Mississippi has 11 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is The University of Mississippi, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1974. None of the 11 record an online option, all are campus-based. 4 are 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.
Mississippi BSW programs at a glance
11
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1974
Oldest, The University of Mississippi, accredited since
0
Offer an online option
5
At an R1 or R2 research university
Mississippi's 11 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1974 to 2013, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is The University of Mississippi at 8.3 out of 10, a Carnegie R1 research university. The newest, Belhaven University, earned accreditation in 2013. Among the Mississippi programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $7,869 to $28,800 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in Mississippi earns a median of $46,530 a year, 22% below the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 11 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in Mississippi
Every one of these BSW programs in Mississippi 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
The University of Mississippi
Desoto, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
8.3
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 4 campuses 1 certificate Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Mississippi
Based in Desoto, The University of Mississippi is a public university offering a BSW in Mississippi. The 120-hour degree is taught at Oxford and at the Tupelo and DeSoto centers, which moved from part-time to full-time delivery in 2006 and 2008. The department left the College of Liberal Arts for the School of Applied Sciences in 2000 and has held accreditation continuously since 1974. Oxford itself has very few internship slots, and priority there goes to physically challenged students, non-traditional students with children and local residents; holding an Oxford lease does not qualify anyone. Students join NASW by the second semester of junior year to obtain malpractice coverage and pay a $50 internship lab fee. CSWE accreditation dates to 1974, 52 years of unbroken standing, above the Mississippi median of 32 years. No other program among the BSW programs in Mississippi has held CSWE accreditation longer.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $9,990 · Out-of-state $20,160 / year
2025-26 tuition, full-time flat · olemiss.edu
Locations
Desoto, MS (1974-present); Oxford (1974-present); Southaven, MS (1974-present); Tupelo, MS (1974-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #2
Jackson State University
Jackson, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1975 · On-Campus
7.5
On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1975Why it ranks in Mississippi
Jackson State University teaches the BSW in Jackson, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Mississippi. The School of Social Work houses the Mississippi Child Welfare Institute and runs degrees at all three levels, bachelor's, master's and doctorate, with the BSW taught on the main campus while graduate programs sit at the Universities Center. A Mississippi Academic Pathways scholarship is administered through the school. CSWE accreditation dates to 1975, 51 years of unbroken standing, above the Mississippi median of 32 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $8,520 · Out-of-state $8,520 / year
Locations
Jackson, MS (1975-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
- #3
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1992 · On-Campus
6.6
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 2 campuses Accred. since 1992Why it ranks in Mississippi
University of Southern Mississippi teaches the BSW in Hattiesburg, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Mississippi. The whole practicum lands in the final semester. SWK 430 carries nine credits and requires at least 420 hours at 32 hours a week, taken with a three-credit field seminar, and roughly 150 social service agencies supply the placements and on-site instruction. A child advocacy studies minor sits alongside the major. The school holds $10.5 million in active grants with every faculty member on an externally funded project, concentrated in disaster, trauma, juvenile justice and integrated behavioral health, and students join that work through conference posters and presentations. In-state tuition runs $9,508 a year against $11,508 for nonresidents, in line with the Mississippi median of $9,665.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $9,508 · Out-of-state $11,508 / year
Locations
Hattiesburg, MS (1992-present); Long Beach, MS (1992-present)
Visit the University of Southern Mississippi BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.4
- Delivery (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4
Mississippi Valley State University
Itta Bena, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1978 · On-Campus
6.6
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1978Why it ranks in Mississippi
Based in Itta Bena, Mississippi Valley State University is a public university offering a BSW in Mississippi. The department frames its work around the Mississippi Delta specifically, with a stated emphasis on impoverished minority populations in rural and urban parts of the region and on advocacy for economic change there. Child and family welfare runs through both the coursework and the field placements. Cohorts are small, which shows in the public competency reporting. The 2025 assessment covered 15 students and put results between 80 and 99 percent against a 70 percent benchmark, while the following cycle covered 8 students in the face to face option and ranged from 73 to 90 percent. Both draw on the final field evaluation and an integrative paper. CSWE accreditation dates to 1978, 48 years of unbroken standing, above the Mississippi median of 32 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,892 · Out-of-state $7,892 / year
Locations
Itta Bena, MS (1978-present)
Visit the Mississippi Valley State University BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.7
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #5
Delta State University
Cleveland, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1983 · On-Campus
6.5
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1983Why it ranks in Mississippi
Based in Cleveland, Delta State University is a public university offering a BSW in Mississippi. Students take volunteer placements throughout the program and then a senior internship in the final semester, supervised by a licensed social worker. Common sites include Mississippi Child Protection Services, the Delta Children's Advocacy Center, the state Department of Mental Health, Grace Hospice and the South Delta area agency on aging. A Title IV-E funded MAP scholarship covers most tuition for the final two semesters for seniors who intern with Mississippi Child Protection Services and commit to a year of employment afterward. Eligibility requires the Child Advocacy Studies Training certificate, which adds a mock crime scene, a mock meth lab and a child abuse simulation. CSWE accreditation dates to 1983, 43 years of unbroken standing, above the Mississippi median of 32 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $8,435 · Out-of-state $8,435 / year
Locations
Cleveland, MS (1983-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 8.9
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #6
Mississippi State University-Starkville
Starkville, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1995 · On-Campus
6.2
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1995Why it ranks in Mississippi
Mississippi State University-Starkville teaches the BSW in Starkville, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Mississippi. Students can declare social work on day one, but upper-division social work courses stay closed until formal admission to the program, which most students seek at the end of sophomore year and transfers during their first semester at MSU. Introductory statistics is a prerequisite for the research methods course. Getting into the major turns on an interview. Applicants submit three references and meet the Social Work Admissions Committee in person, and they need a B in Introduction to Social Work, a course carrying 30 hours of service learning inside a human service agency, plus a C in two of three courses on policy, at-risk populations and human behavior. In-state tuition runs $9,665 a year against $26,430 for nonresidents, in line with the Mississippi median of $9,665.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $9,665 · Out-of-state $26,430 / year
