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.
Which MSW programs in Idaho are CSWE-accredited?
Every CSWE-accredited MSW program in the state is listed here, 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 · CSWE-accredited since 1992
7.5
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingBoise State University's School of Social Work holds the longest continuous accreditation history of any MSW program in Idaho, dating to 1992. 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.
Boise State University School of Social Work - #2
Northwest Nazarene University Department of Social Work
Nampa, ID · On-Campus or Online · CSWE-accredited since 2001
6.5
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingNorthwest Nazarene University's Department of Social Work 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.
Northwest Nazarene University Department of Social Work - #3
Idaho State University Department of Social Work and Counseling
Pocatello, ID · On-Campus or Online · CSWE-accredited since 2018
6.0
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingIdaho State University's Department of Social Work and Counseling 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.
Idaho State University Department of Social Work and Counseling
How long does an MSW take in Idaho, and what does it cost?
An MSW in Idaho takes two years of full-time study, and what it costs turns mostly on whether the program is public or private. The Master of Social Work here is built on 60 credits and 900 hours of supervised field placement. Every one runs an Advanced Standing track, which finishes the degree in about a year for BSW holders. 2 sit at public universities and one at a private one, which is usually the largest single difference in what you will pay. Each card links to the program's own tuition page. The field-hour rules that apply everywhere are set out in our guide to CSWE accreditation.
What is the job market like for MSW graduates in Idaho?
Boise and the Treasure Valley constitute Idaho's dominant job market for MSW graduates. 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.
Can you earn an MSW online in Idaho in 2026?
You can earn an MSW online in Idaho at every one of the state's three accredited programs: Boise State University, Idaho State University and Northwest Nazarene University. Each records an online option in the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs.
Accreditation covers every approved delivery method under the same degree, so an online MSW carries the same standing for licensure as the on-campus version and the ASWB examination does not distinguish between them. Field placement is the part that stays local: coursework is delivered online, but the 900 supervised hours happen at an agency, which for most students means one within commuting distance of home.
Can you work full time while earning an MSW in Idaho?
You can work full time while earning an MSW in Idaho at every one of the state's three accredited programs, which record a part-time plan of study with CSWE: Boise State University, Idaho State University and Northwest Nazarene University.
A part-time plan spreads coursework over three or four years rather than two. It does not, however, make the field placement part time: the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards require 900 hours of supervised field education for a master's degree, most of it during business hours, which is the constraint working students in Idaho most often have to plan around. Three programs in the state also offer an online option.
How did we rank these Idaho MSW programs?
We ranked these Idaho MSW programs on the same seven-factor model used in the national ranking, applied identically to every accredited program in the state. 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.
Accreditation is 25% of the score because it is the only pass-or-fail factor here: Idaho licenses no graduate of an unaccredited program. Accredited programs in Idaho run from one holding that status since 1992 to one accredited as recently as 2018, and a longer record means more reaffirmation cycles survived.
Weights: CSWE accreditation 25%, program leadership 15%, pathways 15%, delivery format 15%, employer signal 15%, cost 10%, reputation 5%. Each factor is defined in full on our ranking methodology page.
How do you become a licensed social worker in Idaho?
You become a licensed social worker in Idaho by completing a CSWE-accredited MSW, passing the ASWB examination at the level your license requires, and, for a clinical license, logging supervised hours afterwards. Licensing here is administered by the Idaho social work licensing board. Idaho offers more than one route to licensure, pick the branch that matches the kind of practice you want. License names, exams, and supervised-hour requirements come from the ASWB Social Work Regulatory Database.
Master's social work license route in ID
MSW → LMSW
- 1
Earn a CSWE-accredited MSW.
- 2
Complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice over 2 to 5 years and pass the ASWB Masters exam, then apply for the LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker).
Clinical social work license route in ID
MSW → LCSW
- 1
Earn a CSWE-accredited MSW.
- 2
Complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice over 2 to 5 years and pass the ASWB Clinical exam, then apply for the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), which authorizes independent clinical practice and clinical diagnosis.
Idaho social work licenses at a glance
Master's license
Licensed Master Social Worker
Clinical license
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Source: Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Social Work Regulatory Database, 2026. License requirements change, so always confirm current rules with the Idaho licensing board before applying.
Common questions about MSW programs in Idaho
Common questions about MSW programs in Idaho, on accreditation, cost, format and licensure.
How many CSWE-accredited MSW programs are in Idaho?
What do social workers earn in Idaho?
What are Idaho's social work licensing requirements?
Which Idaho program is best for forensic social work?
Which Idaho MSW program is best for eastern Idaho students?
Where does the data on this page come from?
The data on this page comes from the sources below, and from nothing else: no commercial directories, no other ranking sites.
- CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs covers which Idaho programs hold accreditation, the year each was first accredited, approved campus locations, concentrations, dual degrees and plan-of-study options.
- Individual program pages (.edu) supply curriculum detail, field-hour requirements, delivery format and cohort scheduling. Each program card links to the page it was written from.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Idaho supplies the employment and wage figures in the job-market section, May 2025 release.
- ASWB Social Work Laws and Regulations Database supplies license names, examination levels and supervised-hour requirements, read 2026.
- Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education supplies the research classification used in the ranking model.
What are the best MSW programs near Idaho?
The best MSW programs near Idaho are in the neighboring states below, all CSWE-accredited. Licensure is state by state, so check a program across the border against the rules where you intend to practice.