skills. The program combines online coursework with hands-on practicum experiences, where you will work directly with individuals, groups, and communities, guided by a local field supervisor.
Your foundational courses will include:
- Introduction to Social Work: This course gives you an overview of social work practices, covering theories, concepts, and populations-at-risk. You will examine values, ethics, and family and community contexts relevant to social work.
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment: This course focuses on diversity, cultural humility, and human rights, exploring social work with diverse populations. You will apply theories to social environments and human development.
- Social Work in Behavioral Health: This course introduces social work practice within behavioral health. You will examine laws, evidence-based practices, and service models related to mental health services.
- Ethics and Diversity in Social Work: This course explores ethical decision-making in social work and governmental policies guiding ethical practices. You will examine ethics necessary for effective advocacy for diverse populations.
- Social Work in Interdisciplinary Settings: This course introduces you to teamwork within interdisciplinary settings, exploring communication styles and research-based interventions used in integrated care.
- Generalist Practicum I and II: In these courses, you will receive training in social work practice through supervised experiential learning within a social work or social services agency. You will apply social work values and ethics, with a focus on social justice and cultural competency. Emphasis is placed on applying general intervention models across individuals, families, groups, and communities.
Advanced courses that you will take include:
- Advanced Social Work with Children and Families: This course focuses on applying evidence-based practices with clients with complex needs. You will examine ethical considerations for working with individuals and families.
- Advanced Social Work in Medical Practice: This course covers theories, research, and practice models used in medical social work. You will explore theories related to resilience and behavior change.
- Advanced Social Work Practice in Mental Health: This course examines DSM-5 inclusion, with a focus on mental health interventions. You will learn to differentiate between evidence-based practices and emerging research.
- Forensic Clinical Social Work Practice: This course prepares you for forensic social work, examining social issues related to health and justice disparities. You will evaluate practice methods with various populations, including children and adults.
- Advanced Practicum I: The first of two advanced practicum courses provides supervised practice experience in a community agency. You will apply advanced skills working with families, groups, and individuals in real-world settings.
- Advanced Practicum II: This practicum builds on your previous learning. You will further refine your skills in ethics, assessment, and intervention through evidence-based models. – Capstone: The capstone course is designed to consolidate your program learning, allowing you to apply concepts in social work practice. You will choose and assess a project in partnership with your field placement.
Central to your MSW education at National University is the practicum experience, also known as field placement or internship, which provides practical learning in a social work setting. This practicum connects you with applied learning settings and real responsibilities, allowing you to use knowledge and skills from coursework in real-time, under the supervision of experienced professionals.
This hands-on training prepares you for roles in places such as mental health centers, public service agencies, and military service centers. National MSW students complete field placements under approved local supervisors in their own communities. Foundation Track students are required to complete 900 hours of qualified practicum, while Advanced Standing Track students need to complete 500 hours.
During the practicum experience, Foundation Track students will enroll in Generalist Practicum I and Generalist Practicum II courses. For each twelve-week course, you will complete 200 hours at your practicum site.
After meeting the 400-hour requirement, Foundation Track students will move on to Advanced Practicum I and II courses. Each of these twelve-week courses requires 250 hours of practicum, totaling 500 hours for the Advanced Generalist practicum. You should plan to work around 18-20 hours per week at your field agency to meet these hour requirements.
To apply for the General Track MSW at National University, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, including those outside the U.S. that meet equivalency standards through a recognized evaluation service.
How Much Does a Licensed Social Worker Make in New Jersey?
As of January 2025, the average annual salary for a licensed social worker working in New Jersey is $112,693. More experienced and top earning social workers in New Jersey make over $165,000 per year.
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