MFT vs. MSW (LCSW) Degrees: What’s the Difference?

Programs Currently Accepting Applicants

Liberty University : MSW: Social Work (100% online, 8-week courses)

Case Western Reserve University : Master of Social Work (Earn your Master of Social Work online at CWRU in as little as two and a half years. No GRE required. CSWE accredited.)

Fordham University : Master of Social Work (Earn an MSW online. Traditional and advanced standing online MSW options are available. Accredited by the CSWE.)

Syracuse University : Master of Social Work (CSWE accredited. Standard and Advanced Standing tracks. No GRE required.)

University of Denver : Master of Social Work (Earn an MSW in as few as 12 months. No GRE required. CSWE accredited)

National University : Master of Social Work (Accredited. No GRE. Scholarships Available)

Northern Kentucky University : Master of Social Work (100% Online, Prepare for LCSW/LISW)

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Here’s a glance at each degree:
An MFT, or Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, teaches techniques in psychotherapy and prepares graduates to give therapy to individuals, couples, and families.
An MSW, or Master of Social Work, focuses on teaching the skills needed to develop programs that tackle social issues, such as poverty and domestic violence, as well as deliver counseling and referral services.
Read on to learn about:

Differences between the degree programs
Licensure requirements in each field
Career opportunities and salaries

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School and Program Information	Online Program? Entry Requirements	Course Information
Liberty University MSW: Social Work SACSCOC	✔ Online 100% online, 8-week courses	This program offers a general cognate and an individual and family clinical cognate. No matter which option you choose, you’ll receive advanced generalist training in social policy, research, and practice — as well as the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in your field. Online and on campus. Training Champions for Christ since 1971. Learn More
Case Western Reserve University Master of Social Work CSWE accredited.	✔ Online No GRE Required Bachelor's Degree	Lead lasting change in your community. With no GRE required, you can earn a CSWE-accredited Master of Social Work online through Case Western Reserve University's top-10 ranked school of social work and prepare to pursue licensure. The online program curriculum offers three paths of study: Children, Youth and Families; Community Practice for Social Change; and Mental Health with Adults. Complete in as little as 2.5 years for the traditional track or 1.5 years for students with advance standing. Learn More
Fordham University Master of Social Work Accredited by the CSWE.	✔ Online Bachelor's Degree	Fordham’s top-ranked Graduate School of Social Service offers a future-focused online MSW program, preparing students for integrated practice with all populations. Bachelor's degree required. Learn More
Syracuse University Master of Social Work CSWE accredited	✔ Online No GRE Required	Syracuse University’s CSWE-accredited online Master of Social Work program is preparing the next generation of social work leaders through an emphasis on digital innovation and social justice. Learn More
University of Denver Master of Social Work CSWE accredited. Designed to adhere to CACREP standards.	✔ Campus, