Gain Advanced Preparation to Impact Lives with an MSW Degree

Azusa Pacific University’s Master of Social Work program is designed to prepare you for a wide range of social work opportunities, and to gain the foundational skills necessary for effective social work practice upon graduation. The MSW degree program includes full-time, part-time, and Advanced Standing options and focuses on developing skills through innovative classroom teaching and applied learning in a dynamic, community-based field internship.

Throughout the program, you will develop a solid foundation in the profession’s Code of Ethics with sensitivity to diversity, while benefiting from APU’s distinct integration of faith and learning. Graduate equipped to lead in the field and strengthen communities in local, national, and international contexts.

Degree Pathways to Support Your Career Goals

The social work field offers diverse career opportunities, and APU’s MSW program pathways allow you to shape your experience to support your goals. All students receive the same foundation coursework, with internships providing direct practice experience. Specialization-specific coursework, electives, and internships are done in the second half of the program. Hone your expertise further by adding certificate or credential.

Choose a Specialization

• Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families:
  Receive advanced training to meet the physical and behavioral health needs of individuals and families across a range of settings, emphasizing preparation for culturally responsive care and intervention, application of evidenced-informed interventions, and engagement with interprofessional teams.
• Community Leadership and Program Administration:
  Focus on developing the skills needed for effective leadership in nonprofit and governmental agencies; community advocacy, including program development and evaluation; organizational management; and human rights and sustainable development.

Add a Certificate, Credential, or Training Opportunity

• Human Services Management Certificate: Prepare for administrative and leadership roles with this certificate offered in partnership with The Network for Social Work Management.
• Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Social Work and Child Welfare and Attendance: Gain a competitive edge for employment in social work services within P-12 school settings in California.
• California Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium: Apply for this program opportunity, which includes a stipend, to gain additional training and experience in advocating for and serving older adult populations.
• Title IV-E L.A. DCFS Internship Program: For those interested in working with public child welfare agencies, this internship opportunity includes a stipend in exchange for a commitment to work with Los Angeles County DCFS.

Elective Options and Global Learning Experience

Further customize your learning with flexible elective options in marital therapy, aging, practice with military populations, social work in correctional settings, grant writing and fiscal development, international social work, social work in health care settings, school-based settings, and clinical Spanish practice (watch video). You may also take core courses from the other specialization as electives.

International learning opportunities are also available (watch video) to equip professionals for impact around the world.

MSW Program Benefits

• A wide range of field internship opportunities in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties
• Diverse faculty with extensive professional and scholarship experience in a variety of social work settings
• Strong clinical training with interprofessional knowledge base
• Cohort model that enables you to get to know peers and professors
• Full- and part-time program options; Advanced Standing option (for graduates of CSWE-accredited BSW programs only)
• Coursework that meets the California Board of Behavioral Sciences prelicensure requirements
• Scholarship, grant, and internship opportunities to support your education and career goals

To find out more about APU’s Master of Social Work, download the Master of Social Work Brochure (PDF).

View MSW coursework and program goals, learning outcomes, and competencies in the university catalog.

Accreditation

The MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and Azusa Pacific University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).