Florida · MSW programs by city
Best MSW Programs near Miami, FL (2026)
Published · Last updated
Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology
Miami, Florida (population 455,924) has 3 CSWE-accredited MSW programs based in the city , with 1 more accredited program within about 60 miles. 8 Florida programs also offer an online option. Every program below is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the requirement for Florida licensure.
Best MSW programs in Miami, FL
Accredited programs with a campus in Miami, FL, ranked by our five-factor model. National and online rank badges appear only for programs in the top 25 (nationally, or among online programs).
- #1 In Miami, FL
Florida International University
Miami, FL, FL · CSWE-accredited since 1981 · On-Campus
7.9
1 concentration ✓ Advanced Standing On-campus Carnegie R1Why it ranks here
Florida International University has held CSWE accreditation since 1981, 45 years of standing as of 2026. The program is delivered on campus (Miami, FL). It records 1 concentration (Clinical or Direct Practice). An Advanced Standing track is available for qualified BSW holders. Students can enroll full-time or part-time. The program also offers 2 dual-degree options and 3 embedded certificates. Its home institution holds a Carnegie R1 classification for very high research activity.
Concentrations
Clinical or Direct Practice
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (30%) 7.4
- Pathways & laddering (22%) 9.1
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (18%) 10.0
- Delivery format (18%) 4.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- #2 In Miami, FL
Barry University
Miami Shores, FL, FL · CSWE-accredited since 1968 · Online or On-Campus
7.3
1 concentration ✓ Advanced Standing Online optionWhy it ranks here
Barry University has held CSWE accreditation since 1968, 58 years of standing as of 2026. The MSW is offered both online and on campus (Miami Shores, FL). It records 1 concentration (Trauma). An Advanced Standing track is available for qualified BSW holders. Students can enroll full-time or part-time.
Concentrations
Trauma
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (30%) 9.0
- Pathways & laddering (22%) 4.7
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (18%) 5.0
- Delivery format (18%) 8.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
- #3 In Miami, FL
Ana G. Mendez University
Orlando, FL, FL · CSWE-accredited since 2021 · Online or On-Campus
5.7
1 concentration ✓ Advanced Standing Online optionWhy it ranks here
Ana G. Mendez University has held CSWE accreditation since 2021, 5 years of standing as of 2026. The MSW is offered both online and on campus (Orlando, FL; Tampa, FL; Miami Lakes, FL). It records 1 concentration (Clinical or Direct Practice). An Advanced Standing track is available for qualified BSW holders. Students can enroll full-time or part-time.
Concentrations
Clinical or Direct Practice
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (30%) 2.6
- Pathways & laddering (22%) 4.7
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (18%) 5.0
- Delivery format (18%) 10.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
Best MSW programs near Miami, FL
Accredited programs whose nearest campus is within about 60 miles of Miami, FL, ranked by our five-factor model. Each card shows the campus city and straight-line distance from the city center.
- #1 Boca Raton · ~42 mi
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL, FL · CSWE-accredited since 2002 · Online or On-Campus
6.7
1 concentration ✓ Advanced Standing Online optionWhy it ranks here
Florida Atlantic University has held CSWE accreditation since 2002, 24 years of standing as of 2026. The MSW is offered both online and on campus (Boca Raton, FL). It records 1 concentration (Clinical or Direct Practice). An Advanced Standing track is available for qualified BSW holders. Students can enroll full-time or part-time. The program also offers 5 embedded certificates.
Concentrations
Clinical or Direct Practice
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (30%) 4.9
- Pathways & laddering (22%) 8.7
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (18%) 5.0
- Delivery format (18%) 7.0
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 10.0
Online MSW programs available in Miami, FL
Florida-based CSWE-accredited programs with an online option, which Miami, FL residents can complete from home. See the full online MSW ranking for national options.
| Institution | Accredited | Adv. Standing | Natl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State University | 1950 | Yes | #6 |
| University of South Florida | 1983 | Yes | #49 |
| Barry University | 1968 | Yes | #93 |
| University of Central Florida | 1993 | Yes | #94 |
| Florida Atlantic University | 2002 | Yes | #121 |
| University of West Florida | 2008 | Yes | #196 |
| Ana G. Mendez University | 2021 | Yes | #222 |
| Saint Leo University | 2009 | Yes | #256 |
How much do social workers make in Miami, FL in 2026?
Miami, Florida sits within the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area, the labor market that sets pay and demand for its social workers. Across specialties, the area employs roughly 10,360 social workers , and the best-paid specialty here is healthcare social workers at a $64,510 median. Figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program (May 2025).
| Occupation | Employed | Median wage | Typical range (10th–90th) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare social workers | 3,440 | $64,510 | $39,300 – $94,660 |
| Mental health & substance abuse social workers | 1,370 | $51,510 | $39,340 – $78,510 |
| Child, family & school social workers | 4,460 | $59,710 | $40,690 – $78,010 |
| Social workers, all other | 1,090 | $62,030 | $42,220 – $115,460 |
| Social & community service managers (macro) | 2,480 | $79,240 | $48,500 – $145,610 |
How local pay compares
Child, family & school social workers around Miami, FL earn a median of $59,710 versus $56,550 statewide in Florida and $67,310 nationally. That is at or above the Florida median.