Locations
Starkville, MS (1995-present)
Visit the Mississippi State University-Starkville BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #7
Mississippi State University-Meridian
Meridian, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1998 · On-Campus
6.0
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1998Why it ranks in Mississippi
Mississippi State University-Meridian teaches the BSW in Meridian, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Mississippi. The 124 hour degree runs its social work core as a fixed sequence, from social welfare policy and two human behavior courses into research methods, child welfare services, two practice courses and work with communities and organizations. A senior seminar doubles as the writing requirement, and anatomy and physiology and two anthropology courses are required outside the major. Declaring the major is not the same as being admitted. Students need a 2.0 cumulative GPA, liberal arts prerequisites, two social work courses passed with a C, and Introduction to Social Work with 20 hours of service learning passed with a B. Admission also takes three reference letters, background and abuse registry checks, and an interview with the committee. CSWE accreditation dates to 1998, 28 years of unbroken standing, below the Mississippi median of 32 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $9,665 · Out-of-state $26,430 / year
Locations
Meridian, MS (1998-present)
Visit the Mississippi State University-Meridian BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.5
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #8
Mississippi College
Clinton, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 1994 · On-Campus
5.7
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1994Why it ranks in Mississippi
Mississippi College teaches the BSW in Clinton, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Mississippi. Field work is concentrated rather than spread out, a single nine-credit practicum in the final spring semester paired with a three-credit senior seminar. That last term also carries a zero-credit licensure exam course, so students sit the ASWB while still enrolled. The department reports an 85 percent aggregate ASWB pass rate for its graduating classes, which it says runs above both the state and national figures, and a 95 percent acceptance rate into graduate education. All graduating seniors reach 90 percent or better on competency benchmarks across the final field evaluation and senior integration paper. Published tuition is $20,246 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Mississippi median of $9,665.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$20,246 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Clinton, MS (1994-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.1
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #9
Rust College
Holly Springs, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 2000 · On-Campus
5.6
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2000Why it ranks in Mississippi
Based in Holly Springs, Rust College is a private university offering a BSW in Mississippi. The major requires 33 credit hours of core social work courses plus nine hours of field practicum and a three-hour field seminar. Course listings include child welfare services, social welfare policy, human behavior and the social environment, and social work ethics, and a 15-hour social work minor is also available. The department runs the Gemma D. Beckley Family and Community Resource Institute, a center founded in 1999 that doubles as a student practice site and a service provider for Marshall County. It delivers anger management and life skills classes for youth ages 12 to 17, teen and adult parenting classes, and referral services. Published tuition is $11,385 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Mississippi median of $9,665.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$11,385 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Holly Springs, MS (2000-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.2
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #10
Belhaven University
Jackson, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 2013 · On-Campus
4.8
On-Campus Full-time 2 campuses 1 certificate Accred. since 2013Why it ranks in Mississippi
Based in Jackson, Belhaven University is a private university offering a BSW in Mississippi. The placement runs a full academic year in a single agency, with 400 hours required for graduation. Sites have included Sunnybrook Children's Home, the Veterans Administration, University Medical Center, Catholic Charities, Gateway Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army, plus domestic violence shelters and group homes. Declaring the major is not enough on its own. Students submit a separate application for admission to the social work program after they finish the introductory course, SWK 200. Published tuition is $28,800 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Mississippi median of $9,665.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$28,800 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Jackson, MS (2013-present); Madison, MS (2013-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 4.1
- Delivery (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #11
Alcorn State University
Lorman, MS · CSWE-Accredited since 2008 · On-Campus
4.6
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 2008Why it ranks in Mississippi
Alcorn State University teaches the BSW in Lorman, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Mississippi. The degree runs 120 hours, 44 in the general core and 76 in the major, with pre-professional courses in the first two years and the professional sequence in the junior and senior years. Electives include Social Work Practice with the Black Family, Social Work in Corrections and Rural Sociology. Majors complete a 400-hour internship in a private or community based agency under the supervision of a licensed social worker. Faculty and field supervisors train students for work in aging, health and mental health, substance abuse, school social work, child welfare, family services and community development. CSWE accreditation dates to 2008, 18 years of unbroken standing, below the Mississippi median of 32 years. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in Mississippi.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,869 · Out-of-state $7,869 / year
Locations
Lorman, MS (2008-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 4.9
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
The Social Work Industry in Mississippi
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for Mississippi'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, Mississippi's 11 accredited programs are based across 15 cities, including Desoto, Oxford, Southaven, Tupelo, Jackson, Hattiesburg, and others, all campus-based. 5 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 Mississippi social-service economy.
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 1.13 in Mississippi, meaning the occupation is 13% more concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 2.9 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In Mississippi, social workers held about 6,400 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 MS | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 3,310 | $46,530 | $47,750 | $33,590 to $62,130 |
| Healthcare social workers | 1,890 | $62,250 | $60,300 | $39,770 to $78,520 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 920 | $48,970 | $50,750 | $25,880 to $78,920 |
| Social workers, all other | 280 | $91,560 | $79,880 | $37,110 to $109,300 |
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 Mississippi; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in Mississippi
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
Mississippi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSW | Licensed Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LMSW), and the clinical, independent-practice level (LCSW). 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.