Oklahoma has 5 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is University of Oklahoma, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1974. 2 of the 5 record an online option; the rest are campus-based. 1 is hosted at a Carnegie R1 (very 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.
Oklahoma BSW programs at a glance
5
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1974
Oldest, University of Oklahoma, accredited since
2
Offer an online option
1
At an R1 or R2 research university
Oklahoma's 5 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1974 to 2005, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is University of Oklahoma at 8.8 out of 10, a Carnegie R1 research university. The newest, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, earned accreditation in 2005. Among the Oklahoma programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $5,448 to $32,500 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in Oklahoma earns a median of $43,950 a year, 26% below the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 5 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in Oklahoma
Every one of these BSW programs in Oklahoma 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 #13
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · Online or On-Campus
8.8
Online or On-Campus Carnegie R1 Full & part-time 2 campuses + online Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in Oklahoma
Based in Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university offering a BSW in Oklahoma. The degree runs on two campuses with different shapes. Norman takes two years full time or three part time, while the Tulsa version is a two to three year degree completion program, and spring and summer entry points are listed for Tulsa only. Getting in means two separate applications, one to the university and a second to the Zarrow School itself. Fall applications close June 30 for both campuses, with Tulsa adding a November 5 deadline for spring entry and March 31 for summer. In-state tuition runs $10,181 a year against $28,301 for nonresidents, above the Oklahoma median of $6,623. No other program among the BSW programs in Oklahoma has held CSWE accreditation longer.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $10,181 · Out-of-state $28,301 / year
2025-26 tuition & fees · ou.edu
Locations
Norman, OK (1974-present); Tulsa, OK (1974-present); Online (2026-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 8.0
- Prestige (15%) 10.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #2
East Central University
Ada, OK · CSWE-Accredited since 1984 · Online or On-Campus
7.3
Online or On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus + online Accred. since 1984Why it ranks in Oklahoma
East Central University teaches the BSW in Ada, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Oklahoma. Students apply to the program only after clearing a prerequisite block: introduction to social work and social welfare, professional skills, general biology or another approved human biology course, general psychology, sociology and both freshman composition courses. Each requires a C or better alongside a 2.25 cumulative GPA, and applications with recommendation letters are read in both fall and spring. Competency results for 2025-26 came from 165 students, every one of them enrolled in the online option and none on campus. All nine competencies scored between 94 and 98 percent against a 75 percent benchmark, measured with the SWEAP curriculum and field instruments. In-state tuition runs $6,300 a year against $15,810 for nonresidents, in line with the Oklahoma median of $6,623.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $6,300 · Out-of-state $15,810 / year
Locations
Ada, OK (1984-present); Online (2021-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 8.7
- Delivery (22%) 7.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #3
Oral Roberts University
Tulsa, OK · CSWE-Accredited since 1981 · On-Campus
6.8
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1981Why it ranks in Oklahoma
Based in Tulsa, Oral Roberts University is a private university offering a BSW in Oklahoma. The degree plan totals 120.5 credits and turns on a four-course sequence, Social Work Practice I through IV, paired with Human Behavior in the Social Environment I and II, Social Welfare Policy, Research Methods and Minority Group Relations. Grant Writing is required in the junior year, and freshmen take two semesters of a language such as Arabic, Hebrew or Chinese. Practicum begins in the junior year as two 2-credit placements running alongside the practice courses, then jumps to a 12-credit senior practicum that occupies most of the fall semester. The final spring is given over to a senior seminar and a senior research paper. Published tuition is $32,500 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the Oklahoma median of $6,623.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$32,500 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Tulsa, OK (1981-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.2
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #4
Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, OK · CSWE-Accredited since 1991 · On-Campus
6.6
On-Campus Full & part-time 2 campuses 1 certificate Accred. since 1991Why it ranks in Oklahoma
Northeastern State University teaches the BSW in Tahlequah, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Oklahoma. The degree is offered at both the Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses. A published articulation agreement maps Tulsa Community College's Human Services Pre-Social Work associate degree onto the BSW, and the school posts its own transfer admission requirements separately. Graduates qualify for an Oklahoma license to practice generalist social work. The school states an explicit emphasis on first-generation college students and on serving Native American communities, and advanced electives may be drawn from American Indian Studies alongside psychology and social science. It also lists a Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program and a Schusterman Family Philanthropies scholarship for its students. CSWE accreditation dates to 1991, 35 years of unbroken standing, below the Oklahoma median of 42 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $6,623 · Out-of-state $15,743 / year
Locations
Tahlequah, OK (1991-present); Broken Arrow, OK (1991-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.6
- Delivery (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #5
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Alva, OK · CSWE-Accredited since 2005 · On-Campus
5.3
On-Campus Full-time 3 campuses Accred. since 2005Why it ranks in Oklahoma
Northwestern Oklahoma State University teaches the BSW in Alva, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in Oklahoma. Field education requires a minimum of 420 hours. Social work courses must be taken in sequence, and students are advised by department faculty rather than a general advisor, with provisional majors reviewed at the end of every term as a condition of staying in the program. Students apply within their first 15 hours of social work coursework and cannot go beyond 15 hours without an application and plan of study on file. Admission takes a C or better in SOCW 2113 and 2121, a 2.50 overall GPA, a professional resume and two references who cannot be family or friends, filed by October 15 or April 15. CSWE accreditation dates to 2005, 21 years of unbroken standing, below the Oklahoma median of 42 years. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in Oklahoma.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $5,448 · Out-of-state $11,142 / year
Locations
Alva, OK (2005-present); Enid, OK (2005-present); Woodward, OK (2005-present)
Visit the Northwestern Oklahoma State University BSW program site
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.4
- Delivery (22%) 6.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
The Social Work Industry in Oklahoma
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for Oklahoma'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, Oklahoma's 5 accredited programs are based across 8 cities, including Norman, Tulsa, Ada, Tahlequah, Broken Arrow, Alva, and others, 2 offering an online option. 1 is 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 Oklahoma 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 1.51 in Oklahoma, meaning the occupation is 51% more concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 3.8 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In Oklahoma, social workers held about 10,910 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 OK | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 6,500 | $43,950 | $46,730 | $37,560 to $59,540 |
| Healthcare social workers | 2,310 | $56,120 | $57,480 | $36,920 to $81,650 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 1,780 | $43,120 | $43,230 | $35,780 to $52,930 |
| Social workers, all other | 320 | $101,860 | $98,650 | $77,250 to $119,120 |
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 Oklahoma; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in Oklahoma
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
Oklahoma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSWA | Licensed Social Work Associate | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LMSW, LSW, LSW-ADM), 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.