Where do social workers work in Miami, FL in 2026?
Miami, Florida sits in Miami-Dade County. Organizations in and around the city that commonly employ MSW-level social workers include:
- Jackson Health System and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
- Citrus Health Network
- Thriving Mind South Florida and the Florida Department of Children and Families, Southern Region
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools
- Florida International University
Representative local employers known to operate in the area; illustrative, not an exhaustive or BLS-sourced list.
Nationally, BLS projects social worker employment to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, driven by demand in healthcare and mental-health settings. Macro roles such as social and community service managers are projected to grow alongside them. See pay by role in our career guides.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL; employment projections from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Wages are annual medians.
What kind of social work license do I need in Miami, FL?
After an MSW from Miami, FL or anywhere, these are the Florida social work licenses, per ASWB. A CSWE-accredited degree is required for each.
| License | Education | Supervised hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Master Social Worker (CMSW) | Doctorate of Social Work or Master of Social Work | 3000 hours | Advanced Generalist |
| Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) | Doctorate of Social Work or Master of Social Work | 1500 hours | Clinical |
| Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern (RCSW-I) | Master of Social Work | — | ASWB Exam Not Required |
Source: ASWB social work licensure database. Verify current requirements with the Florida state board before applying.
Why Spanish fluency is a core clinical skill in Miami
Miami is one of the most international metros in the country and a majority-Hispanic city, home to large Cuban, Venezuelan, Colombian, and Nicaraguan communities. For an enormous share of residents, Spanish is the language of home, faith, and crisis. A social worker who can complete an intake, deliver bad news, or run a family session in Spanish is not offering a nice extra here, they are meeting a baseline that agencies actively recruit for.
If you speak Spanish, name it on every application and ask each program whether it can place you in a Spanish-dominant clinic, hospital, or school. That fluency often decides who gets hired for frontline clinical roles. If you do not yet speak it, Miami is a strong place to build practical fluency through your field placements.
Immigrant and refugee social work in Miami
Few American cities carry as many overlapping immigrant stories as Miami. Longtime Cuban families, a large Haitian Creole-speaking community in and around Little Haiti, and a newer wave of Venezuelans arriving under humanitarian programs all rely on social workers who understand parole, asylum timelines, and the trauma that travels with displacement.
Effective practice here means knowing which benefits attach to which immigration status, coordinating with legal aid, and building trust with families who may fear public systems. Many students gravitate toward child and family roles that keep newly arrived households stable. If this work draws you, look for placements at community health centers and resettlement nonprofits, and ask programs how they prepare students for the ethics of serving mixed-status families.
Older adult social work in Miami
Miami-Dade has a large and growing older-adult population, including many Spanish-speaking retirees who age in place near family or in dense neighborhoods like Little Havana. Gerontological social work is steady, meaningful work in this metro, spanning memory care, caregiver support, elder abuse prevention, and the maze of Medicare and long-term-care benefits.
Aging services in a multilingual city also demand cultural fluency, since a widow navigating hospice or a son becoming a caregiver often processes those decisions in Spanish or Creole. Students drawn to this field frequently move toward program management as they gain experience coordinating services across agencies. Seek field placements in senior centers, assisted-living settings, and hospital discharge units where these needs concentrate.
Healthcare social work in Miami
Miami's large hospital systems and safety-net clinics lean heavily on medical social workers to manage discharges, connect uninsured patients to care, and support families through serious diagnoses. In a city with wide gaps between wealthy and working-class neighborhoods, healthcare social workers often become the bridge between a treatment plan and whether a patient can actually follow it.
The healthcare social work path rewards people who stay calm under pressure and can coordinate quickly across busy teams. Bilingual candidates are especially valued in emergency departments and oncology units serving Spanish-dominant patients. If this appeals to you, prioritize a hospital or federally qualified health center placement and ask about opportunities to shadow discharge planning early in your training.
Budgeting as an MSW student in Miami
Miami has become one of the more expensive places to live in the Southeast, and rent can consume a large share of a graduate student's budget. Planning your finances before you enroll matters as much as choosing the right concentration, especially during the unpaid or low-paid field hours that MSW programs require.
A few practical moves help: compare in-state options, look hard at online formats that let you keep local income, and factor commuting costs across a spread-out county. Our guide to the best online MSW programs is worth reviewing if flexibility matters, and you can compare Florida-wide choices through our Florida MSW rankings. Ask each program about assistantships and stipended placements, since those can meaningfully offset the cost of living here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CSWE-accredited MSW programs are in Miami, FL?
How much do social workers earn in Miami, FL?
Can I earn an MSW online from Miami, FL?
What license do MSW graduates need in Florida?
MSW programs in other Florida cities
Sources
- CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs for program accreditation, campuses, and structure.
- U.S. Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer (city coordinates) and Population Estimates Program (population).
- ASWB social work licensure database for Florida license requirements.
Published 2026-06-12; last updated 2026-06-23. "Near" means a program campus within 60 straight-line miles of the city center.