Michigan's 13 CSWE-accredited MSW programs reflect a state anchored by three major research universities, each with a distinctive urban or campus context. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor holds the top national ranking and offers unmatched concentration and dual-degree breadth. Wayne State in Detroit brings the oldest accreditation after U of M and serves Michigan's largest city with a strong urban social work orientation. Michigan State in East Lansing was among the first programs nationally to offer online MSW delivery, beginning in 2006, giving it over two decades of online program infrastructure.
Western Michigan University's three-campus model (Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Benton Harbor) serves Western Michigan broadly. Grand Valley State anchors Grand Rapids, the state's second-largest city. Eastern Michigan bridges the Detroit-Ann Arbor corridor. For the northern Lower Peninsula, Ferris State's Traverse City location and online track extend access beyond the metro areas. Northern Michigan University's Marquette program is the only campus-based MSW in the Upper Peninsula, a vast and sparsely populated region where licensed social work practitioners are chronically undersupplied.
Michigan's two-step licensing structure (LLMSW first, then LMSW after 4,000 supervised hours) means that planning for the LMSW should begin well before degree completion. Students who line up employment with qualified LMSW supervisors before graduation are better positioned to complete the supervised hours efficiently and obtain the LMSW within two to three years of degree completion.
All 13 CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs in Michigan
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. Spring Arbor University consolidated satellite campuses by 2024 and now operates from its main campus and online.
- #1 National #1
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Ann Arbor, MI · On-Campus or Online
9.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1922Why It Ranks Here
The University of Michigan School of Social Work ranks first nationally on our seven-factor scoring model, the highest-rated MSW program in the country. CSWE accreditation dates to 1922. The school offers the broadest concentration menu of any Michigan program, including Children, Youth, and Families; Clinical Practice; Community Development and Social Systems; International Social Work; Management and Administration; Program Evaluation; Research; School Social Work; Social Policy; and Aging and Gerontological Practice. Seven dual-degree options are available: MSW/MBA, MSW/JD, MSW/MPA, MSW/MPH, MSW/MPP, MSW/MURP, and others, making it one of the most cross-disciplinary MSW programs in the country. An online track was added in 2020. Advanced Standing is available. The Ann Arbor campus is a major Big Ten research university with substantial federal research funding, supporting significant social work research infrastructure.
Public (Big Ten flagship, University of Michigan), approx. $24,000�$28,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #2
Wayne State University School of Social Work
Detroit, MI · On-Campus or Online
8.6
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1942Why It Ranks Here
Wayne State University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1942, the second-oldest in Michigan. Wayne State is a major urban research university in Detroit, Michigan's largest city and one of the most significant urban social work labor markets in the Midwest. The program organizes its curriculum into two main tracks, Interpersonal Practice and Innovation in Community, Policy and Leadership, with multiple focal areas available within each, giving students both clinical and macro pathways and a range of practice specializations. Dual degrees in Public Policy and others are available. An online track was added in 2023. Advanced Standing is available. Detroit's practicum placement network spans Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Medical Center, the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, and a large network of community-based organizations serving one of the most economically and racially diverse urban populations in the country.
Public (urban research university), approx. $14,000�$18,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #3
Michigan State University School of Social Work
East Lansing, MI · On-Campus or Online
8.4
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1952Why It Ranks Here
Michigan State University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1952 and is one of the earliest adopters of online MSW delivery in the country, having offered an online track since 2006. Two concentrations are offered: Clinical Practice and Macro Social Work, providing both clinical and organizational or policy pathways. Dual degrees in Law and Public Health are available. Advanced Standing is available. MSU is a Big Ten R1 flagship research university in East Lansing. The Macro Social Work concentration is uncommon in Michigan and addresses organizational, policy, and community practice settings beyond the clinical track that most other programs offer exclusively.
Public (Big Ten flagship, Michigan State University), approx. $18,000�$22,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #4
Western Michigan University School of Social Work
Kalamazoo, MI · On-Campus
7.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1969Why It Ranks Here
Western Michigan University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1969 and operates from three campus locations: Kalamazoo (main campus), Grand Rapids, and the Southwest Michigan area including Benton Harbor. This multi-campus model extends MSW access across Western Michigan, a region with significant rural, suburban, and small-city social work workforce demand. Two concentrations are offered: Clinical Practice and Social Policy. The Social Policy concentration is uncommon among Michigan programs and addresses policy analysis, advocacy, and administrative practice. A dual MSW/JD with the WMU Cooley Law School is available. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered.
Public, approx. $13,000�$17,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #5
Grand Valley State University School of Social Work
Grand Rapids, MI · On-Campus
7.3
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1984Why It Ranks Here
Grand Valley State University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1984 and is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan's second-largest city and the economic center of West Michigan. Two concentrations are offered: Advanced Generalist and School Social Work. The School Social Work concentration prepares students for Michigan school social work endorsement, a distinct certification pathway beyond the LLMSW and LMSW licenses. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. Grand Rapids has a large healthcare sector anchored by Spectrum Health and Trinity Health, providing strong practicum placement infrastructure for healthcare and clinical social work students.
Public, approx. $11,000�$15,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #6
Eastern Michigan University School of Social Work
Ypsilanti, MI · On-Campus
7.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1994Why It Ranks Here
Eastern Michigan University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1994 and is located in Ypsilanti, midway between Detroit and Ann Arbor in Southeast Michigan. Three concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families; Mental Health; and Aging and Gerontological Practice. The Aging and Gerontological Practice concentration addresses Michigan's aging population, a significant workforce priority given that Michigan has one of the fastest-aging demographics among Midwestern states. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. EMU's location in the Detroit-Ann Arbor corridor provides access to both metro Detroit and University of Michigan-affiliated practicum placement networks.
