Bachelor of Social Work – Online

Learn to become a social worker through 100% online courses and a hands-on internship.

With a proven curriculum taught by faculty who continue to work in the field and accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (COA), our 100% online Bachelor of Social Work degree is designed to help anyone efficiently and credibly turn their passion for helping others into a long and rewarding career.

Utilizing both 15-week and 7-week online course formats, and offering Fall, Spring, or Summer entry points, our online social work bachelor’s program is flexible. Most core social work courses are taught in the 15-week format. With a mostly asynchronous program, you will learn and study on your own time. Feel empowered to master new skills at a pace those in the field believe to be most advantageous.

Whether you’re just starting your college journey or already working in social services, online learning will save you commutes to campus so you have more time to focus on your coursework. Receive individualized attention from professors to help you on your professional journey. Academic and professional advising is provided by our social work faculty, ensuring you parallel the experiences of your campus-based peers. And not only will you graduate equipped to embark on a life of empowering individuals, families, groups, and the community, but also your individualized online communication with your faculty and classmates will help build the professional network you need to help people everywhere.

New: Bridge Courses as a Step in Path to Social Work

Current professionals who have a four-year degree in PsychologySociologyCriminal Justice or Human Services and want to enhance their professional expertise in the field of social work, can do so with the unique bridge courses offered at Marian University of Wisconsin. To learn more about the program, click here.

Embark on a lifetime of empowering others
100% ONLINE

Your Internship Experience

Your social work internship experiences will help you stand out with future employers. Start working with clients from your very first core class. During your final year, the 400-hour faculty-coordinated field internship experience gives you real-world exposure to skills you have learned from previous coursework. Students have interned at agencies such as Winnebago County Department of Human Services, Waupun Correctional Institution, Agnesian Hospice Home of Hope, and Fond du Lac High School.

Who Should Apply?

  • High schools grads just starting their journey toward becoming a social worker

  • Anyone with an associate’s or paraprofessional degree

  • Certified nursing assistants

  • Social services aides

  • Teaching aides

“The social work program taught me to strive to my utmost potential when working with diverse populations. Everyday, I will forever value the experiences I obtained within my classes as well as my internship. The knowledge I gained is irreplaceable and has made me into the person I am today.”

Erica Wiese – 2020 Marian University Graduate

“Marian University’s online Social Work program offers flexibility, promotes school/life balance, and makes the incoming transfer process convenient.  I highly recommend this program as professors work with you to meet your goals, create learning opportunities to fit your interests, and provide responsive communication.  As one of the first to offer a fully online BSW program, Marian’s professors have created an online learning environment that feels likes like a “home away from home”.”

Colyn BergBSW Online Student

Bachelor of Social Work Curriculum

The online Bachelor of Social Work program was created to empower students who are interested in empowering others – all the while utilizing a convenient and flexible curriculum designed to help you earn your degree efficiently.

Countless families and individuals need the help and support that can only come from a caring and skilled social worker, and for decades we’ve been educating and training students to answer this call in our communities, state, and country.

While your coursework will submerse you in topics such as human behavior theory, research, policy analysis, social work practice, and ethics and values, you’ll be able to apply this knowledge with real clients, as we offer the chance to facilitate skill building groups with children placed in foster care or meet with clients served by the local nursing homes and mental health centers. Not to mention, our faculty are individuals still practicing in the field and are able to expose students to their perspectives related to all levels of practice.

CSWE Competency Based Student Outcomes

Marian University’s Social Work Program is a CSWE accredited program.

General Education Courses

As a bachelor’s level student, you are required to take about 30 credits of general education courses as part of the 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.  General education courses are required regardless of your major.

All students take 10.5 to 17 credits in these areas:

  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Argumentative and Research Writing
  • Introduction to Christian Theology
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Introduction to Ethical Reasoning
  • First Year Studies

Core Courses

Social work majors will take courses covering topics such as:

  • Social work policy and advocacy
  • Human behavior and social environment
  • Statistics for research
  • Ethics and professional behavior
  • Sociology

Learning Outcomes

The Marian University Social Work program is dedicated to educating students for ethical, competent, culturally responsive, and innovative generalist social work practice that addresses the well-being of the most vulnerable in society. Our educational experiences, research, and community outreach promote social and economic justice, program and policy change, and evidence-based strategies for the challenges facing diverse client systems of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Everyday Marian University Bachelor of Social Work program graduates are making a real difference in the world. As a graduate of the program you’ll be prepared to work in a wide range of settings, including health care, mental health agencies, rehabilitation centers, child and youth services, correctional facilities, agencies for the elderly and colleges and universities.

The Marian University Bachelor of Social Work program received initial accreditation from the Council on Social Work (CSWE) in 1987 and has received continuing reaffirmation since that time.

Marian University Baccalaureate Social Work Program Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes Last Completed on 07/27/21