Maryland has 8 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is Salisbury University, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1974. 1 of the 8 record an online option; the rest are campus-based. 1 is hosted at a Carnegie R1 (very high research) university and 1 at a Carnegie R2 (high research) university.
Each program below is scored on the same five-factor model used in our national ranking, so the order reflects accreditation longevity, delivery and schedule flexibility, program breadth, and the institution's Carnegie research tier, all applied identically nationwide. A program marked National # ranks among the top 20 of all 535 accredited BSW programs in the country, per our five-factor scoring method.
Maryland BSW programs at a glance
8
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1974
Oldest, Salisbury University, accredited since
1
Offer an online option
2
At an R1 or R2 research university
Maryland's 8 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1974 to 1992, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is Salisbury University at 8.7 out of 10. The newest, Frostburg State University, earned accreditation in 1992. Among the Maryland programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $4,933 to $48,672 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in Maryland earns a median of $76,390 a year, 28% above the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 8 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in Maryland
Every one of these BSW programs in Maryland holds current CSWE accreditation. Status, dates, campus locations and online options come from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, and each card cites its own sources inline. Tuition is shown for reference only and is not factored into the score.
- #1 National #15
Salisbury University
Salisbury, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · Online or On-Campus
8.7
Online or On-Campus Full & part-time 5 campuses + online 1 certificate Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Maryland
Salisbury University teaches the BASW in Salisbury, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Maryland. Undergraduates spend 16 hours a week in placement across fall and spring, staying in the same agency all year, and placements split between case management, clinical and macro work. Students apply through SoniaOnline and interview with a prospective supervisor before the coordinator confirms the match. An employment-based option allows placement at a student's own workplace by written proposal. The school sets a public benchmark of 80 percent of students demonstrating mastery on each competency and posts the BASW assessment report separately from the MSW one. Licensing exam study guides for every level can be checked out from the School of Social Work suite, or through a site coordinator at the regional locations. In-state tuition runs $11,466 a year against $23,590 for nonresidents, above the Maryland median of $8,174. It operates more approved teaching sites than any of the BSW programs in Maryland.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $11,466 · Out-of-state $23,590 / year
2026-27 tuition & fees · salisbury.edu
Locations
Salisbury, MD (1974-present); Wye Mills, MD (2007-present); Hagerstown, MD (2007-present); North East, MD (2007-present); California, MD (2013-present); Online/UMGC (2014-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 10.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #2
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
8.1
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full & part-time 2 campuses Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore County teaches the BSW in Baltimore, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Maryland. The major pairs formally with double majors in public health, sociology or psychology, and with minor concentrations from the Erickson School of Aging Studies in management of aging services and in health, wellness and aging. The program is run by the University of Maryland School of Social Work, whose graduate campus and research centers sit 15 minutes away in Baltimore. Seven of eight first-time candidates passed the ASWB bachelor's licensure exam in 2025, an 87.5 percent rate against 75.0 percent across Maryland schools and 70.4 percent for the United States and Canada. Four repeat attempts that year did not pass, putting the combined rate at 58.3 percent. In-state tuition runs $9,238 a year against $26,594 for nonresidents, above the Maryland median of $8,174.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $9,238 · Out-of-state $26,594 / year
Locations
Baltimore, MD (1972-present); Rockville, MD (1972-present)
Visit the University of Maryland, Baltimore County BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #3
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
7.5
On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Maryland
Based in Baltimore, Morgan State University is a public university offering a BSW in Maryland. The major is 60 hours and interdisciplinary, with supporting work in psychology, sociology and economics. Alongside a human behavior sequence taught through an ecological systems lens, students take Black Families, a course on kinship clusters, migration and crisis adjustment in the urban complex, plus clinical social work and case management and a course on substance abuse. Field Instruction I and II runs two semesters for 8 credits in a social welfare agency under an experienced supervisor. It is deliberately paired with the two-semester Social Work Methods sequence, and a one-credit senior seminar runs concurrently with the second field term so students can present and analyze cases assigned by their field instructors. In-state tuition runs $5,587 a year against $18,800 for nonresidents, below the Maryland median of $8,174.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $5,587 · Out-of-state $18,800 / year
Locations
Baltimore, MD (1974-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4
Coppin State University
Baltimore, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
7.2
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Maryland
