Missouri has 15 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is Saint Louis University, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1974. 6 of the 15 record an online option; the rest are campus-based. 2 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. A program marked National # ranks among the top 20 of all 535 accredited BSW programs in the country, per our five-factor scoring method.
Missouri BSW programs at a glance
15
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1974
Oldest, Saint Louis University, accredited since
6
Offer an online option
3
At an R1 or R2 research university
Missouri's 15 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1974 to 2019, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is University of Missouri-St. Louis at 8.7 out of 10, a Carnegie R2 research university. The newest, Maryville University, earned accreditation in 2019. Among the Missouri programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $7,370 to $52,260 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in Missouri earns a median of $48,520 a year, 19% below the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 15 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in Missouri
Every one of these BSW programs in Missouri 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 #16
University of Missouri-St. Louis
St. Louis, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1979 · Online or On-Campus
8.7
Online or On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full & part-time 1 campus + online 3 certificates Accred. since 1979Why it ranks in Missouri
University of Missouri-St. Louis teaches the BSW in St. Louis, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. Besides the on-campus major, the school runs a Live/Virtual option called LiVi for students outside the St. Louis region, taught in a live interactive classroom with weekly contact with faculty and classmates rather than as self-paced coursework. Practicum totals 480 hours across two semesters, worth four credits each for the agency work plus two for the companion seminar. The first seminar stays on direct practice, the second turns to agency structure, management, advocacy, policy and program evaluation, and students need 90 credit hours and a 2.5 social work GPA before they can start. In-state tuition runs $15,870 a year against $39,510 for nonresidents, above the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $15,870 · Out-of-state $39,510 / year
2025-26 tuition & fees, 30 cr · umsl.edu
Locations
St. Louis, MO (1979-present); Online (2023-present); Park Hills, MO (1979-2023);
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.5
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 9.0
- #2
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
8.1
On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Missouri
Based in St. Louis, Saint Louis University is a private university offering a BSW in Missouri. Seniors complete 480 hours at a single site across two semesters, each practicum running 10 to 20 weeks at 15 to 30 hours per week with at least an hour of weekly supervision. Students choose sites through a structured self-selection process, interviewing with agencies drawn from more than 400 local partners. Practicum options run through community mental health, criminal justice, gerontology, global social work, veteran services and school social work. High achievers can enter an accelerated pathway during the junior year and add the MSW in as little as one more year, and Honors Program students may take social work courses for honors credit. Published tuition is $52,260 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$52,260 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
St. Louis, MO (1974-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 9.5
- #3
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · Online or On-Campus
8.1
Online or On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full-time 1 campus + online Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Missouri
University of Missouri teaches the BSW in Columbia, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. The 120-hour degree turns on a professional core of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Social Statistics, two Social Justice and Social Policy courses, an Interaction Skills Workshop and group work practice. Students add six hours of Power, Privilege and Oppression coursework and one field-of-practice elective in Deaf Culture, addiction treatment, domestic violence or direct practice with older adults. The undergraduate practicum is a six-credit, 400-hour placement taken in the third semester of the professional core, with students on site 24 hours a week, usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It begins a week before the semester opens, and the Director of Field Education assigns placements, generally within the local area. CSWE accreditation dates to 1974, 52 years of unbroken standing, above the Missouri median of 36 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $13,008 · Out-of-state $33,216 / year
Locations
Columbia, MO (1974-present); Online (2014-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4
Missouri State University
Springfield, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1977 · Online or On-Campus
7.7
Online or On-Campus Full-time 1 campus + online 2 certificates Accred. since 1977Why it ranks in Missouri
Missouri State University teaches the BSW in Springfield, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. The degree is offered both seated in Springfield and fully online, with identical required coursework either way, and students pick the format when they apply rather than switching later. Both options carry their own CSWE accreditation. Declaring the major makes a student a pre-major only. Before 45 credit hours students must declare through the McQueary College advising center and attend a BSW information meeting, where they are assigned an advisor, then apply in the spring of sophomore year. Formal admission is what unlocks SWK 304 and every course above it. In-state tuition runs $7,812 a year against $16,716 for nonresidents, below the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,812 · Out-of-state $16,716 / year
Locations
Springfield, MO (1977-present); Online (2020-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.8
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 7.0
- #5
Avila University
Kansas City, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · Online or On-Campus
7.3
Online or On-Campus Full-time 1 campus + online Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Missouri
Based in Kansas City, Avila University is a private university offering a BSW in Missouri. Field is SW 495 and SW 496 at four credits each, with a two-credit integrated seminar running alongside. Agencies commonly require a criminal disclosure and child abuse screening first, and students admitted on conditional status may plan a placement but cannot interview for one until that status is lifted, with an April 1 cutoff for fall starts. The application window is November 1 to 15, and the packet runs to a personal statement, a signed NASW ethics pledge, a self-assessment of professional functioning, a resume and an evaluation from the supervisor who hosted the student's shadow experience, returned sealed. Decisions go out in mid-December. Published tuition is $38,762 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$38,762 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Kansas City, MO (1974-present); Online (2023-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #6
