Missouri has 7 CSWE-accredited MSW programs anchored by the Washington University Brown School, the second-ranked social work program in the country by U.S. News and World Report. WashU's position at #2 nationally places Missouri in an elite tier alongside states like Michigan, North Carolina, and Washington as homes of top-five ranked social work programs. The Brown School traces its CSWE accreditation to 1928 through CSWE's predecessor body and operates as one of the most research-intensive schools of social work in the United States, with major centers focused on social development, financial inclusion, American Indian studies, and health equity.
Saint Louis University's School of Social Work, accredited since 1930, offers the widest concentration menu in Missouri at eight specializations, including an Aging and Gerontological Practice track and a Macro Social Work concentration, both uncommon at the master's level in Missouri. Three University of Missouri System campuses, in Columbia (MU), St. Louis (UMSL), and Kansas City (UMKC), provide public-university MSW access across the state's two major metropolitan areas and its central corridor. Missouri State University and Missouri Baptist University have each closed their on-campus locations in favor of fully online delivery, adding two statewide-accessible online options.
Missouri social work licensing follows the standard three-tier LBSW, LMSW, LCSW structure. MSW graduates from CSWE-accredited programs apply for the LMSW after passing the ASWB Master's examination. The LCSW requires an additional 3,000 hours of supervised post-graduate clinical experience, accumulated under the supervision of an LCSW. Licensing is administered by the Missouri Division of Professional Registration.
All 7 CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs in Missouri
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. WashU accredSince 1928 reflects accreditation by CSWE predecessor body (AASSW); CSWE as currently constituted founded in 1952. University of Missouri accredSince listed in CSWE as "1948; 1919-1937"; 1948 used as current continuous date. WashU national ranking (#2) confirmed from brownschool.washu.edu, May 2026. Missouri State closed Springfield campus 2019; Missouri Baptist closed St. Louis campus 2022; both now fully online.
- #1 National #2
Washington University in St. Louis Brown School
St. Louis, MO · On-Campus
9.9
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1928Why It Ranks Here
The Washington University in St. Louis Brown School is ranked 2nd nationally by U.S. News and World Report, the highest-ranked social work program in Missouri and one of the two highest-ranked MSW programs in the country. CSWE accreditation dates to 1928 through CSWE's predecessor body, the American Association of Schools of Social Work; CSWE as currently constituted was founded in 1952. Five concentrations are offered: Children, Youth and Families; Healthcare; Mental Health; Practice with a Specific Racial or Ethnic Group; and Other. The dual-degree portfolio is among the most extensive nationally, with joint programs available in Business Administration (MBA), Education (MEd), Law (JD), Public Health (MPH), Theology or Divinity (MTS), and Urban Planning. The Practice with a Specific Racial or Ethnic Group concentration is uncommon among nationally ranked programs and reflects the Brown School's sustained focus on racial equity, structural racism, and disparities research. The Brown School houses multiple research centers, including the Center for Social Development and the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies. WashU is a private R1 research university in St. Louis with one of the highest research expenditures of any private university in the Midwest.
Private (Washington University in St. Louis, R1 research university). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #2
Saint Louis University School of Social Work
St. Louis, MO · On-Campus or Online
8.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1930Why It Ranks Here
Saint Louis University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1930, making it the second-oldest continuously accredited program in Missouri. The concentration menu is the widest in Missouri at eight options: Clinical or Direct Practice, Community Development and Social Systems, Management or Administration, Mental Health, Other, Social Policy, Aging and Gerontological Practice, and Macro Social Work. Four dual-degree programs are available: Criminal Justice, Law (JD), Other, and Public Health (MPH). The combination of an Aging and Gerontological Practice concentration and a Macro Social Work specialization, both uncommon at the master's level, broadens graduate career pathways into population health policy and nonprofit leadership. Online delivery has been available since 2018. Advanced Standing is available. SLU is a Jesuit private research university in St. Louis; the School of Social Work operates within SLU's core commitments to service, justice, and care for the whole person, which shape the program's community engagement emphasis without mandating a theological curriculum.
Private (Saint Louis University, Jesuit research university). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #3
University of Missouri School of Social Work
Columbia, MO · On-Campus or Online
7.5
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1948Why It Ranks Here
The University of Missouri School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1948, with an earlier accreditation period from 1919 to 1937 through CSWE's predecessor body. Two concentrations are offered: Clinical or Direct Practice and Other. Dual-degree programs are available with Public Health (MPH) and through a combined MSW/PhD track, one of the few integrated MSW-to-doctoral pathways available at a Missouri institution. Online delivery has been available since 2014, giving MU among the longest online MSW delivery histories in the state. Advanced Standing is available. MU is Missouri's flagship R1 land-grant university in Columbia and is a member of the Association of American Universities. The program is housed in the College of Health Sciences and is affiliated with MU Health Care, the university's academic medical system, providing practicum access to one of the largest integrated health systems in mid-Missouri.
