Virginia has 7 CSWE-accredited MSW programs distributed across the state's major population centers, from Northern Virginia's dense DC suburbs to the Hampton Roads coast, the Richmond metropolitan area, and the Roanoke corridor in western Virginia. Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond anchors the state with the oldest MSW program in Virginia (CSWE-accredited since 1919), a national ranking of #28, and the most program options in the state, including online delivery, multiple specializations, and dual degrees with Law and Public Health.
Virginia is notably home to three historically Black universities with CSWE-accredited MSW programs: Norfolk State University (1975), Virginia State University (2022), and Virginia Union University (2022). Norfolk State's Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work has the most established HBCU social work program in the state, with over 60 years of operation and 100+ Hampton Roads community partner agencies. Virginia State's program holds a nationally distinctive position as the first and only HBCU with an MSW Trauma Informed specialization, per the program's own description. Virginia Union is a fully online HBCU program in Richmond that was building toward initial CSWE accreditation as of 2023.
Virginia's geographic diversity creates distinct labor markets for MSW graduates: Northern Virginia and the DC suburbs (served by George Mason in Fairfax) offer some of the highest social work wages in the country and access to federal agencies, major health systems, and a dense nonprofit sector. The Richmond region (served by VCU, VSU, and VUU) is home to state government and a large healthcare network. Hampton Roads (served by NSU) is one of the largest military-adjacent metro areas in the country. Western Virginia (served by Radford in the Roanoke corridor) faces the rural and Appalachian workforce challenges common to southwestern Virginia.
All 7 CSWE-Accredited MSW Programs in Virginia
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. VCU ranking (#28 nationally) confirmed from the school's official website. Radford and NSU CSWE-listed URLs point to subpages; main school URLs used. VCU's dual degree is listed as Law and Public Health on the VCU website (CSWE directory also lists Public Policy). Liberty requires 1,000 field hours (vs. 900 standard). VUU has 49 credit hours and accreditation status should be verified at cswe.org.
- #1 National #28
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work
Richmond, VA · On-Campus or Online
9.4
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1919Why It Ranks Here
Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1919, the oldest social work program in Virginia by more than five decades and among the longest continuously accredited programs in the United States. The program is ranked 28th nationally and 17th among public graduate social work programs by U.S. News and World Report, the only nationally ranked program in Virginia. Two specializations are offered: Clinical Social Work Practice and Macro Social Work Practice. Dual-degree programs with Law and Public Health (MPH) are available; the CSWE directory lists Public Policy as an additional dual degree option, and prospective students should confirm current availability with the program. Three certificate programs are available alongside the MSW: Aging, Mental Health, and Nonprofit Management. Advanced Standing is available at 42 credit hours, above the standard 30-credit Advanced Standing typical of most programs. Online delivery has been available since 2018, with fall, spring, and summer start options. VCU is an R1 research university in Richmond, Virginia's capital city, adjacent to the Virginia General Assembly, state agencies, and a large concentration of healthcare and nonprofit social services organizations.
Public (Virginia Commonwealth University, R1 research university). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #2
Norfolk State University Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work
Norfolk, VA · On-Campus or Online
7.8
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1975Why It Ranks Here
Norfolk State University's Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1975, the second-oldest MSW program in Virginia, and has operated for more than 60 years preparing social work practitioners. NSU is a historically Black university, and the Ethelyn R. Strong School is one of the most established HBCU social work programs on the East Coast. The program offers an Advanced Generalist concentration. The school maintains over 100 community partner agencies in the Hampton Roads area and the eastern United States, providing an extensive practicum network. Online delivery was added in 2024. Advanced Standing is available. NSU is based in Norfolk, in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Newport News, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the southeastern United States. The Hampton Roads region's military presence (Naval Station Norfolk, Langley Air Force Base), large Veterans Affairs medical center, and extensive public sector create significant social work employment across healthcare, military family services, and community organizations. No dual-degree programs are listed in the CSWE directory.
Public (Norfolk State University, HBCU). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #3
Radford University School of Social Work
Radford, VA · On-Campus or Online
7.2
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 1996Why It Ranks Here
Radford University's School of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 1996 and is part of the Waldron College of Health and Human Services. A Clinical Social Work concentration is offered. The program operates from two physical sites, Radford (main campus) and Roanoke, extending access across the New River Valley and the Roanoke metropolitan area. Online delivery was added in 2023. Advanced Standing is available. Radford and Roanoke together serve southwestern Virginia's social work workforce, a region with significant rural and Appalachian community needs, including behavioral health, substance use, and child welfare workforce shortages in counties adjacent to the Kentucky and West Virginia borders. Roanoke is the largest city in western Virginia and the economic center of the Blue Ridge region. No dual-degree programs are listed in the CSWE directory.
Public (Radford University). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #4
George Mason University Department of Social Work
Fairfax, VA · On-Campus or Online
7.0
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2002Why It Ranks Here
George Mason University's Department of Social Work has held CSWE accreditation since 2002 and is part of the College of Public Health. Two specializations are offered: Children, Youth and Families and Adults and Healthy Aging. The Adults and Healthy Aging specialization is nationally distinctive, with an explicit focus on the psychosocial, health, and mental health needs of adults across the lifespan, including a graduate certificate in Gerontology available alongside the MSW. A dual-degree program combining the MSW with a Master of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution is available, a nationally rare combination that prepares graduates for social work practice in mediation, peacebuilding, and conflict-affected communities. Online delivery has been available since 2018. Advanced Standing is available. The program can be completed on campus in two, three, or four years, or online in approximately three years. George Mason is a public R1 university in Fairfax, in the heart of Northern Virginia's dense Washington, D.C., metropolitan suburb corridor, providing access to one of the largest social work, public health, and federal agency labor markets in the country.
