Technology is transforming social work education, making the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree more accessible than ever through online degree programs. If you’ve started researching online Master of Social Work options, you know that programs differ in their emphases and features.
The University of Pittsburgh’s Part-Time Online MSW program option offers students the opportunity to specialize in Direct Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups. The curriculum emphasizes instruction and experiential learning centered in principles of anti-racism, anti-oppression, equity, and social justice, and is designed to build from Pitt’s deep connections to the communities it is embedded in and works with. Pitt’s community-centered approach delivers many benefits, which this article explores. As you weigh your online MSW choices, consider how these features can strengthen your social work skills and preparation for maximizing your opportunities and career.
Make a Difference: Earn Your MSW Online at Pitt
Build Real-World Skills With Pitt’s Online MSW
Pitt’s Community Roots: Local Legacy, National Impact
For over 100 years, Pitt’s School of Social Work has been a part of and served the Pittsburgh community. The university boasts a long and deep history of community engagement with its home city, investing in research, teaching, and programmatic partnerships with Pittsburgh’s diverse communities. For example, the school’s Just Discipline Project (JDP), led by faculty member Dr. Jay Huguley in partnership with 23 area schools serving youth, improves learning environments and promotes restorative justice practices. One partner school reported a 38% reduction in suspensions just one year after implementing the JDP program.
Pitt’s School of Social Work is also home to the nationally renowned Center for Race and Social Problems (CRSP). The first race-related research center to be housed in a school of social work anywhere in the U.S., CRSP partners with communities of color to conduct applied research-to-practice intervention projects that help lead the U.S. further along the path to social justice.
The Pitt School of Social Work also has delivered MSW education in two of the University’s regional campuses—Bradford and Johnstown. Through these campuses, the school engages deeply with rural communities, with indigenous communities, and in regions experiencing challenges related to shifts in industries and development.
These experiences prepare Pittl to support student learning in a wide range of communities and locations. You can learn more about Pitt’s community engagement in the school’s most recent community impact report. This community engagement informs the online MSW curriculum through courses designed by faculty actively involved in community-based research and practice partnerships.
Real-World Practicum Education, No Matter Your Zip Code
Pitt‘s online MSW students complete two career-relevant practicum experiences that translate learning into direct application. The MSW program supports high-quality practicum placements nationwide, enabling online students to learn and engage in their local areas. Pitt School of Social Work’s Practicum Team has developed strong working relationships with over 500 organizations in our current focal communities and is committed to helping all online students find suitable and meaningful practicum placement opportunities in their local communities.
In addition to helping students develop direct practice skills, practicum placements also provide students the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills to make an impact on a larger scale. Social workers on the ground are ideally positioned to identify systemic issues—such as housing instability, mental health service gaps, employment opportunities, or child welfare concerns—that affect and are affected by federal, state, and local policy. This allows students to learn locally, while connecting to and engaging with interventions with local, regional, and national relevance and impact.
Learn From Leaders in Equity and Advocacy
Pitt online students learn from an amazing cadre of expert faculty members with in-depth expertise in all facets of social work practice—including social justice, child welfare, health/mental health, policy, and community development. Pitt MSW Program Director Yodit Betru’s teaching reflects her years of work in schools, shelters, jails, public child welfare, and clinical services in community and private practice settings. Every faculty member brings their rich experience, perspectives, and expertise to their interactions with online students, like Dr. Victor Figeureo, who focuses on mental health, with a particular emphasis on mental health services and equity for Latinx populations and Dr. Gartner, whose community engagement focuses on interpersonal violence, especially among LGBTQ+ populations.
The Best of Tradition and Innovation: Online Flexibility from a Long-time Leading Program
U.S. News & World Report ranks the Pitt School of Social Work 12th among social work graduate schools – that puts Pitt in the top 4% of accredited Social Work Programs. An MSW degree from Pitt confers prestige and credibility, and – with over-100 years of educational excellence, students will join an extensive network of Pitt Social Work alumni in practice settings across the U.S and around the world.
The Pitt online MSW program offers a flexible format that enables working professionals, career changers, and anyone with a full and complicated life to learn from these deep community connections and earn a degree without relocating. Online study at Pitt gives students the opportunity to embrace this legacy of real-world connection and deep community engagement.
Join a Network That’s Making a Difference
The Pitt School of Social Work includes over 11,000 alumni worldwide. As a Pitt School of Social Work alum, you will have a lifelong connection to a mission-driven, service-focused community committed to driving change. Services include those provided by the VanKirk Career Center, which offers workshops, job fairs, and individual consultations.
Pitt alums are making an impact in various local communities as well as on a regional and national level. There are, literally, thousands of inspirational and compelling stories of careers that have made a crucial impact. Jessica Souply (SOC WK, 2014G) serves her community as the supervisor at Family Resources’ Therapeutic Preschool. The preschool serves children ages 3–5 who have experienced trauma and have behavioral needs, mental health diagnoses, autism spectrum disorders, and other differences that benefit from specialized intervention. Kathi R. Elliot (SOC WK, 2008) has been instrumental in establishing Pittsburgh’s Black Girls Equity Alliance, an interdisciplinary collaborative addressing systemic inequalities within the juvenile justice, health and wellness, child welfare, and education systems locally and nationally.
Building connections with the Pitt School of Social Work community starts from the moment you accept your offer. You will be connected with faculty and staff to assist you with transitioning into the online classroom. From there, you will be connected to peers in your cohort; you will engage each other and faculty in discussion boards, group assignments, and online community-building workshops to enhance your sense of belonging. online community-building workshops to enhance your sense of belonging.
Move Forward With a Mission-Driven MSW
Choosing an online MSW program with strong community roots and strong national leadership offers a high-quality education enriched by real-world insights, expert faculty, and hands-on practicum experiences, empowering students to make an impact in their community, the broader society, and our world. When you choose to complete your MSW online at the University of Pittsburgh, you position yourself to make the most of these benefits.
Contact an enrollment advisor to learn more about the Pitt MSW program and its online modality or to set up a one-on-one application walkthrough. Or, if you’re ready, start your online application today.