Look, we understand: It can be tough to figure out how you’re going to find the time to make the commute to campus and sit in a classroom to study the history of social service programs, psychotherapy, and human development across the lifespan.
Even when you’re highly motivated and live and breathe the concepts key to developing a high level of understanding, empathy, and expertise as a social worker, the traditional on-campus class format is something that can slow you down. You have to show up on someone else’s schedule, shift your brain into gear, and reshuffle the rest of your life to fit the program.
At least, you did before the introduction of online degree programs.
About half the Florida-based schools of social work deliver their high-quality CSWE-accredited BSW and MSW programs online.
Now the little bit of time you’re able to carve out for your own life and obligations doesn’t have to be spent sitting in traffic on your way to class. Imagine that – you get the first-class education you need to build your career in social work, and a life too.
Online Social Work Degrees in Florida Provide Exactly What Busy Grad Students Need
Online studies are really there to support something that every social worker is in favor of: personal empowerment. It’s about having control in your own circumstances and getting the education you deserve without sacrificing other important commitments.
That’s because online studies bring flexibility to your college education. Classes are often delivered asynchronously. That means you don’t need to be logged in, or even thinking about school, at the same time as the instructor or other students. Instead, you are free to dive in to your studies when you are most engaged and available to do your best work.
Online programs also open up your options in social work degrees. While most traditional students are restricted to the schools that happen to be nearby, or that they could conceivably move to be near, if you are looking online, you can look anywhere in Florida — and even consider CSWE-accredited programs located anywhere in the country. Schools of social work make practicums a key piece of the experience and a requirement for graduation. That means the ones offering online programs are happy to accommodate local field placements for students anywhere in the country.  That improves the chances that you will find the right combination of instructors, concentrations, and resources to make your time in school a success.
Finally, online programs come with inherent affordability advantages. Since you don’t have to move to attend school, you can stay near home or even find a more affordable area where you can save on rent. That allows you to be economical in your lifestyle even as you are fueling the education for your future.
Why Online Programs Are Particularly Important For Social Work Students
These advantages are obviously a big deal for non-traditional students, who may have job and family commitments that come first. And that describes a lot of social work students. A 2019 survey conducted by NASW (National Association of Social Workers) and CSWE (Council on Social Work Education) revealed that some 30 percent of Master of Social Work graduates were over 40 and had been out in the workforce for six or more years before applying for school.
An astonishing 90 percent of MSW graduates surveyed by CSWE and NASW in 2019 were women.
This is a population that can benefit from as much flexibility and affordability as they can get. With undue burdens from family care and earning a living, daily obligations often get in the way of traditional college programs.
Yet someone who knows what it’s like to juggle all those balls is often exactly the kind of person who often makes an excellent social worker. Online programs give them a chance to put their experience and compassion to use for the greater community.
From Caring For Her Grandfather To Caring For Florida’s Older Adults Via an Online Master of Social Work
A zig-zag is how Elizabeth Sukys-Rice describes her road to earning an MSW and becoming a geriatric social worker at a long-term care facility.
The Saint Leo grad had warm memories of helping care for her immigrant grandfather as a child. Each day, she would bring him to the kitchen for his meals.
That image stayed with her as she became a CNA after high school. She eventually worked her way up to a position managing an assisted living facility for veterans, low-income individuals, and those with mental health issues.
But she realized that she could do more with more education. An online Advanced Clinical Practice MSW was the answer.
Her work involves ensuring access to fall-risk reduction and mental and physical wellness supports. It’s a way to respect the legacy of her family and building her community — one that might not have been in the cards without an online degree program available.
Florida’s Online CSWE-Accredited Degrees in Social Work
Enough about the reasons to pursue an online social work degree—it’s probably already sounding like a winner for your path to becoming a professional. Now it’s time to look at the Florida universities that offer that type of program.
We list every one of the seven CSWE-accredited schools in Florida offering either Bachelor of Social Work or Master of Social Work degrees online here. In many cases, you’ll find that the MSW programs are also available as Advanced Standing Master of Social Work degrees, open to any BSW graduate looking for the fast-track to qualifications.
Barry University
Department of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Florida Memorial University
Department of Social Sciences
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work
Florida State University
College of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Saint Leo University
College of Health Professionals
Master of Social Work
University of Central Florida
School of Social Work
Master of Social Work
University of South Florida
School of Social Work
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
University of West Florida
Department of Social Work
Master of Social Work
In some cases, the online versions of these degrees have been accredited for 15 years or more—practically the dinosaur age in internet years. So you’re looking at schools that definitely know what they are doing in online social work training.
With plenty of graduates successfully entering the Florida human services workforce ahead of you, you have every reason to believe these degrees are an equally useful option for launching your own career.
What Are the Advantages to Online Degrees From Florida Colleges?
You may be wondering, with all these options scattered across the country, why should you pick a Florida school even if you are located here?
The easiest answer is that Florida colleges and universities are the most certain path to Florida social work licensure. Their programs are often built around the requirements of the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Certified Master Social Worker (CMSW).
They are also the institutions that are most likely to have solid relationships with the on-the-ground organizations that you’ll be placed with for your required field learning experiences. Every CSWE-accredited program will include this kind of practical experience, which means that no online social work degree is actually entirely online—you’ll still engage in practicum or internship placements as part of your studies.
It’s going to be easier to get those placements set up when you are working with a school in the state. If you happen to live near Gainesville, for instance, FSU can set you up at the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center, doubling down on forensic and mental health experience at this DCF maximum security treatment facility. If you are near Naples, maybe your placement will be at AVOW Hospice, building your grief counseling and family support skills.
In every case, you will get more real-world exposure to what real Florida residents need.