Missouri Western State University
St. Joseph, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1977 · On-Campus
7.1
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1977Why it ranks in Missouri
Missouri Western State University teaches the BSW in St. Joseph, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. Every faculty member has direct face to face practice experience, more than 70 years of it between them, so the teaching comes from people who did the work. About a third of students in the program are people of color, per university institutional research. Three quarters of graduates go on to earn the MSW. The department draws that figure from its own SWEAP exit survey of alumni rather than from an outside source, and reports it alongside its faculty and student demographics. In-state tuition runs $7,740 a year against $16,260 for nonresidents, below the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,740 · Out-of-state $16,260 / year
Locations
St. Joseph, MO (1977-present)
Visit the Missouri Western State University BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.8
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #7
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1990 · Online or On-Campus
6.9
Online or On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus + online Accred. since 1990Why it ranks in Missouri
Southeast Missouri State University teaches the BSSW in Cape Girardeau, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. Formal admission to the major comes after 45 semester hours with a 2.25 cumulative GPA and a C or better in introductory psychology plus seven social work courses, none of which may be repeated for admission without written permission from an advisor and the program coordinator. Admission is what unlocks human behavior, the practice sequence, research, seminar and field. The program is pointed squarely at the underserved and vulnerable populations of the southeast Missouri region, with a stated mission of generalist practice largely in rural environments. It is also one of the majors eligible for Missouri's Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant for adult learners returning to college. CSWE approved the online option in 2026, the most recent online approval among the 6 online programs on this list.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $8,151 · Out-of-state $8,151 / year
Locations
Cape Girardeau, MO (1990-present); Online (2026-present)
Visit the Southeast Missouri State University BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.8
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #8
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1986 · On-Campus
6.7
On-Campus Full & part-time 2 campuses Accred. since 1986Why it ranks in Missouri
Based in Warrensburg, University of Central Missouri is a public university offering a BSW in Missouri. Coursework runs at Warrensburg and at the Lee's Summit campus near Kansas City, and Lee's Summit carries the only social work night classes in the area, meeting Monday through Thursday evenings. That schedule requires fall, spring and summer enrollment across two years, while Warrensburg classes follow a Monday, Wednesday, Friday daytime pattern. Majors run a poverty simulation for community participants and travel to Jefferson City on Advocacy Day to meet policymakers, alongside Phi Alpha and the Association of Social Work Students. Scholarships reserved for the major include the C. James Britton award and the Dr. Theresa Gordon Social Work Senior Scholarship. In-state tuition runs $8,325 a year against $16,650 for nonresidents, below the Missouri median of $13,008. It operates more approved teaching sites than any of the BSW programs in Missouri.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $8,325 · Out-of-state $16,650 / year
Locations
Warrensburg, MO (1986-present); Lee's Summit, MO (1986-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 8.4
- Delivery (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #9
Evangel University
Springfield, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 1996 · On-Campus
5.9
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1996Why it ranks in Missouri
Evangel University teaches the BSW in Springfield, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. Admission to the major is a separate step, granted after students complete Introduction to Social Work and a sophomore seminar and reach a 2.5 cumulative GPA. Every social work course in the major must be passed with at least a C minus. Research is built out over two courses, with students designing a project in the methods course and then carrying it out inside their practicum agency, presenting findings in writing and orally. Coursework also examines the role of the church and the faith based movement within the social welfare system and in delinquency prevention. Published tuition is $25,922 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$25,922 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Springfield, MO (1996-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 6.8
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #10
Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 2010 · On-Campus
5.8
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2010Why it ranks in Missouri
Based in Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University is a private university offering a BSW in Missouri. Alongside the standard four-year plan, the department publishes separate degree maps for forensic, healthcare, pre-clinical and school social work, so students can aim their coursework at a setting. Minors in counseling, gerontology, psychology, psychology with sports performance enhancement or sociology can be added, as can a certificate in child care work. Every member of the 2018 graduating class was employed or accepted into graduate school within 30 days of graduation. Graduates have taken positions with ARC of the Ozarks, Burrell Behavioral Health, the Missouri Children's Division, Missouri Baptist Children's Home, Pathways Community Health and probation and parole offices. Published tuition is $27,290 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$27,290 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Bolivar, MO (2010-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 4.6
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 10.0
- #11
Park University
Parkville, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 2003 · On-Campus
5.4
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2003Why it ranks in Missouri
