School of Social Work Future Students

The BSW is the entry point into professional social work and the foundation for a generalist practice career. Students learn the profession's core knowledge, values, and skills — direct practice with individuals and families, an understanding of communities and social systems, and the ethical grounding that guides every decision a social worker makes. A required field practicum puts that classroom learning into practice under professional supervision, so graduates leave ready for entry-level positions in child welfare, schools, healthcare, community organizations, and beyond. For many students, the BSW is also the fastest route into a graduate program, since UTA's advanced-standing MSW option is built for BSW graduates to continue directly into deeper, specialized study.

The MSW is the profession's advanced practice credential and the degree most clinical, supervisory, and licensed positions require. Students choose a concentration — direct clinical practice with individuals and families, or community and administrative practice — and build the specialized skill set that concentration demands, supported by an extensive field practicum in a real practice setting. The program is offered in person and fully online, so working professionals and career-changers alike can complete it around their existing responsibilities. Graduates go on to clinical licensure, leadership roles in social service organizations, and specialized practice in mental health, healthcare, aging, child and family services, and community practice.

Alongside its degree programs, the School offers graduate certificates that let students and working professionals build focused expertise without committing to a full additional degree. Each certificate can be added to a current degree plan or, in most cases, completed on its own.

The DSW is a practice doctorate for experienced MSW-holding professionals ready to step into teaching, organizational leadership, or the highest levels of independent clinical practice. Delivered fully online in a three-year, cohort-based format, the curriculum blends advanced practice coursework with leadership and teaching preparation — including a paid teaching practicum, content on social work entrepreneurship, and an explicit focus on sustaining a long career in a demanding field. Where the PhD trains researchers, the DSW is built for practitioners who already know the work and now want to lead it, teach it, or shape it at an organizational level.

The PhD is a research doctorate for students who want to generate the knowledge the profession relies on, not only apply it. Coursework in theory, advanced research methods, and critical evaluation of social work policy and practice prepares graduates for careers in academia, research institutions, and organizations that need rigorous evidence to guide their work. PhD students work closely with faculty on original scholarship aimed at improving social conditions and strengthening the evidence base for social work practice, and most graduates go on to faculty positions where they teach the next generation of social workers while continuing that research.