Public, approx. $11,000�$15,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #7
Andrews University Department of Social Work
Berrien Springs, MI · On-Campus or Online
6.7
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1997Why It Ranks Here
Andrews University's Department of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1997 and offers an unusually broad set of specialization options for a program of its size: Trauma-Informed Practice, Clinical Practice, Human Services Management, School Social Work, Medical Social Work, and International Social Work. An online track was added in 2022. Advanced Standing is available. Andrews is a Seventh-day Adventist institution in Berrien Springs in Southwest Michigan, near the Michigan-Indiana border. Six dual-degree programs are available: MSW/MBA, MSW/MDiv, MSW/MPH, MSW/MSCID (Community and International Development), MSW/MAYAM (Administration), and others. The MSW/MDiv dual degree is rare nationally and serves students integrating pastoral ministry with clinical social work.
Private (Seventh-day Adventist). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #8
Spring Arbor University Department of Social Work
Spring Arbor, MI · On-Campus or Online
6.4
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2013Why It Ranks Here
Spring Arbor University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2013 and previously operated from multiple satellite campuses across Michigan (Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Petoskey) and Northwest Ohio. All satellite locations closed by 2024; the program now operates from the Spring Arbor campus in Jackson County and online since 2021. Two concentrations are offered: Clinical Practice and Mental Health. Advanced Standing is available. Spring Arbor is a Free Methodist institution with a social justice and Christian service orientation. The consolidation to Spring Arbor and online reduces geographic access points but maintains both campus and online delivery.
Private (Free Methodist). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #9
Ferris State University Department of Social Work
Big Rapids, MI · On-Campus or Online
6.2
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2014Why It Ranks Here
Ferris State University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2014 and operates from the Big Rapids main campus and a Traverse City location, with an online track added in 2022. A Clinical Practice concentration is offered, with a School Social Work track available for students pursuing Michigan school social work endorsement. Advanced Standing is available. Ferris State is a public polytechnic university in Big Rapids, in the northern Lower Peninsula. The Traverse City location extends access to Northwest Michigan, a largely rural region with documented social work workforce shortages. The program's online track broadens access further across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Public, approx. $11,000�$15,000/year in-state. Contact the program for current rates.
View program page → - #10
Madonna University Department of Social Work
Livonia, MI · On-Campus
6.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2016Why It Ranks Here
Madonna University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2016 and is a private Franciscan Catholic institution in Livonia, in the western Detroit suburbs. Three concentrations are offered: Children, Youth, and Families; Mental Health; and Aging and Gerontological Practice. The Aging concentration addresses the demographic profile of Metro Detroit's western suburbs, which have a significant older adult and retiree population. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. Madonna's suburban Detroit location provides access to Wayne, Oakland, and Washtenaw county practicum placement networks.
Private (Franciscan Catholic). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #11
Saginaw Valley State University Department of Social Work
University Center, MI · On-Campus
5.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2017Why It Ranks Here
Saginaw Valley State University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2017 and is a public university in University Center, in the Saginaw-Bay City-Midland tri-cities region of Central Michigan. An Advanced Generalist concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. SVSU serves as the primary MSW access point for Central Michigan's tri-cities region, an area that includes significant industrial, agricultural, and rural communities with persistent licensed social work workforce shortages.
Public. Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page → - #12
Northern Michigan University Department of Social Work
Marquette, MI · On-Campus or Online
5.6
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2019Why It Ranks Here
Northern Michigan University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2019 and operates from the Marquette campus in the Upper Peninsula, with an online track available since the program's inception. Two concentrations are offered: Advanced Generalist and Clinical Practice. Advanced Standing is available. NMU is the only campus-based MSW program in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a geographically large and sparsely populated region with significant social work workforce shortages, particularly in rural communities, tribal nations, and behavioral health settings. The online track extends access to UP students who cannot commute to Marquette.
Public. Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page → - #13
Oakland University Department of Social Work
Rochester, MI · On-Campus
5.3
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2021Why It Ranks Here
Oakland University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2021 and is a public university in Rochester, in Oakland County north of Detroit. An Advanced Generalist concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. No online delivery is currently offered. Oakland County is one of the most prosperous counties in Michigan and the most populous suburban county in the state, with a large healthcare sector anchored by Beaumont Health (now Corewell Health) and a substantial nonprofit social services infrastructure. As one of the most recently accredited programs in the state, the short accreditation history limits its composite score relative to longer-established programs.
Public. Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page →
Job Market for MSW Graduates in Michigan
Michigan's social work labor market is anchored by the Detroit metropolitan area, which accounts for the majority of the state's MSW-level positions. Henry Ford Health System, Corewell Health (the merged Beaumont-Spectrum system), Detroit Medical Center, and the University of Michigan Health System are the state's largest healthcare employers of social workers. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) operates child welfare, adult protective services, and behavioral health programs across all 83 counties, employing a large public-sector social work workforce.
Metro Detroit's Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network provides coordinated behavioral health services for Wayne County residents, creating substantial demand for licensed social workers in community mental health settings. The city of Detroit itself has a dense nonprofit sector with organizations focused on housing, poverty, racial equity, and community development, creating macro and community practice positions that the Wayne State program's Innovation in Community, Policy and Leadership track directly addresses.
Outside the Detroit metro, Grand Rapids has a growing healthcare and nonprofit sector anchored by Corewell Health's West Michigan operations. The Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula have consistent social work workforce shortages, particularly in rural behavioral health, school social work, and tribal social services. NMU's Upper Peninsula program and Ferris State's Traverse City location both serve these underserved markets directly.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Michigan; Michigan LARA, Bureau of Professional Licensing.
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 Michigan-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.