Enrolling in an online master’s in social work degree program brings many benefits. You won’t be limited to the concentrations and degree timelines offered by your local universities, and you’ll have a more flexible schedule for balancing work needs and difficult courses. Plus, online degrees tend to be more affordable than in-person programs. With the growing popularity and acceptance of online graduate programs, there’s never been a better time to enroll in classes.
1. You Can Choose Between a Cohort or a Non-Cohort Approach
Almost every brick-and-mortar social work graduate program requires you to follow a cohort model for your education. This means you have to begin classes during a particular month, take classes in a prescribed order and graduate with everyone else in your cohort. You’ll bond with your classmates and make steady progress towards your degree, but you won’t have flexibility in your scheduling or class choices. Some online MSW programs use a cohort approach, but others let you choose your own pace. You can pick a school that offers the educational model that’s best suited to your needs.
2. It’s Easier to Balance Work and School
If you’re already working in the social work field or looking to transition from your current career, you won’t have to quit your job or lower your hours to earn your social work graduate degree online. By taking virtual classes, you save yourself time. You won’t have to worry about packing dinner to eat during class, dealing with rush hour traffic, finding a parking spot on campus or sitting through a 3-hour lecture on material you already know. Instead, you control your learning schedule and complete assignments at home.
3. You Save Money
The growing popularity of online learning is lowering the cost of earning a degree. Tuition for completely online MSW programs is often cheaper than the traditional equivalent because online classes are less expensive to run. Your professors are also more likely to upload reading assignments to your learning management software; this keeps you from spending hundreds of dollars on textbooks every semester. You also won’t have to pay for on-campus parking spots, over-priced snacks or the gas to get to class.
4. Work at Your Own Pace
Perhaps you struggle with math and need to listen to statistics lectures multiple times to understand the concepts. Maybe you already have a bachelor’s of social work (BSW) degree and don’t need to review Jane Addams’ biography for the fourth time. Regardless of your reasoning, a big advantage of online social work master’s programs is the ability to control the speed of your education. You can spend extra time or look at outside resources for challenging material and just skip through lectures you already understand with the press of a button.
5. Enhance Your Career
Earning your MSW can help in your career advancement. You’ll be eligible for promotions, clinical licensure and expanded job options. Choosing an online master’s of social work degree program can accelerate your career growth. Because you’ll be studying remotely, you’ll need to use local resources to get the most from your school work. This means you have a ready-made excuse to talk to your boss about social work ethics or reach out to your mentors for detailed discussions. Plus, the convenience of remote classes will leave you with time to attend networking events.
Your educational journey is unique. An online master’s in social work degree offers many benefits, including customization for your individual needs.
Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Social Work Degree Programs