The Value of Attending Pitt’s Online MSW Program with Strong Community Roots

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 focuses on direct practice social work, offering a specialization in Direct Practice With Individuals, Families, and Groups. The curriculum stresses instruction and experiential learning rooted in principles of anti-racism, anti-oppression, equity and social justice and designed to capitalize on Pitt’s deep connections to the community it serves. This 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 bolster your credentials.

Pitt’s Community Roots: Local Legacy, National Impact

For over 100 years, Pitt’s School of Social Work has served the Pittsburgh region’s communities. The university boasts a long and proud history of community engagement with its home city, focusing research, service, and collaboration on Pittsburgh’s diverse communities. The school’s Just Discipline Project (JDP), for example, works with schools serving marginalized populations to improve learning environments and promote restorative justice practices. One partner school reported a 38% reduction in suspensions just one year after implementing a JDP program.

You can learn about some of these engagements in the school’s most recent community impact report. Community engagement informs the online MSW curriculum.

Real-World Field Education, No Matter Your Zip Code

Pitt online MSW students participate in career-relevant ,curated practicum experiences that translate learning into direct application. The program supports high-quality practicum placements nationwide, enabling online students to remain in their local areas. The Pitt practicum placement team maintains strong ties with various local organizations and is committed to helping all online students find suitable and meaningful field placement opportunities. 

While field placements focus on local engagement, students also gain the 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 gaps, or child welfare concerns—that affect national policy. Social work programs that succeed locally can often be scaled up to address nationwide issues. 

Learn From Leaders in Equity and Advocacy

Pitt online students learn from expert faculty members with in-depth expertise in social justice issues, policy, and community health. Pitt MSW Program Director and Clinical Assistant Professor Yodit Betru’s teaching reflects her years of work in schools, shelters, jails, public child welfare, and therapeutic services in community and private practice settings. Associate Dean for Research and Associate Professor Jaime Booth’s research focuses on how context and identity influence stress, health disparities, and substance use, particularly among Black youth. Her interdisciplinary work with the university’s Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine informs her insights on young people’s responses to community violence.

The Flexibility of Online, the Strength of a Legacy Institution

The Pitt online MSW program offers a flexible format that enables working professionals, career changers, and caregivers to earn a degree without relocating. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Pitt School of Social Work 12th among social work graduate schools. An MSW degree from Pitt confers prestige and credibility. 

Online study at Pitt does not mean compromising on real-world connection and engagement. Pitt online students connect with peers and faculty during live class sessions and on online discussion boards. 

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, free licensure prep, and individual consultations.

Pitt alums are making an impact in various local communities as well as on a regional and national level. 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 the 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.

Move Forward With a Mission-Driven MSW

Choosing an online MSW program with strong community roots and a national reputation should lead to a high-quality education enriched by real-world insights, expert faculty, and hands-on field experiences, empowering students to make an impact on a local and national levels. When you choose the online MSW at the University of Pittsburgh, you position yourself to capitalize on these benefits.

Contact an enrollment advisor to learn more about the Pitt online MSW program or to set up a one-on-one application walkthrough. Or, if you’re ready, start your online application today.