Public (George Mason University). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #5
Liberty University Helms School of Government, Department of Social Work
Lynchburg, VA · On-Campus or Online
5.9
60 credits 1,000 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2021Why It Ranks Here
Liberty University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2021. Two cognate tracks are offered: General and Individual and Family Clinical. The program requires 1,000 field hours across two placements, above the 900-hour standard required by most Virginia programs. The curriculum explicitly integrates a Christian faith-based perspective, describing the program's mission as preparing students to serve as 'the hands and feet of Christ' in social work. Liberty is the largest private, nonprofit Christian university in the United States by enrollment, with a large residential campus in Lynchburg and an extensive online program nationally. Both campus and online tracks are available. Advanced Standing is available per the CSWE directory. Prospective students who do not hold Christian faith commitments should review the program's theological integration before enrolling. No dual-degree programs are listed in the CSWE directory.
Private (Liberty University, Christian). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page → - #6
Virginia State University Department of Social Work
Petersburg, VA · On-Campus or Online
5.5
60 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2022Why It Ranks Here
Virginia State University's Department of Social Work received CSWE accreditation in 2022. VSU describes its program as the first and only HBCU in the nation with a Master of Social Work Trauma Informed specialization, a nationally distinctive claim for both the HBCU sector and the broader MSW landscape. The Trauma concentration prepares graduates for advanced trauma-informed clinical practice and evidence-based intervention with individuals and families in underserved suburban and rural communities. Online delivery has been available since initial accreditation in 2022. Advanced Standing is available. VSU is a historically Black public university in Petersburg, located in the Richmond metropolitan area, approximately 25 miles south of VCU. The Richmond region's social services, healthcare, and state government sector provides practicum and employment access for VSU graduates. As the most recently accredited program in Virginia alongside VUU, VSU's short accreditation history limits its composite score relative to longer-established programs.
Public (Virginia State University, HBCU). Contact the program for current in-state and out-of-state tuition rates.
View program page → - #7
Virginia Union University Department of Social Work
Richmond, VA · Online
5.2
49 credits 900 field hours ? Advanced Standing Accred. since 2022Why It Ranks Here
Virginia Union University's Department of Social Work appears in the CSWE directory with an initial date of 2022 and offers a fully online MSW. Three practice areas are listed in the CSWE directory: Advanced Generalist, Clinical, and Trauma. The program describes itself as an Advanced Generalist curriculum with a Trauma-Focused Specialization. The curriculum requires 49 credit hours, below the standard 60 credits required by most MSW programs; the Advanced Standing track requires 26 credit hours and is noted as primarily available for students who completed their BSW at VUU. As of publication, prospective students should verify VUU's current CSWE accreditation status at cswe.org, as the program was in CSWE Candidacy status as of July 2023 and aimed for initial accreditation in late 2024 or early 2025; CSWE Candidacy carries retroactive accreditation recognition for enrolled students upon full accreditation. VUU is a historically Black private university in Richmond. The program serves working adults in the Richmond region and beyond through fully online delivery in 8-week or 16-week course formats.
Private (Virginia Union University, HBCU). Contact the program for current tuition rates and financial aid information.
View program page →
Job Market for MSW Graduates in Virginia
Virginia's social work labor market divides into four distinct regions. Northern Virginia, the largest and highest-paying market, is served by major health systems including Inova Health System (Fairfax, Falls Church, Alexandria), Virginia Hospital Center, and a dense network of behavioral health, nonprofit, and federal government social work positions. Proximity to the District of Columbia allows Northern Virginia-based social workers to access federal agency positions at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, and related agencies.
The Richmond metropolitan area is home to VCU Health System, one of Virginia's largest academic medical centers and a primary healthcare social work employer. Bon Secours Richmond Health System, HCA Virginia Health System, and the Virginia Department of Social Services (headquartered in Richmond) round out the capital region's MSW labor market. VSU and VUU are also Richmond-area programs, giving the capital region four of Virginia's seven MSW programs.
Hampton Roads, anchored by Norfolk and Virginia Beach, is home to the largest naval installation in the world (Naval Station Norfolk) and a corresponding concentration of military social work demand. The Hampton VA Medical Center and multiple hospital systems (Sentara Healthcare, Bon Secours Hampton Roads) are the primary healthcare social work employers. NSU's 100+ partner agency network reflects the breadth of social work placements available in the region.
Western Virginia, including Roanoke, the New River Valley, and Appalachian communities in the southwest, faces persistent behavioral health, child welfare, and substance use workforce shortages common to rural Virginia. Carilion Clinic (Roanoke's major health system), Lewis-Gale Medical Center, and New River Valley-area behavioral health agencies are primary employers for Radford University graduates in this region.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Virginia; Virginia Board of Social Work.
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 Virginia-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.