Studying Social Work in Dallas
Dallas gives BSW students access to one of the largest and most varied social-service economies in the South. The city pairs a major corporate and healthcare sector with a deep public safety-net, anchored by Parkland Health and Metrocare Services, so almost every field of practice is represented within the metro.
For a baccalaureate student, that means field placements and entry-level jobs across hospitals, the county mental-health authority, child-welfare agencies, schools, and a large nonprofit sector, often with quick movement from placement into a paid role. Bilingual Spanish-speaking graduates are in steady demand.
Dallas and the surrounding metroplex host several CSWE-accredited BSW programs, and many more are a short drive away in Arlington, Denton, and Fort Worth, giving students a dense network of campuses and field sites.
The Best BSW Programs in Dallas, TX
Accredited programs with a campus in Dallas, ranked by our five-factor model. A Dallas program shows a national or online rank badge only if it places in that list's top 25.
- #1 In Dallas
East Texas A&M University
Commerce, TX · CSWE-accredited since 1978 · On-Campus
7.4
On-campus Full-time 1 certificate Carnegie R2Why it ranks near Dallas
East Texas A&M University teaches the BSW in Dallas itself. The degree runs 120 credit hours over four years with no foreign language requirement and no minor, which leaves 18 to 21 hours of electives outside the major. Two specific courses are locked in beyond the 42-hour Texas core, MATH 1342 and SOC 1306, along with three lower-division social work courses. The Commerce schedule is set rather than chosen: four courses a semester, two face-to-face and two online, with the in-person classes meeting only on Tuesdays in a nine to noon block and a one to four block. Applicants who fall short of the criteria can be admitted conditionally on a readiness plan. In-state tuition runs $4,790 a year against $17,390 for nonresidents, below the local median of $8,319.
Five-factor score breakdown
- Accreditation longevity (40%) 9.7
- Delivery flexibility (22%) 5.0
- Prestige (Carnegie research tier) (15%) 7.5
- Schedule flexibility (12%) 6.0
- Program breadth (11%) 5.0
Accredited Campuses Within 60 Miles of Dallas
6 accredited programs with a campus within about 60 straight-line miles of central Dallas, ranked by our five-factor model. The full profile for each school sits on the page of the city its campus is in, or in the Texas ranking.
| Program | Nearest campus | Miles | Format | Natl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington | ~22 | Online or On-Campus | #30 |
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth | ~34 | On-Campus | #59 |
| Tarleton State University | Fort Worth | ~34 | On-Campus | #73 |
| Texas Woman's University | Denton | ~36 | On-Campus | #100 |
| University of North Texas | Denton | ~36 | On-Campus | #110 |
| Nelson University | Waxahachie | ~29 | Online or On-Campus | #460 |
Online BSW Programs Open to Dallas Students
Texas-based CSWE-accredited programs with an online option, which Dallas residents can complete from home. Programs based outside Texas that also take Dallas students are in the national online BSW ranking.
| Institution | Accredited | Format | Natl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Lady of the Lake University | 1974 | Online or On-Campus | #10 |
| University of Texas at Arlington | 1982 | Online or On-Campus | #30 |
| Texas State University | 1978 | Online or On-Campus | #38 |
| Abilene Christian University | 1982 | Online or On-Campus | #65 |
| Angelo State University | 2010 | Online or On-Campus | #407 |
| Nelson University | 2018 | Online or On-Campus | #460 |
What Social Workers Earn in the Dallas Area in 2026
Dallas, Texas sits within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, the labor market that sets pay and demand for its social-service workforce. The labor market Dallas draws on employs roughly 10,460 social workers across the specialties , and the most common BSW-level specialty there, child, family, and school social work, pays a $57,080 median. These figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program (May 2025) for the area around Dallas.
| Occupation | Employed | Median wage | Typical range (10th–90th) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family & school social workers | 4,480 | $57,080 | $40,650 to $75,970 |
| Social & human service assistants (entry-level) | 4,140 | $46,850 | $31,530 to $61,310 |
| Healthcare social workers | 2,630 | $75,930 | $45,440 to $100,110 |
| Mental health & substance abuse social workers | 2,720 | $47,390 | $37,440 to $72,500 |
| Social workers, all other | 630 | $98,670 | $47,790 to $149,240 |
| Social & community service managers (macro) | 3,390 | $80,480 | $51,710 to $128,690 |
How local pay compares
Child, family & school social workers around Dallas earn a median of $57,080 versus $55,680 statewide in Texas and $59,550 nationally. That is at or above the Texas median.
Where do social workers work in Dallas in 2026?
Dallas combines a major corporate and healthcare economy with a deep public safety-net. Parkland Health, one of the largest public hospital systems in the country, along with Children’s Health, UT Southwestern, and Baylor Scott & White, employs medical and pediatric social workers, while Metrocare Services operates as Dallas County’s mental-health authority and the largest provider of behavioral-health services in North Texas.
Dallas County Health and Human Services, the Dallas Independent School District, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services anchor child-welfare, school, and human-services roles. A strong nonprofit sector, including Family Gateway, The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, and Jonathan’s Place, hires BSW graduates into case-management and shelter roles across the city.
Dallas, Texas sits in Dallas County. Representative organizations in and around the city that commonly employ social workers and BSW-level human-service staff include:
- Metrocare Services, Dallas County’s mental-health authority
- Parkland Health and Children’s Health (Children’s Medical Center Dallas)
- UT Southwestern Medical Center and Baylor Scott & White
- Dallas Independent School District
- Family Gateway, The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, and Jonathan’s Place
- Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
An illustrative list of employers known to operate around Dallas, not an exhaustive or BLS-sourced one.
Beyond Dallas, BLS projects national social worker employment to grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with healthcare and mental-health settings leading. Pay by role for Dallas graduates to compare against is in our salary guides.
Source for Dallas: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, with projections from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. The medians include every worker in each occupation, so BSW-level pay in Dallas usually sits toward the low end of each range.
Who Social Workers Serve in Dallas
Dallas social workers serve a large, diverse, and growing population, including substantial Latino and immigrant communities where bilingual skills are valuable. Rapid growth and uneven prosperity drive significant need around housing, healthcare access, and family stability.
Child welfare is among the largest fields, given the size of the state’s child-protection system and the county’s safety-net hospitals, and homelessness response has grown with the metro. Medical and behavioral-health social work are well represented thanks to Parkland, Children’s Health, and Metrocare Services.
Field Placements and Agencies Around Dallas
CSWE’s 400-hour field requirement is easy to meet in Dallas, where Parkland Health, Metrocare Services, Dallas County agencies, school districts, and a large nonprofit sector all host BSW interns. The metroplex’s many campuses keep field-placement networks deep.
Programs in and around Dallas, including the East Texas A&M campus in the city and universities in nearby Arlington, Denton, and Fort Worth, maintain field partnerships across the region. Placements often lead into first jobs and supervised LBSW experience.
Macro Social Work Jobs in Dallas
Macro social work, the level focused on organizations, communities, policy, and systems, is well developed in Dallas. The scale of Parkland Health, Metrocare Services, and the metroplex’s large nonprofits creates roles in program coordination, community organizing, grants and development, and administration, often supported by significant corporate philanthropy.
A BSW, and the Texas LBSW, is a realistic entry point into macro work through program-assistant, outreach-coordination, and community-organizing roles at nonprofits and public agencies. Senior macro positions, such as program director or policy analyst, generally expect an MSW with a macro concentration, so many Dallas social workers begin macro at the BSW level and advance after a graduate degree.
Can I work in child welfare or CPS with a BSW in Dallas?
Yes, and child welfare is one of the largest employers of BSW graduates in Dallas. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services hires bachelor’s-level caseworkers for Child Protective Services across Dallas County, and nonprofits such as Jonathan’s Place and the county’s family-services programs add child- and family-focused roles.
BSW graduates work as investigators, conservatorship and family-based-safety-services caseworkers, and case managers, supporting children and families through assessment, placement, and reunification. The work is demanding and turnover is real, but it offers early responsibility and a direct path to LBSW licensure and later an MSW.
Can I go from a BSW to an MSW in Dallas?
Yes, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is one of the best places in Texas to do it. Several universities in and around Dallas offer MSW programs, and a CSWE-accredited BSW positions you for Advanced Standing admission, which lets recent BSW graduates skip the first year of the master’s.
Because clinical practice and the LCSW require a master’s in Texas, many Dallas social workers earn their LBSW, work in a county, hospital, or nonprofit role, and complete an MSW part-time. Local employers often support this path, since it strengthens their own workforce.
Can I get a Social Work license with a BSW in Dallas, Texas?
Texas licenses social workers statewide, so the rules a Dallas graduate follows are the state's, taken here from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) regulatory database as captured in 2026.
Yes. A Dallas BSW graduate can apply for Texas's bachelor-level license (LBSW), and the degree that license is built on is a CSWE-accredited BSW, which is why accreditation carries the most weight in how we rank the programs on this page.
| License | Name | Exam | CSWE BSW required |
|---|---|---|---|
| LBSW | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
From a Dallas BSW, the license ladder continues to the master's level (LMSW, LMSW-AP) , and the clinical, independent-practice level (LCSW). A recent BSW from an accredited Dallas-area program also opens Advanced Standing admission to a master's.
Common Questions About BSW Programs in Dallas
How many CSWE-accredited BSW programs are in Dallas?
How much do social workers earn in Dallas?
Can I earn a BSW online from Dallas?
Do I need a license to work with a BSW in Texas?
BSW programs in other Texas cities
Sources
- CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs for the accreditation, campuses, and structure of each Dallas-area program.
- U.S. Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer and Population Estimates Program for Dallas's coordinates and population.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2025) for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wages; ASWB regulatory database for Texas license requirements.
This Dallas page was published 2026-06-29 and last updated 2026-08-05. "Near" means a campus within 60 straight-line miles of central Dallas.