Wyoming has one CSWE-accredited MSW program: the University of Wyoming Department of Social Work, which has held continuous accreditation since 1999. UW is the only four-year public university in Wyoming and the state's sole provider of CSWE-accredited MSW education. The program offers an Advanced Generalist concentration, a School Social Work certificate, Advanced Standing, multiple cohort entry options, and weekend or evening delivery per the CSWE directory. The primary campus is in Laramie, with a Casper instructional site added in 2022. No online delivery is listed in the CSWE directory as of 2026.
The addition of the Casper site is a significant geographic expansion. Casper is Wyoming's largest city with approximately 57,000 residents, and Natrona County is the center of a social work labor market that includes Wyoming Medical Center, the largest hospital in the state, the Department of Family Services Natrona County office, and a growing behavioral health provider network. The Laramie campus, in Albany County in southeast Wyoming, is closer to Cheyenne, the state capital, and its state government social services employment base. The School Social Work certificate addresses one of Wyoming's most acute workforce gaps: many rural Wyoming school districts have no licensed social worker, relying instead on counselors or administrators for school-based mental health and welfare functions.
Wyoming social work licensing is administered by the Wyoming Board of Social Work Examiners. The LMSW and LCSW follow the standard national exam-based pathway. Wyoming's vast geography and sparse population distribution, with a statewide population of approximately 578,000 spread across 97,914 square miles, create persistent social work workforce shortages in many rural and frontier communities, including Sheridan, Gillette, Rock Springs, Green River, and the communities of the Wind River Reservation.
Which MSW program in Wyoming is 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 year is the Initial Accreditation Date from the CSWE directory. UW operates from Laramie and Casper (added 2022) per CSWE; no online delivery listed.
- #1
University of Wyoming Department of Social Work
Laramie, WY · On-Campus · CSWE-accredited since 1999
8.0
60 credits 900 field hours ✓ Advanced StandingThe University of Wyoming Department of Social Work is the only CSWE-accredited MSW program in Wyoming. One concentration is listed: Advanced Generalist. A School Social Work certificate is available. Advanced Standing is available. Multiple cohorts per year and weekend or evening delivery options are offered per the CSWE directory. The program operates from the Laramie campus (UW's main campus) and a Casper site added in 2022 per the CSWE directory; no online delivery is listed. UW is the only four-year public university in Wyoming and the sole provider of CSWE-accredited social work education at the master's level in the state. The Casper site, added in 2022, extends the program's reach to Wyoming's largest city and provides direct access to the Casper-area social work labor market, including Wyoming Medical Center (the state's largest hospital) and the Casper human services sector. The School Social Work certificate addresses a documented shortage of school-based social workers in Wyoming, where schools in many rural counties have no dedicated licensed social worker.
Public (University of Wyoming). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
University of Wyoming Department of Social Work
How long does an MSW take in Wyoming, and what does it cost?
An MSW in Wyoming 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. It runs an Advanced Standing track, which finishes the degree in about a year for BSW holders. It is a public university, so in-state residency is the main lever on cost. 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 Wyoming?
Casper and Cheyenne are the two largest job markets for MSW graduates in Wyoming. In Casper, Wyoming Medical Center and Banner Wyoming Medical Center (Banner Health system) are the primary healthcare social work employers. The Wyoming Department of Family Services Natrona County office, Central Wyoming Counseling Center, and the network of behavioral health providers serving central Wyoming are additional employers. The Wind River Indian Reservation, approximately 90 miles west of Casper, is home to two federally recognized tribes, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe, and employs social workers through tribal social services and the Wind River Indian Health Service. UW's Casper site places graduates close to these employment opportunities.
Cheyenne, the state capital and Wyoming's second-largest city, is the center of state government social services employment. The Wyoming Department of Health, Department of Family Services, Department of Workforce Services, and their contracted behavioral health providers are the primary employers. Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is the primary healthcare employer. The Laramie campus is approximately 50 miles from Cheyenne, and many UW graduates pursue employment in the capital region. Cheyenne's proximity to the Denver metro also means that some Wyoming-educated social workers find employment across the Colorado border, where wages are generally higher.
Rural Wyoming presents some of the most significant social work workforce challenges in the Mountain West. Communities in Campbell County (Gillette), Park County (Cody), Sweetwater County (Rock Springs and Green River), and Fremont County outside the reservation face persistent shortages of licensed social workers. The School Social Work certificate addresses one of the most acute manifestations of this shortage, as many rural Wyoming school districts operate without any dedicated licensed social work professional on staff.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Wyoming; Wyoming Board of Social Work Examiners.
Can you work full time while earning an MSW in Wyoming?
You can work full time while earning an MSW in Wyoming at the state's only accredited program, which records a part-time plan of study with CSWE: University of Wyoming.
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 Wyoming most often have to plan around.
How long does an MSW take in Wyoming if you already have a BSW?
An MSW in Wyoming takes about a year if you already have a BSW, because Advanced Standing is offered at the state's only accredited program: University of Wyoming. A standard MSW runs two years.
Advanced Standing waives the foundation year for graduates of a CSWE-accredited BSW, which is why the route is only open to that degree and not to a bachelor's in psychology or sociology. Every accredited program in Wyoming offers it.
How did we rank the MSW program in Wyoming?
We ranked the MSW program in Wyoming 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 Wyoming-specific adjustments are made. 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: Wyoming licenses no graduate of an unaccredited program. The accredited program here has held that status since 1999.
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 Wyoming?
You become a licensed social worker in Wyoming 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 Wyoming social work licensing board. The route below is the path for an MSW graduate, with license names, exams, and supervised-hour requirements drawn from the ASWB Social Work Regulatory Database.
Clinical social work license route in WY
MSW → PCSW → LCSW
- 1
Earn a CSWE-accredited MSW.
- 2
Register as the PCSW (Provisional Clinical Social Worker) to begin supervised practice.
- 3
Complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice over 18 to 36 months and pass the ASWB Clinical exam, then apply for the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), which authorizes independent clinical practice and clinical diagnosis.
Wyoming social work licenses at a glance
Pre-clinical (associate) license
Provisional Clinical 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 Wyoming licensing board before applying.
Common questions about MSW programs in Wyoming
Common questions about MSW programs in Wyoming, on accreditation, cost, format and licensure.
How many CSWE-accredited MSW programs are in Wyoming?
What do social workers earn in Wyoming?
What are Wyoming's social work licensing requirements?
What is the Casper site for UW's MSW program?
Does UW's MSW program have online options for students in rural Wyoming?
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 Wyoming 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, Wyoming 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 Wyoming?
The best MSW programs near Wyoming 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.