Michigan State University School of Social Work

What Michigan State University School of Social Work does

Michigan State University School of Social Work is an academic unit within Michigan State University that delivers social work education across the undergraduate (BASW), graduate (MSW), and doctoral (PhD) levels, plus non-degree continuing education. The school is CSWE-accredited and ranked a Top 25 social work program by U.S. News & World Report, and operates with approximately 36 faculty and staff based in East Lansing, Michigan. Its educational platform combines on-campus instruction with a statewide Blended online MSW format, supported by more than 850 field education partners and a network of over 10,000 alumni that feed practicum placements, supervision capacity, and donor pipeline.

The school's core products are its degree programs and certificate programs (including Gerontology and Integrated Behavioral Health and Addiction Studies), with clinical training delivered through partner agencies and, increasingly, virtual field placement modalities. Research activity is anchored in funded centers studying caregiving, behavioral health, trauma, and gender-affirming care, supported by competitive grants from federal sources (notably a $1.125M U.S. Department of Defense award for veteran mesothelioma caregiver research) and state sources (a $498,000 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services behavioral health workforce award, plus MAPPR funding).

Revenue is generated through tuition and fees for the BASW, MSW, PhD, and Blended online programs; continuing education certificate enrollment; competitive research grants; donations and endowment income; and funded practicum partnerships, evidenced by a 38% increase in paid field placements. The unit sits within a large public R1 university, which provides shared administrative and accreditation infrastructure, while the school itself manages program-level curriculum, faculty research agendas, and external partner relationships such as the recent Henry Ford Health Trauma Recovery Center collaboration.

Name

Michigan State University School of Social Work

Legal name

Michigan State University School of Social Work

Website

https://socialwork.msu.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Michigan State University School of Social Work is an academic unit offering BASW, MSW, and PhD degree programs plus continuing education certificates, serving Michigan students and the broader social work workforce through on-campus and statewide blended online formats with 850+ field partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Social Work

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities (EDAHABAD)

Keywords

• Social work education
• Graduate social work
• Field education
• Continuing education
• Trauma informed care

Headquarters

HQ city

East Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate (BASW) and graduate (MSW) tuition for social work degree programs, including part-time and full-time options.
2. Continuing Education Programs: Revenue from professional development and training programs for social work, human service, and healthcare professionals, including certificate programs.
3. Charitable Giving and Endowments: Donations to the School's Development Fund and Special Endowment and Gift Funds supporting students, faculty, programs, scholarships, and community programs.
4. Government and Foundation Grants: Research grants from federal agencies (DOD $1.1M for mesothelioma caregiver study) and state agencies (MDHHS $498,000 for behavioral health workforce).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Michigan State University School of Social Work provides CSWE-accredited undergraduate (BASW), graduate (MSW with Clinical Social Work or Organization/Community Leadership concentrations), and doctoral (PhD in Social Work) degree programs. It also operates a Continuing Education Program with certificate offerings, a Field Education program partnered with 850+ agencies across Michigan and abroad, and community programs such as Chance at Childhood, FAME, and the Kinship Care Resource Center.