Coppin State University teaches the BSW in Baltimore, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Maryland. Placements run 14 to 16 hours a week across two academic semesters for a minimum of 400 hours, almost always on weekdays because few agencies can supervise after 5 p.m. Field instructors must hold an MSW plus two years of postgraduate experience, and a department liaison who also teaches the field seminar connects student and agency. Field placement is its own gate. Students must hold full major standing rather than pre-social work status, pass SOWK 210, 265, 379 and 388 with a C or better, carry a 2.5 cumulative GPA and be able to graduate within three semesters of starting. Applications for a fall placement close March 31 and are accepted only electronically. In-state tuition runs $4,933 a year against $11,721 for nonresidents, below the Maryland median of $8,174. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in Maryland.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $4,933 · Out-of-state $11,721 / year
Locations
Baltimore, MD (1974-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #5
Hood College
Frederick, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1979 · On-Campus
7.0
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1979Why it ranks in Maryland
Based in Frederick, Hood College is a private university offering a BSW in Maryland. The major is organized around Hood's motto, Corde et Mente et Manu, with a heart strand on human dignity and justice, a mind strand on person-in-environment theory and evidence-based assessment and intervention, and a hand strand of experiential learning. It is a BA housed in the Department of Sociology and Social Work. Whatever field they intend to enter, graduates leave with basic competencies for practice with older adults, a deliberate response to the number of aging clients social services will carry this century. Field experience is built to span client groups across the lifespan rather than settle on one age band. Published tuition is $45,120 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Maryland median of $8,174.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$45,120 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Frederick, MD (1979-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.5
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #6
Bowie State University
Bowie, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
6.7
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Maryland
Based in Bowie, Bowie State University is a public university offering a BSW in Maryland. A Sign Language Club runs as a partnership with Gallaudet University, pairing deaf and hearing-impaired Gallaudet students with Bowie State students learning to sign. The department also sends students abroad to destinations including Germany, Japan, South Africa and Cuba, and its evening schedule draws working adults already in human services. In the 2024-2025 generalist assessment the program cleared its own 80 percent benchmark on all nine competencies, with results between 92.5 and 100 percent. Each student is measured twice, once by field instructors during the spring placement and once by the Director of Field through a curriculum instrument. In-state tuition runs $5,993 a year against $16,833 for nonresidents, below the Maryland median of $8,174.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $5,993 · Out-of-state $16,833 / year
Locations
Bowie, MD (1974-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #7
McDaniel College
Westminster, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1975 · On-Campus
6.7
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1975Why it ranks in Maryland
McDaniel College teaches the BA in Westminster, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Maryland. Service learning is written into the coursework: 30 hours with local agencies in the social policy course and another 30 in the first practice course, where students recently ran assessments, supportive counseling and weekly groups at a Carroll County drop-in recovery center. Human behavior is split by life stage, with a full course on early through late adulthood. About 75 percent of recent graduates are working in social work or a related human service job. Others have gone on to graduate study at the University of Maryland, Columbia, Penn, NYU and Catholic University, and the degree meets the educational requirement in every U.S. jurisdiction that licenses at the bachelor's level. Published tuition is $48,672 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Maryland median of $8,174.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$48,672 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Westminster, MD (1975-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #8
Frostburg State University
Frostburg, MD · CSWE-Accredited since 1992 · On-Campus
6.4
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1992Why it ranks in Maryland
Based in Frostburg, Frostburg State University is a public university offering a BSW in Maryland. Standards keep applying after admission: students must hold a 2.5 cumulative GPA and a B or higher in every social work course, and violating the NASW Code of Ethics brings automatic dismissal. Faculty reassess a student's suitability for the profession as they move through the program. Alumni have gone to Sheppard Pratt, the Allegany County Department of Social Services, the Thomas B. Finan Center, Pressley Ridge and Western Correctional Institution, in roles from child welfare worker and activity therapist to re-entry coordinator and executive director. The department cites a 2024 BLS median of $61,330 for related occupations. CSWE accreditation dates to 1992, 34 years of unbroken standing, below the Maryland median of 52 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,110 · Out-of-state $22,292 / year
Locations
Frostburg, MD (1992-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.4
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
The Social Work Industry in Maryland
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for Maryland's front-line social-service workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET, social workers are employed across public human-services and child-welfare agencies, hospitals and health systems, K-12 schools, community mental-health and substance-use programs, aging and disability services, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations. BSW-level roles are generalist and direct-practice: case manager, child and family caseworker, community and behavioral-health worker, and social and human-service assistant. Supervisory, therapeutic, and independent clinical positions generally require a master's. If you plan to pursue graduate education, BestMSWPrograms.org covers the best MSW programs to help you take that next step.
