University of Houston Online MSW Programs

The University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) offers a part-time, 100% online MSW program with a concentration in Clinical Practice: Health and Behavioral Health. This program employs a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction to prepare students for a career in clinical social work practice, and has both traditional and advanced standing options.

Currently, the program only accepts students from certain states: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Traditional Standing Track

The traditional standing online MSW program consists of 63 semester credit hours, as well as a minimum of 900 hours of field practicum. Classes in the program include Human Behavior and the Social Environment Social Work Perspectives, Research and Knowledge Building for Social Work Practice, and Clinical Applications of DSM.

Students complete two field practicums–one 420 hour practicum during their first year, and one 480 hour practicum during their second year. Field placements are determined through a collaboration between students and a field coordinator. During the first year’s clinical practicum, students spend 180 hours in a one semester foundation, and then complete 240 hours of social work practice that emphasizes clinical assessment. The second clinical practicum that takes place during the third year corresponds to students’ chosen track within their advanced studies. During their second practicum, students spend 16 hours a week in field placement for two consecutive semesters, totaling 480 hours, and also complete an integrative paper in their second semester as a way of reflecting on their internship experiences and connecting these experiences to their academic coursework.

Advanced Standing Track

The Advanced Standing online MSW track is for students who have earned a baccalaureate degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited institution. This track consists of 48 credit hours and 720 hours of field practicum. Classes for this track are equivalent to the advanced courses in the traditional standing track.

The field practicum hours for the Advanced Standing program are divided into one semester of practicum during the first year and two semesters of field practicum in the third year. As with the traditional standing online MSW program, field placements for the Advanced Standing program are determined through a collaboration between students and a field coordinator.

The University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.