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1.800.586.5336 webmaster@utoledo.edu

Social Work

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

+90%
of UToledo master's students in social work find employment within six months of graduation.

+90%
of UToledo master's students in social work find employment within six months of graduation.

Social Work Master's Degree Overview

The accredited master's in social work program at The University of Toledo has a strong economic and social justice focus.  

UToledo M.S.W. students choose either a mental health or children and families track. Our flexible class schedules are ideal for working students. 

 UToledo's social work faculty members bring real-world examples to the classroom and are committed to social work practice. They have developed strong ties to community social-service agencies, which often hire our M.S.W. graduates. 

 Visit the MSW website for more information about the program or to set up a time to meet with the program director and discuss any questions.

Social Work Master's Degree Highlights

Full accreditation by the Council of Social Work Education. 

Convenient for working students. Most of our M.S.W. courses are offered in the evenings after 4 p.m. and on Saturdays. 

Working, professional faculty. UToledo M.S.W. faculty members breathe life into social work concepts. They are real-world practitioners as well as teachers. Small class sizes allow our faculty members to develop close relationships with students. 

Broad clinical and classroom experience. UToledo social work graduate students are trained to work with a wide range of populations, from children to seniors. They have access to state-of-the-art technology and graduate with more than 500 hours of field work. 

Human trafficking experts. UToledo is at the forefront of human trafficking research and advocacy. Our School of Social Justice houses the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute. The institute engages in research, community organizing, teaching and policy work. Its annual, international conference is the oldest and most prestigious in the nation. UToledo students attend for free. 

Financial assistance. M.S.W. graduate students can apply for graduate assistantships within the social work department or through the graduate school office.  


Career Opportunities

UToledo M.S.W. graduates are prepared to work in diverse settings with a variety of clients.  

Agencies that have employed UToledo master's in social work graduates include: 

  • Lucas County Children Services, Toledo, Ohio 
  • Zepf Center, Toledo, Ohio 
  • Correctional Treatment Facility of Lucas County, Toledo, Ohio 
  • Salvation Army Northeast Ohio Division Recovering Individuals from Sexual Exploitation 
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
  • Philio New Concepts substance abuse treatment, Toledo, Ohio 
  • Unison Health, Toledo, Ohio 
  • A Renewed Mind Behavioral Health, Ohio 
  • Lucas County Department of Job & Family Services, Toledo, Ohio  

Professional Licensure Information

Our Alumni

Rosie Best, MSW '17, developed Issue Box Theatre as a service-learning project. She uses real-life social work situations to create memorable social justice-related theater performances to enlighten and sensitize audiences. A past production focused on dementia and its effects. Proceeds from the performances benefit local nonprofit agencies.  

In 2017, Dr. Janet Hoy-Gerlach and social work students partnered with Assistance Dogs for Achieving Independence, a program of the Ability Center in Toledo, to create Rocket Service Dogs. Their mission is to educate, fundraise and encourage the training and facilitation of service dogs. They encourage UToledo students to become puppy sitters and potential service-dog trainers.

"During my time as an intern at the Toledo Area Humane Society, I was given the task of coordinating the Hope and Recovery Pets (HARP) program. This program provides emotional-support animals for low-income individuals with chronic mental-health diagnoses. Through my role as HARP coordinator, I saw firsthand the impact of the human-animal bond on our clients’ mental health."

Summer Martin
M.S.W. '18


Social Work Master's Degree Plan of Study

Graduate M.S.W. students select one of two tracks — mental health or children and families.   

Social Work Master's Degree Sample Courses 

  • Social Work Practice & Mental Health Micro 
  • Social Work Practice with Children and Families 
  • Advanced Generalist Practice I: focuses on clinical skills and provides relevant social work practice with individuals and families 
  • Advanced Generalist Practice II: focuses on policy and how to become leaders in social-service agencies.  

View Plan of Study

Internship Opportunities for Social Work Master's Degree

M.S.W. students are required to complete internships. UToledo graduate students spend more than 900 hours in the field.  

Placements range from clinical practice and research to organizing and administration in such organizations as:  

  • Grassroots agencies 
  • Community mental-health centers 
  • Hospitals 
  • Correctional facilities 
  • Toledo Zoo & Aquarium 
  • Toledo Area Humane Society 

UToledo is one of the first social work programs in the country to place students in internships at humane societies. Associate professor Janet Hoy-Gerlach established our program with the Toledo Area Humane Society. Interns coordinate a donor-supported, emotional-support animal placement program in partnership with local behavioral health facilities. Previously, they coordinated a therapeutic pet visitation program. Screened shelter animals have visited more than 30 nursing homes in northwest Ohio. 


Research Opportunities

UToledo social work master's students collaborate on research with faculty and present at conferences. 

Our faculty members are as diverse as our students and our community. They have expertise in: 

  • Mental health 
  • Human trafficking 
  • Social justice 
  • Military social work 
  • The benefits of animal-human interactions 
  • Social work in health care 
  • Social justice in the arts 
  • Child welfare 
  • Social work and spirituality 

Licensing

If you live in a state other than Ohio, or you are planning to move to another state after you graduate, then we strongly encourage you to review the social work licensing requirements in that state. For more information, please visit:

  • Association of Social Work Boards
  • Social Work Licensure Directory

Want More Information?


Social Work Master's Degree

1-2 years full time; 3-4 years part time

Program Availability

 On Campus

Program Quick Links

View Admission Requirements
School of Social Justice
College of Health and Human Services
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Last Updated: 1/28/2023