Per the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, Maryland's 8 accredited programs are based across 11 cities, including Salisbury, Wye Mills, Hagerstown, North East, California, Baltimore, and others, 1 offering an online option. 2 are hosted at a Carnegie research university (R1 or R2), which adds research and teaching-hospital placements to the local training pipeline. CSWE standards require supervised field education, so programs build placement partnerships with local agencies, hospitals, schools, and nonprofits, which makes the state's campuses a training and hiring pipeline into the surrounding Maryland social-service economy. Online-capable programs extend that access to students in rural and remote parts of the state, areas the federal government (HRSA) frequently designates as mental-health workforce shortage areas.
Nationally, the BLS projects social-worker employment will grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 67,300 openings projected each year, many from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation. The BLS projects faster-than-average growth for healthcare social workers and for mental health and substance abuse social workers, specialties that hire at both the bachelor's and master's levels.
Child, family, and school social workers, the most common BSW-level specialty, have a location quotient of 0.67 in Maryland, meaning the occupation is 33% less concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 1.7 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In Maryland, social workers held about 12,980 jobs across the four social work occupations as of May 2025, per the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Employment, annual wages, and pay range by specialty:
| Occupation | Employed in MD | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 4,710 | $76,390 | $75,400 | $41,240 to $105,570 |
| Healthcare social workers | 4,750 | $76,440 | $72,140 | $40,210 to $96,340 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 2,250 | $73,580 | $72,980 | $38,100 to $104,000 |
| Social workers, all other | 1,270 | $75,600 | $81,380 | $48,690 to $128,440 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025. Wages cover all workers in each occupation; BLS does not break wages out by degree, and BSW-level roles typically fall toward the lower end of each range. Location quotient compares the state's job concentration to the national average (1.0 = the national rate). O*NET reports tasks, skills, and local outlook by occupation.
Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers; BLS state wage data for Maryland; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in Maryland
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
Maryland licenses social workers at the bachelor level, so a CSWE-accredited BSW is the degree requirement for an entry-level license here. That makes program accreditation, the basis of our ranking, a direct licensing prerequisite.
| License | Name | Exam | CSWE BSW required |
|---|---|---|---|
| LBSW | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LMSW), and the clinical, independent-practice level (LCSW-C). A CSWE-accredited BSW also qualifies graduates for Advanced Standing admission to a master's program.
How We Ranked These Programs
Every program is scored on the same five-factor model used in the national ranking, with no state-specific adjustments. Four factors are drawn from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; prestige uses the institution's 2025 Carnegie research classification.
- Accreditation longevity (40%): years of continuous CSWE accreditation.
- Delivery flexibility (22%): online option and number of approved campus locations.
- Prestige (15%): 2025 Carnegie research tier (R1, R2, or baseline).
- Schedule flexibility (12%): full-time and part-time plans of study.
- Program breadth (11%): embedded certificates and dual-degree options.
For the full model, see our ranking methodology.