Best Online Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) Programs

If you’re a seasoned social worker, you’ve already devoted your career to helping others. But you may have also wondered how you could do even more — and whether a doctorate in social work would help.

We’ll be honest — a doctorate in social work is a lot of … work. But for folks who don’t mind some heavy academic lifting and who want a shot at the most advanced clinical practice and research positions, an online DSW program may be a good choice.

Here’s how to make sure it’s a good choice for you:

With a doctorate in social work, you can pursue several in-demand healthcare careers. If you’re looking to specialize, most programs offer tracks in specific areas, such as social work education, advanced clinical practice, or social work leadership.

Similarly, you may concentrate in areas such as child and school social work or mental health. DSW programs also tend to feature more advanced clinical internships than Ph.D. programs.

Both degrees are doctoral-level programs. Both options can help you advance your career, deepen your knowledge, and widen your impact in the field.

But these degrees do differ somewhat when it comes to program focus, curriculum, and future career paths.

The answer really depends on your professional goals. If you’re devoted to furthering the social work field through teaching and research, then a Ph.D. in social work would be a good choice.

But if you want to become an expert clinician who can handle the most complex cases or step into impactful leadership positions, a DSW would make the most sense.

Look, $130K-$263K for a Ph.D. is a really big financial lift — especially for someone in a career that isn’t exactly known for high pay.

This is why we recommend that you consider earning your doctorate online to save time, money, and opportunity costs. You should also apply for every grant, scholarship, or fellowship you can find.

You know what they say: Friends don’t let friends pay for doctoral degrees. Many doctoral programs offer multi-year funding packages that cover tuition and provide a stipend, and sometimes even offer healthcare.

But if you’re considering picking up the whole tab yourself, you should think really hard about whether the payoff will be worth it.

A doctorate in social work can be worth it for social workers who want to get into advanced clinical practice or an academic career.

You don’t need a DSW to become a licensed clinical social worker, but it can help you specialize in practice areas you’re most passionate about.

In addition to expanding job opportunities and responsibilities, earning a doctorate often helps graduates qualify for higher salaries. Top earners in the social work field take home more than $100,000 annually.

A doctorate in social work is a distinction that can open the door to advanced practice, leadership, and research positions in the field. See options for social work careers below:

At the doctoral level, you’ll get to hone in on the area of specialization that you care about the most. Some common specializations include:

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the primary accreditation organization for social work programs in the United States.

It’s crucial that you get your DSW from a CSWE-accredited program for a few reasons:

It takes between 2-5 years to complete a doctoral degree in social work, depending on your course load, school, and program.

Many DSW programs require you to complete an original research dissertation or capstone project in addition to your coursework.

Coursework varies by program, but most DSW programs will include some version of the following:

These requirements may vary, but many doctoral social work programs typically require applications to have the following:

A doctorate gives you access to various well-paying careers in social work. One of the highest-paying social work careers is a public relations and fundraising manager.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these workers earned a median annual salary of $130,480 in May 2023.

In addition, Payscale reports that clinical directors earned an average salary of $85,510 per year as of April 2024.

Of course! Most online DSW programs provide the flexibility to get your degree part time, or on whatever schedule works best for you. This gives you the added freedom to continue working and gaining professional experience while going to school.

Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges. Page last reviewed April 24, 2024.