Product overview

Michigan State University School of Social Work offers a comprehensive educational portfolio comprising three core degree programs (BASW, MSW, and PhD in Social Work), supported by Field Education partnerships with 850+ programs, a Continuing Education Program for professionals, and community outreach through programs like Chance at Childhood, FAME, and the Kinship Care Resource Center. The school provides numerous certificate programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels including Child Welfare, Health and Aging, Trauma Informed Care, Combat Veterans, and others. The MSW program offers two concentrations: Clinical Social Work and Organization and Community Leadership, available through East Lansing campus or Statewide Blended online formats. Specialized programs include the Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship and Advocacy Scholars Program with stipends.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) CSWE-accredited undergraduate degree program preparing students for beginning generalist social work practice with focus on social justice, policy, and field instruction. Students typically enter as juniors after completing prerequisite coursework.
• Master of Social Work (MSW) Graduate degree program with two concentrations: Clinical Social Work (micro-level interventions) and Organization and Community Leadership (macro-level interventions). Available in East Lansing campus or Statewide Blended online format, with 57-credit Regular and 36-credit Advanced Standing tracks.
• PhD in Social Work Doctoral program preparing social workers for leadership positions as educators, researchers, policy analysts, and program administrators. Admissions paused for Fall 2026 cycle for curriculum and mentoring review.
• Field Education Clinical training program partnering with 850+ programs throughout Michigan and abroad to provide BASW and MSW students with supervised professional field placement experience.
• Continuing Education Program Professional development and training program for social work, human service, and healthcare professionals, including post-graduate certificate programming.
• Trauma Informed Care Certificate Program Certificate providing 32 continuing education contact hours covering various aspects of trauma informed care, including trauma informed communication and leadership. Required onboarding for new Henry Ford Health Trauma Recovery Center employees.
• Michigan Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship Fellowship providing $5,000 per semester stipends for MSW students committed to working in Michigan's child welfare system, with contractual employment obligation upon graduation.
• Advocacy Scholars Program Scholars program providing stipend, policy practice field placement, seminar series, and mentorship for MSW students to develop advocacy skills for social change.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of 2021 BASW graduates secured employment or graduate school placement
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Henry Ford Health Trauma Recovery CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026Henry Ford Health's Trauma Recovery Center partners with MSU School of Social Work to provide trauma-informed care training. New TRC employees complete MSU's Trauma Informed Care Certificate Program as part of onboarding. The partnership bridges clinical practice with academic expertise in trauma treatment.
• Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership between Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University for health sciences collaboration, including the Trauma Recovery Center initiative.
• Trauma Services and Training NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSU network connecting healthcare providers with trauma-informed care training and resources, facilitating partnerships like the Henry Ford Health collaboration.
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDHHS expanded Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship program statewide, partnering with MSU and seven other universities to strengthen the child welfare workforce through $498,358 award to MSU.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Michigan School of Social Work: Michigan's flagship public R1 social work school, consistently ranked among the top programs nationally. Closest same-state peer with overlapping BASW/MSW/PhD portfolio, CSWE accreditation, and shared state-funded field network.
• University of Washington School of Social Work: Top-ranked public R1 social work program with BASW, MSW, and PhD tracks and a similarly strong emphasis on field education and social-justice framing. Direct competitor for out-of-state applicants and ranked program talent.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work: Public R1 social work school with comparable CSWE-accredited BASW/MSW/PhD programs, multiple certificate offerings, and a reputation for trauma and child-welfare research that directly overlaps MSU's portfolio.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work: Highly ranked public university social work school with similar structure (BASW, MSW, PhD, certificates) and a comparable Top-25-among-publics positioning. Direct competitor for applicants and faculty in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic.
• Boston University School of Social Work: Major private R1 social work school with online MSW programs and a strong continuing-education portfolio. Competes with MSU for non-traditional and out-of-state MSW students.
• Columbia University School of Social Work: Elite private research social work school with extensive online and continuing-education offerings. Competes for top-tier MSW/PhD applicants and faculty, and pressures MSU's brand premium.
• University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice: Top-ranked private research social work school with strong policy and macro-concentration focus comparable to MSU's OCL track. Competes for PhD applicants and policy-oriented faculty.
• Washington University in St. Louis Brown School: Private R1 social work school with interdisciplinary research strengths and a similar public-health-adjacent focus. Competes for PhD candidates and research funding.
• University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work: Large private R1 social work school with a major online MSW program and veteran/military social work focus that directly overlaps MSU's Combat Veterans certificate. Strong competitor for online and out-of-state MSW students.
• Case Western Reserve University Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences: Private R1 social work school with comparable age-friendly/health-aging certificate portfolio to MSU's Health and Aging offerings. Direct competitor for those specialized graduate certificates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MSUSocialWork
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPqOQW3ESUpkVLZBNQV7Skg
• Facebookfacebook.com/msusocialwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michigan-state-university-school-of-social-work
• Instagraminstagram.com/msu_socialwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Michigan State University School of Social Work