Public (University of Missouri, R1 flagship). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #4
University of Missouri-St. Louis Department of Social Work
St. Louis, MO · On-Campus or Online
6.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1999Why It Ranks Here
The University of Missouri-St. Louis Department of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1999. Three concentrations are offered: Children, Youth and Families; Social Justice; and Leadership, with the Social Justice and Leadership concentrations being relatively uncommon among public MSW programs and reflective of UMSL's urban institutional mission. Online delivery was added in 2023. Advanced Standing is available. UMSL is a public metropolitan research university in St. Louis, positioned to serve St. Louis County and St. Louis City communities with a strong urban health, criminal justice, and community development practicum network. The Social Justice concentration aligns with the documented social and economic inequalities concentrated in north St. Louis City and north St. Louis County communities adjacent to the campus.
Public (University of Missouri-St. Louis). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #5
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Social Work
Kansas City, MO · On-Campus
6.6
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1999Why It Ranks Here
The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1999 and offers an Advanced Generalist concentration, preparing graduates for versatile practice across Kansas City's urban health, nonprofit, and social services labor market. No online delivery is currently listed in the CSWE directory; the program operates from the UMKC campus in Kansas City. Advanced Standing is available. UMKC is a public metropolitan research university in Kansas City, the second-largest city in Missouri and the state's second major social work labor market. The program's location in Kansas City provides access to practicum networks spanning University of Kansas Health System, Children's Mercy Hospital, Truman Medical Centers, and the Kansas City metropolitan area's large network of nonprofits and behavioral health agencies.
Public (University of Missouri-Kansas City). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #6
Missouri State University School of Social Work
Online, MO · Online
6.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1998Why It Ranks Here
Missouri State University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1998 and operated from its Springfield campus through 2019, when the program transitioned to fully online delivery. An Advanced Generalist concentration is offered. Advanced Standing is available. Missouri State is a public university in Springfield, the third-largest city in Missouri and the hub of the Ozarks region. The fully online delivery model makes the MSW accessible to students across Missouri, particularly in rural Ozarks communities with limited access to on-campus graduate education. MSU's long accreditation history supports its ranking despite the relatively recent campus closure. Students arrange local field placements in their home communities. No dual-degree programs are listed in the CSWE directory.
Public (Missouri State University). Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page → - #7
Missouri Baptist University
Online, MO · Online
5.2
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2020Why It Ranks Here
Missouri Baptist University's MSW program received CSWE accreditation in 2020 and initially operated with a St. Louis campus in addition to online delivery, before closing the on-campus option in 2022. The program is now fully online with an Advanced Generalist concentration. Advanced Standing is available. MBU is a private Baptist-affiliated university in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The program's 2020 accreditation date is among the most recent in Missouri. Students arrange local field placements in their home communities. The fully online format and private university context provide an additional option for students seeking MSW training in Missouri outside the public university system.
Private (Missouri Baptist University, Baptist-affiliated). Contact the program for current tuition rates.
View program page →
Job Market for MSW Graduates in Missouri
St. Louis is Missouri's largest social work labor market. BJC HealthCare, the largest healthcare system in Missouri and among the largest in the Midwest, employs social workers across Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital, and its regional network of hospitals and clinics. SSM Health, Mercy Health, and Ascension (St. Mary's) round out the major healthcare systems employing clinical and medical social workers in the metro area. The Missouri Department of Social Services, Children's Division, operates child welfare and family services offices throughout the St. Louis region, generating sustained public-sector social work employment. A dense nonprofit sector anchored by United Way of Greater St. Louis, St. Patrick Center, and dozens of behavioral health agencies supports additional MSW-level positions in mental health, housing, substance use, and community development.
Kansas City is Missouri's second major social work labor market. University of Kansas Health System, Research Medical Center (a HCA facility), and Children's Mercy Hospital are the primary healthcare employers for clinical and pediatric social workers in the metro area. Truman Medical Centers, the primary safety-net hospital system in Kansas City, employs medical social workers serving a high proportion of Medicaid and uninsured patients. The Heart of America United Way and a wide range of behavioral health and community development nonprofits create additional MSW-level employment across Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties.
Columbia, Missouri's third city and home of the University of Missouri, has a social work labor market anchored by MU Health Care, the university academic medical system, and Boone County's social services infrastructure. The connection between MU's School of Social Work and MU Health Care creates strong practicum and employment pathways for graduates interested in integrated health and academic medical center social work.
Rural Missouri, including the Ozarks, the Missouri Bootheel, and the rural counties of north-central and southeast Missouri, has persistent social worker shortages. The Bootheel in particular, encompassing Pemiscot, Dunklin, and New Madrid counties, has among the highest poverty rates in Missouri and documented behavioral health and child welfare workforce gaps. Fully online programs at Missouri State and Missouri Baptist University are positioned to serve students in these underserved communities who can arrange local practicum placements.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Missouri; Missouri Division of Professional Registration, Social Work Licensure.
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 Missouri-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.