Online Master of Social Work | General

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Cognates

Online* with 1 virtual intensive

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | March 23, 2026 | May 18, 2026

Serve Your Community by Earning an Online Master of Social Work Degree

Are you passionate about helping others cope with challenges in their lives? Do you want to help raise awareness on behalf of people in your community? Conferring Liberty’s Master of Social Work (MSW) can help you take the next step in your education and become a licensed social worker.

Our program can help you pursue administrative and supervisory roles in the field of social work. You’ll learn how to identify people and communities in need of help. Additionally, our different cognate options will help you focus your studies on the training you need for your long-term career goals. This degree can also help prepare you to sit for social work licensure exams — so you can pursue the credentials you need to further your career.

This program offers a general cognate and an individual and family clinical cognate. No matter which option you choose, you’ll receive training in social policy, research, and practice — as well as the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in your field.

*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.

Liberty maintains strict compliance with all licensure requirements for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Not a Virginia resident? We want to help find the best program for you! To view educational requirements and whether a specific program aligns with the licensure requirements for your state, please review our licensure/certification requirements webpage.

What Will You Study in Our Master of Social Work Degree?

Liberty’s Master of Social Work is designed to build on your previous education and experience. Our program can help you prepare to work directly in the field or pursue roles in policy development.

Through our master’s of social work online program, you can gain the skills you need to maintain your own health and safety as well as learn some of the guiding values and ethics used in social work. You will also study how to develop a holistic approach to social work by taking into account the social, biological, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the human experience.

Featured Courses

Master of Social Work Degree Information

Why Choose Liberty’s Master of Social Work Online Degree Program?

We’ve designed our MSW degree online to help you thrive as a student and as a professional. You can develop the tools needed to serve diverse populations, engage in research-informed practice, and create social policies rooted in biblical truth.

Faster-Than-Average Job Growth – learn more.*
Flexible, 100% Online Cognates | At Liberty, we believe that furthering your education shouldn’t mean having to sacrifice your family, career, or involvement in your community – so our MSW degree is offered 100% online.
Practical Learning | You will complete at least 1,000 hours of field experience as well as practicums, allowing you to gain marketable skills and on-the-job training.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social Workers, 2019 (visited Apr. 10, 2024). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

Backed by a brick-and-mortar campus ranked as Niche.com’s #2 Best College Campus in America for 2026

Private Nonprofit University
600+ Online Degrees
No Standardized Testing for Admission
Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Potential Career Opportunities for Master’s in Social Work Graduates

Agency director
Medical social worker
Mental health therapist

Program director
School social worker
Social work supervisor

Please note: Some roles may require licensure in social work, and each state has specific requirements for licensure. Be sure to research the licensure requirements in your state.

Master of Social Work Cognates

When you pursue the Master of Social Work, you will choose one of the following cognates to personalize your degree to your unique professional goals.

If you have already completed a CSWE-accredited BSW or BSSW program, you may be interested in our 31-credit hour Advanced Standing Master of Social Work (MSW). You can complete your master’s degree in nearly half the time!

General

Individual and Family Clinical

State Licensure Requirements

Individual state licensure requirements may vary and are subject to change without notice. View your state’s requirements here: licensure/certification requirements.

Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Graduate Full Time	$580/Credit
Graduate Part Time	$645/Credit
Military Graduate	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

All Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid & Scholarships

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Scholarship Opportunities

Admission Information for Our Master of Social Work

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.5 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
Contact information for 2 recommenders from professional sources (i.e., not family/friends). This form can be submitted online (login required) or by email to luoverify@liberty.edu. These individuals should be qualified to address the applicant’s ability to complete the graduate-level work, disposition, and ability to become a counselor, as well as their maturity, motivation, and ethics. Some examples of individuals that may be suitable include professors, employers, or leaders in an organization where the applicant volunteers.
Statement of Purpose (400-word minimum):
- In roughly 150 words, complete the following prompt: I desire to earn a Master of Social Work degree and attend Liberty University because…
- In roughly 150 words, complete the following prompt: I show a posture of learning and respect when interacting with diverse individuals, families, and groups by…
- In roughly 100 words, discuss the following prompt: Please share about a personal challenge in your life and discuss how you have worked through this challenge. (Please do not share about a challenge with your job.)
Complete the Department Questionnaire (online form or PDF).
ACD – Department Admission Review approval required – upon all documents being received on the checklist, the application will be sent to the department for review.
- Listed recommenders are contacted by the department and a decision review will not be started until all recommender responses have been received, at which point decisions will be made within 1-2 business days (24-48 hours).
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Unofficial College Transcript Policy

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
Cumulative GPA
A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $290 per credit hour for graduate courses
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder*
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

View Military Benefits

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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Online Master of Social Work (MSW) Our Master of Social Work degree is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Serve Your Community by Earning an Online Master of Social Work Degree

What Will You Study in Our Master of Social Work Degree?

Featured Courses

Master of Social Work Degree Information

Why Choose Liberty’s Master of Social Work Online Degree Program?

What Sets Us Apart?

Potential Career Opportunities for Master’s in Social Work Graduates

Master of Social Work Cognates

General

Individual and Family Clinical

State Licensure Requirements

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Our Master of Social Work

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

Military

Are you ready to change your future?

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