Kutztown University MSW

157-year-old Kutztown University started as the Keystone State Normal School and has transformed from a teacher preparation school into a university that offers a wide range of academic programs. The institution began by training teachers for the developing industrial economy and adapted as society became more complex. The school reached a milestone in 1928 when it became Kutztown State Teacher’s College and gained the authority to award bachelor’s degrees.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania changed the institution’s name to Kutztown State College in 1960 as the region needed more than just teacher training. This expanded its purpose to become “a center for learning for the best possible education of the youth of Pennsylvania in the arts and sciences and preparation of able and dedicated teachers”. The institution achieved university status on July 1, 1983 as Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and joined the newly created State System of Higher Education.

Kutztown University now occupies a beautiful 289-acre campus where 7,468 students from 34 states and 40 nations study. Women make up 59% of the diverse student population, while men account for 41%. The university has 467 faculty members, and 90% of tenured/tenure track professors hold doctoral or terminal degrees.

Students can choose from 130 undergraduate programs across four colleges: Liberal Arts and Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, Business, and Education. The university also runs 31 graduate programs, including two doctoral degrees. The Master of Social Work program stands out as it prepares students to take on advanced specialized clinical practice and leadership roles in various social contexts.

Kutztown University’s Department of Social Work aims to deliver “high quality, nationally accredited curricula and program activities that respond to the diverse and ever-changing social needs of rural, suburban, and urban communities, students, employers, and the profession of social work”. The MSW program emphasizes family needs in their social environments. Students work directly with expert faculty to explore and improve their understanding of families in all their diverse forms.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has accredited Kutztown University since it first opened. The Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation has given specialized accreditation to the Master of Social Work program. This ensures the program meets or surpasses established social work education standards.

Students at Kutztown University benefit from honors programs, study abroad opportunities, internships, student-faculty research, and experiential learning communities. These offerings create a rich educational environment for future social work professionals.

Programs offered

Kutztown University’s Master of Social Work program provides multiple paths to help you reach your professional goals in social work. The MSW program features two main tracks that accommodate different educational backgrounds and career goals.

The Traditional Status track (60 credits) welcomes students who don’t have a social work bachelor’s degree. Students can complete this detailed program in two years full-time or extend it to three or four years for a more flexible schedule. The foundation year helps you build a solid understanding of generalist social work practice before you move to the specialized concentration.

The Advanced Standing Status track (39 credits) serves students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a CSWE-accredited program. This accelerated option starts with a summer bridge curriculum that improves your analytical and critical thinking skills while teaching you to express theory-practice integration. You then move directly into the advanced level coursework.

Both tracks feature a unique Family-in-Environment view where you work with faculty experts to learn about the strengths and needs of families in all their diverse forms. The program also offers great flexibility through several delivery formats:

• Full-time, part-time, and executive schedule options
• Face-to-face and online formats
• Completion possible in as little as one year (advanced standing) or two years (traditional)

The advanced year curriculum builds depth and specificity in knowledge about families in their social environment. You’ll specialize further by choosing six one-credit elective courses that range from therapeutic interventions to agency administration and policy development, along with a substantial 900-hour agency-based practicum experience.

This hands-on education prepares you for career opportunities in mental health, substance misuse, conflict resolution, advocacy, and community development. You can specialize in areas such as:

• Child and family social work
• Criminal justice social work
• Medical social work
• Mental health and substance abuse intervention
• School social work

Kutztown University’s MSW program helps develop independent practitioners who can apply Family-in-Environment principles in their chosen fields. This specialized education prepares you for advanced clinical practice and leadership roles in social work settings of all types.

About the online program

Kutztown University’s MSW program puts flexibility first in its educational approach. The program combines traditional classroom learning with online education through a hybrid model. This setup works well for busy professionals and matches different learning priorities without sacrificing quality.

The program lets you choose from several completion options that fit your schedule. You can take the 60-credit traditional program or pick the 39-credit advanced standing track through different paths. Full-time advanced standing students can finish in just one year, while the full-time traditional track takes two years.

The hybrid learning model strikes the right balance between in-person and online elements. Classes meet on Tuesday evenings and Saturdays during the semester. This schedule helps you keep your job while earning your degree. The online part of the program runs on a web-based platform where you can communicate and submit assignments easily.

Most of your coursework happens online with some face-to-face meetings mixed in. You get the best of both worlds – convenient distance learning plus valuable in-person networking. There’s also an executive schedule option that gives professionals structured flexibility.

Kutztown University’s online MSW program blends easy access with strong academics. You can get a complete social work education while keeping up with your other responsibilities. This helps you build advanced skills and maintain work-life balance—something many adult learners need.

The program gives you hands-on experience despite its flexible format. Working with experienced KU faculty and human service providers helps you develop practical skills along with theoretical knowledge. This real-world experience sets Kutztown apart from programs that are purely online.

The program’s online/hybrid format helps you advance your social work career without disrupting your life. By combining technology with traditional teaching methods, Kutztown creates a learning environment that prepares you for real-life practice while respecting your personal situation and learning style.

Accreditation

The Kutztown University MSW program upholds high quality standards through its prestigious accreditation credentials. The Master of Social Work program has full accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation. This accreditation shows excellence in social work education across the nation.

The program’s accreditation status shows it meets or goes beyond the quality standards. A complete peer review process evaluates these standards. We focused on showing enough resources to meet our mission and goals. The program also complies with all parts of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Students who choose Kutztown’s MSW program get an education that experts have fully validated.

