Distance Education Program

Program Announcement

The School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is planning to offer the MSW degree through our Distance Education Program at two sites (Santa Rosa Junior College and Ventura County Community College) during 2025-2028. Applications for this cohort will be accepted starting on Oct. 1, 2024 until Jan. 15, 2025.

Program Description

The Distance Education program is a three-year part-time model. All classes are held on Saturdays. Three academic years and two summers are required. Most classes are offered via teleconferencing with frequent in-person visits by experienced CSULB faculty, along with some on-line content.

Teleconferencing enables students and faculty to interact in real-time. Distance Education students and faculty from the Long Beach campus view each other on a large screen. Each student has a microphone available for individual comments and questions.

Courses requiring intensive hands-on instruction are taught in-person by local faculty. Two field placements (during the second and third academic years of the program) are arranged locally. A local Site Coordinator attends all classes, provides in-person support and advisement, and generally serves as an additional link between Distance Education students and the Long Beach campus.

For further information about the program and curriculum, go to:

 

Program History

Our Distance Education Program has a long and successful history. We have offered Distance Education coursework since 1995. Our earlier cohorts were located on the following CSU campuses: Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Chico, Hayward (now East Bay), Humboldt, San Marcos, and Sonoma. We are currently located at Santa Rosa Junior College and Ventura County Community College. As of 2019, approximately 385 MSWs will have graduated from our Distance Education Program.

Costs and Financial Assistance

For information about the costs of our Distance Education Program and the benefits of obtaining the Master of Social Work degree, go to:

Cost-Benefit Analysis (PDF)

Stipends are available for public child welfare employees through funding from the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC). For information about stipend eligibility, go to:

Part-Time Child Welfare CalSWEC MSW Program

Contact Information

For general information about the Distance Education Program, please contact:

Tory Cox, EdD, LCSW, PPSC
Distance Education Program Coordinator 
(562) 985-2375
tory.cox@csulb.edu

Admissions Information

For information about the Distance Education Program admissions process, go to: