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The Online Distance Education Option at CSUSB is called the Pathway Distance Education Program. The Pathway Distance Education Program shares the same mission and content as the on-campus programs offered by the School of Social Work and offers accredited, professional education to students who are unable to attend the main campus at CSUSB or any other 4-year university.
Such students may:
- Live too far away from the main campus at CSUSB or any other 4-year university. We do not have a specific distance in mind. However, the further away a student lives from the CSUSB main campus or other University that offers a MSW degree program, the more likely that student is to be accepted into the distance learning program. If applicants live close to a university that offers an M.S.W. and still intend to apply to CSUSB, they will need to explain in their application why the local M.S.W. program is not an option for them.
- Be in a work or personal situation that makes attendance at CSUSB impractical. Generally, this includes working full time and being unable to get release time to attend the university or having other responsibilities that prohibit weekly attendance at the main campus at CSUSB.
The Pathway Social Work Distance Education program facilitates a professional pathway for prospective students. With this goal in mind, depending on where students’ are located along that pathway, it includes:
- Advising regarding lower division course requirements for applying to the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. These courses will usually be taken at a local community college, although some maybe offered online.
- An online Master of Social Work program, which can be completed in three years. The M.S.W. online generates additional costs and so it is more expensive than the M.S.W. offered on campus. It costs $650 per unit. Since the 3 year program is a 60, semester-unit, program, the total cost of the program over 3 years is $39,000. To apply to the Pathways program please review the M.S.W Admissions page.
- A separate Title IVE Pathway Program for employees of children’s services divisions of county public social services agency, which offers financial support to students.
- A mandatory orientation in August.
The Pathway Distance Education program is rated highly both nationally and State wide:
- Social Work Guide rates us as number 2 in California in California and number 5 in the nation.
- Intelligent.com rates us as number 2 in California, “best in the west”, and number 14 in the nation.
- Great Value Colleges rates us as number 3 (of programs that do not require a GRE) in the nation.
Students interested in the Pathway Distance Education program should contact SWPathway@csusb.edu and 909.537.4478