Idaho has 3 CSWE-accredited MSW programs serving a rapidly growing state with significant rural social work workforce shortages. Boise State University's School of Social Work, accredited since 1992, anchors the state from Boise, the capital and by far the largest city, with online delivery since 2018 and multiple cohort entry options each year. BSU's Treasure Valley location provides access to St. Luke's Health System and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, the two dominant healthcare employers in the region, alongside the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's central operations. A Coeur d'Alene site that served northern Idaho closed in 2024 per the CSWE directory; the Boise campus and online delivery remain active.
Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, accredited since 2001, is structured primarily for part-time working professionals with weekend and evening delivery and offers an Idaho Falls site serving eastern Idaho, the only MSW campus presence in that region. The program offers Mental Health and Integrated Practice concentrations and a unique Theology or Divinity dual degree. Idaho State University in Pocatello, accredited in 2018, offers the state's most concentrated menu of academic tracks, with Advanced Generalist, Clinical, and Forensic Social Work concentrations, the last of which is one of the few at the master's level in the entire Intermountain West.
Idaho social work licensing is administered by the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses. Idaho is among the fastest-growing states in the country, and population growth in the Treasure Valley and in communities along the Snake River Plain has strained social services infrastructure significantly. Rural north Idaho, the eastern Snake River Plain, and the communities of the Coeur d'Alene and Nez Perce tribal territories all have documented shortages of licensed social workers relative to service need.
All 3 CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs in Idaho
Scored on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking. All data sourced from the CSWE accreditation directory and official program pages (.edu). Accreditation years are Initial Accreditation Dates from the CSWE directory. BSU Coeur d'Alene site closed 2024 per CSWE. NNU Idaho Falls site active since 2001; online delivery added 2021 per CSWE. ISU online delivery added 2023 per CSWE.
- #1
Boise State University School of Social Work
Boise, ID · On-Campus or Online
7.5
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1992Why It Ranks Here
Boise State University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1992, the longest continuous accreditation history of any MSW program in Idaho. One concentration is listed: Other, reflecting a generalist-to-clinical curriculum. Advanced Standing is available. Online delivery was added in 2018. Multiple cohorts per year are offered per the CSWE directory. The program formerly operated a Coeur d'Alene site, which closed in 2024 per the CSWE directory; the Boise campus and online delivery remain active. Boise State is a public metropolitan research university in Boise, the state capital and by far Idaho's largest city. The program's Boise location provides access to St. Luke's Health System (the largest private employer in Idaho and the dominant healthcare social work employer in the Treasure Valley), Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center (a Trinity Health system member), the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, and the Boise-area behavioral health provider network. Boise's population has grown faster than almost any other major U.S. metro in the past decade, driving sustained increases in demand for social work services.
Public (Boise State University, metropolitan research university). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #2
Northwest Nazarene University Department of Social Work
Nampa, ID · On-Campus or Online
6.5
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2001Why It Ranks Here
Northwest Nazarene University's Department of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 2001 and offers two concentrations: Mental Health and Integrated Practice. A dual-degree program is available with Theology or Divinity, one of the few MSW/theology dual degrees in the Intermountain West. Online delivery was added in 2021. Advanced Standing is available. The program is structured primarily for part-time students with weekend and evening delivery options per the CSWE directory, making it well-suited for working professionals in the social services field seeking to complete an MSW while employed. The program operates from the Nampa campus in the Treasure Valley and an Idaho Falls site serving eastern Idaho. NNU is a private university affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene in Nampa. The social work program does not mandate a theological curriculum and graduates are fully prepared for secular licensure and employment. The Idaho Falls site is particularly significant as the only MSW campus option serving eastern Idaho, a region that includes communities in Bonneville, Bingham, and Madison counties with significant social work workforce gaps.
Private (Northwest Nazarene University, Church of the Nazarene-affiliated). Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page → - #3
Idaho State University Department of Social Work and Counseling
Pocatello, ID · On-Campus or Online
6.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2018Why It Ranks Here
Idaho State University's Department of Social Work and Counseling received CSWE accreditation in 2018 and offers three concentrations: Advanced Generalist, Clinical or Direct Practice, and Forensic Social Work. The Forensic Social Work concentration is one of the few at the master's level in the Intermountain West, preparing graduates for practice in courts, corrections, victim services, and juvenile justice settings. Online delivery was added in 2023. Advanced Standing is available. Weekend and evening delivery options are offered per the CSWE directory. ISU is a public university in Pocatello in southeast Idaho. The Forensic concentration is particularly relevant to southeast Idaho's correctional and criminal justice infrastructure, including the Idaho Maximum Security Institution and other Department of Correction facilities in the region. The 2018 accreditation date is the primary factor placing ISU third in this ranking; the three-concentration portfolio and the Forensic specialization are strong distinguishing features.
Public (Idaho State University). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page →
Job Market for MSW Graduates in Idaho
Boise and the Treasure Valley constitute Idaho's dominant social work labor market. St. Luke's Health System, with hospitals in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Twin Falls, and Magic Valley, is the largest private employer in Idaho and the primary healthcare social work employer across the southern half of the state. Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center (a member of Trinity Health), Intermountain Health facilities in the Treasure Valley, and the VA Boise Medical Center are additional major healthcare employers. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's central office and its Region 3 (Southwest) child protection and adult protective services operations are based in Boise, employing the largest concentration of public-sector social workers in the state. Terry Reilly Health Services and a network of federally qualified health centers serve the lower-income communities of the western Treasure Valley, including significant migrant and immigrant agricultural worker populations in Canyon County.
Eastern Idaho, anchored by Idaho Falls and Pocatello, is the state's second social work market. Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC), Mountain View Hospital, and the Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello are the primary healthcare employers. The Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, one of the largest federal employers in Idaho, and the region's public and nonprofit human services agencies provide an additional employment base. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes' social services programs at Fort Hall Reservation, between Pocatello and Idaho Falls, employ tribal social workers serving one of the largest reservation populations in the Pacific Northwest. NNU's Idaho Falls site and ISU's Pocatello campus with online delivery serve this market.
North Idaho, particularly Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding Panhandle region, has experienced significant population growth and a corresponding increase in social work demand, but has no on-campus MSW program since BSU's Coeur d'Alene site closed in 2024. Students in northern Idaho currently rely on online options from BSU or ISU to complete graduate social work education. Kootenai Health (the primary hospital in Coeur d'Alene), the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's social services, and the Region 1 Health and Welfare operations in Coeur d'Alene are the primary north Idaho social work employers.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Idaho; Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses.
How We Ranked These Programs
Each program is scored on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking. The state ranking uses identical criteria and weights. No Idaho-specific adjustments are made. Programs are ordered by composite score. For the full methodology, see our ranking methodology page.
- CSWE Accreditation (25%): Active accreditation status and continuous accreditation history.
- Program Leadership (15%): Faculty credentials, research output, and peer-assessment scores.
- Pathways (15%): Concentration variety, Advanced Standing availability, and dual-degree options.
- Delivery Format (15%): Online, hybrid, and in-person availability; start-term flexibility.
- Employer Signal (15%): Field placement hours required, practicum site depth, and documented placement infrastructure.
- Cost & Affordability (10%): Published tuition per credit or per year, in-state vs. out-of-state differential.
- Reputation (5%): U.S. News peer-assessment scores and institutional recognition.