Park University teaches the BSW in Parkville, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. Coursework is built on the strengths perspective and ecological systems theory, with early classes tied to service learning and later ones tracing how US social welfare policy took its current shape and how to argue for changing it. Capstone projects and advanced seminars close the degree with research design and ethical reasoning. The BSW is offered on campus and runs 120 credit hours. Graduating requires a 2.0 GPA in the major and at least 30 credits earned at Park, 15 of them inside the major core, which shapes how much transfer work can count. CSWE accreditation dates to 2003, 23 years of unbroken standing, below the Missouri median of 36 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$11,908 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Parkville, MO (2003-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.7
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #12
Lindenwood University
St. Charles, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 2005 · On-Campus
5.3
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2005Why it ranks in Missouri
Based in St. Charles, Lindenwood University is a private university offering a BSW in Missouri. Students graduate with 510 hours of field experience, most of it from a 400-hour practicum taken in the final semester alongside a seminar course. Service-learning projects and agency observation experiences earlier in the program account for the remainder. General education and introductory coursework come first, and students then apply for secondary admission into the social work major rather than entering it directly. Advisors guide progression through the sequence and field placement preparation from that point. Published tuition is $19,900 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$19,900 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
St. Charles, MO (2005-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.4
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #13
Lincoln University
Jefferson City, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 2011 · On-Campus
4.9
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2011Why it ranks in Missouri
Based in Jefferson City, Lincoln University is a public university offering a BSW in Missouri. The degree totals 121 credits with 40 hours at the 300 and 400 level. Practice is split across three courses covering individuals, groups, and communities and organizations, and a two-semester human behavior sequence runs from prenatal development through end of life. Most social work courses are offered only once a year, fall or spring, so the sequence matters. A partnership with Saint Louis University gives graduates an accelerated route into an MSW, which matters because the BSSW is the only social work degree Lincoln offers. Interviewing skills are taught in a dedicated intercultural communication course that carries required service-learning hours. CSWE accreditation dates to 2011, 15 years of unbroken standing, below the Missouri median of 36 years. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in Missouri.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,370 · Out-of-state $14,962 / year
Locations
Jefferson City, MO (2011-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 4.4
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #14
Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO · CSWE-Accredited since 2015 · On-Campus
4.7
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 2015Why it ranks in Missouri
Missouri Southern State University teaches the BSW in Joplin, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Missouri. Field education is 450 hours split across two sequential semesters in the senior year, fall and spring. Partner agencies span the four state region and cover medical and school based social work, hospice, mental health, substance use intervention, domestic violence and macro practice. The bachelor's is currently the only social work degree here, with an MSW planned to launch as early as 2027. Because licensure rules differ by state, the program keeps a state by state compliance chart and requires an attestation form before enrollment naming where a student lives and where they intend to practice. CSWE accreditation dates to 2015, 11 years of unbroken standing, below the Missouri median of 36 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $8,400 · Out-of-state $16,800 / year
Locations
Joplin, MO (2015-present)
Visit the Missouri Southern State University BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 3.8
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #15
Maryville University
Online · CSWE-Accredited since 2019 · Online
4.4
Online Part-time 0 campuses + online Accred. since 2019Why it ranks in Missouri
Based in Online, Maryville University is a private university offering a BSW in Missouri. The 120-credit program pairs core work in theory, ethics, research methods, statistics and human behavior with electives such as sociology of healthcare, human sexuality, mental health in society and juvenile delinquency. Self-care, emotional literacy and financial literacy are treated as explicit subjects rather than asides, and the sequence closes with a capstone project or portfolio. Coursework is delivered entirely online with no application fee and no SAT or ACT, and the practicum is arranged in a setting local to the student. The degree cannot be completed by anyone living in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, and no credit is granted for prior work experience. Published tuition is $24,766 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Missouri median of $13,008.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$24,766 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Online (2019-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 3.1
- Delivery (22%) 6.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
The Social Work Industry in Missouri
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for Missouri'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, Missouri's 15 accredited programs are based across 13 cities, including St. Louis, Columbia, Springfield, Kansas City, St. Joseph, Cape Girardeau, and others, 6 offering an online option. 3 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 Missouri 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 1.30 in Missouri, meaning the occupation is 30% more concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 3.3 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In Missouri, social workers held about 16,280 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 MO | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 9,620 | $48,520 | $51,360 | $37,200 to $65,230 |
| Healthcare social workers | 4,430 | $59,870 | $60,560 | $39,180 to $79,560 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 1,640 | $49,560 | $53,470 | $38,610 to $72,800 |
| Social workers, all other | 590 | $98,740 | $92,360 | $50,770 to $119,750 |
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 Missouri; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in Missouri
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
Missouri 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 Bachelors Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LAMSW, 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.