Kutztown University’s MSW program shows its dedication to excellence through its accreditation history. The Council on Social Work Education granted candidacy status in November 2003. The program then earned its original full accreditation from academic year 2003-2004 through October 2010. CSWE later extended the program’s accreditation for eight years from 2008 to October 2018.

The MSW program now has CSWE accreditation that runs from October 2018 through October 2026. This ongoing recognition proves the program’s steady commitment to quality social work education.

Kutztown University also has institutional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The last review happened in 2018, with the next one planned for 2025-2026. The Department of Social Work, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, had its last CSWE review in 2018. The next review will take place in 2026.

This accreditation gives students several benefits. Your degree will meet national standards and help with licensure eligibility. Employers will trust your education’s quality. The curriculum meets professional standards and prepares you for specialized clinical practice and leadership roles in social situations of all types.

The program’s repeated accreditation renewal shows Kutztown University’s steadfast dedication to educational excellence in its MSW program. You can feel confident about investing in your social work career here.

Admission Requirements

The Kutztown University MSW program has a clear application process that shows if you’re ready for graduate-level social work education. The admissions team reviews applications as they come in. You should apply by May 1st for summer admission and August 1st for fall enrollment.

Your application package must include:

• A completed Graduate Admission Application
• Official transcripts from all previous colleges or universities
• Three professional letters of recommendation (ideally one from an academic advisor, one additional academic reference, and one employer reference)
• Personal Essay and Social Issues Essay (Kutztown University BSW holders don’t need to submit these)
• Application fee
• TOEFL scores for international students (minimum score of 550 for paper version or 79 for Internet-based test)

The Personal and Social Issues Essay has two parts. You’ll need to write a two-page essay about a current social problem that affects the international community and suggest possible solutions. The second part is a three-page statement that explains how graduate studies will help your professional growth. This statement should cover your work history, career goals, personal motivation, and what you see as your strengths and areas for improvement.

The MSW program welcomes students from different academic backgrounds. Your application becomes stronger with liberal arts courses in human biology, at least nine credits in social and behavioral sciences, American government, macroeconomics, literature, philosophy, English composition, and statistics.

Don’t worry if you haven’t completed all the liberal arts requirements. The program might ask you to take specific courses before you start. You’ll need to finish the statistics course before beginning the program.

BSW degree holders from CSWE-accredited programs can take advantage of the Advanced Standing option. This path lets qualified applicants complete their MSW in just 39 credits instead of the usual 60-credit track.

The program allows you to transfer up to 9 credits of foundation-level coursework from CSWE-accredited MSW programs with program approval. Advanced-year students can also transfer elective credits from regionally-accredited institutions after getting appropriate approvals. Remember that all transferred courses must have a grade of “B” or better.

Here’s some good news – you don’t need to take the GRE or other standardized tests to get into the Kutztown MSW program.

Tuition

Kutztown University’s MSW degree provides an economical path to advance your career compared to other Pennsylvania programs. The university calculates tuition per credit based on where you live, which makes it easy to plan your educational costs.

The base tuition for Pennsylvania residents in the MSW program costs $534.00 per credit during the 2025-2026 academic year. Additional fees include the Tuition Technology Fee ($38.00 per credit) and Instructional Service Fee ($80.10 per credit), which brings the total to $652.10 per credit. Out-of-state students pay a base tuition of $801.00 per credit, and their total cost with fees comes to $971.15 per credit.

Students outside Pennsylvania can benefit from a special online learning rate. This reduced rate brings their total cost down to $676.75 per credit, which saves them money compared to regular non-resident rates.

New students must pay a one-time Academic Records Fee of $50.00. Graduate students can choose to add extra services: Health Center usage ($22.08 per credit), Recreation Center access ($14.00 per credit), and Student Government Fee ($16.42 per credit).

Pennsylvania residents will pay about $39,126 for the Traditional Status track (60 credits), while non-residents pay $58,269. Advanced Standing track students (39 credits) pay approximately $25,432 for in-state and $37,875 for out-of-state tuition.

Students have several options to manage these expenses. Graduate students can get Federal Stafford Loans up to $20,500 yearly. Federal Work/Study positions help students with financial needs. The university offers a limited number of Graduate Assistantships that provide excellent benefits: a $7,500 stipend and full tuition waiver for two semesters. These positions require students to work 20 hours weekly and maintain full-time enrollment (9-12 credits per semester).

Pennsylvania graduate students enrolled in 9 credits per semester typically pay $4,644 each semester or $9,288 yearly before financial aid or assistantships.

Additional Information

Kutztown University’s MSW program gives you the complete resources you need to succeed as a social work professional. Your studies will help you develop nine key competencies. These range from ethical behavior and human rights advocacy to working with different communities and measuring how well practices work.

Your education includes vital field internships. The Social Work department makes placement selection easier, but you’ll need FBI, criminal, and child abuse clearances. You’ll gain exceptional experience through a 900-hour agency-based practicum in ground settings.

Kutztown offers a School Social Work certificate program to current MSW students and MSW degree holders who want to work in educational settings. This credential creates many more career opportunities in educational institutions.

The Career Development Center helps students find jobs, secure internships, and prepare for graduate school. Graduates often work in healthcare facilities, mental health centers, child welfare agencies, schools, and community organizations.

Student support services are readily available. You can access counseling services, disability support, and academic help through the Student Success Center. Students receiving employer tuition reimbursement can arrange their payment schedule to match their reimbursement timing.

The MSW program at Kutztown University prepares you to understand and support families of all types. You’ll learn alongside faculty experts and community practitioners who share their knowledge and experience.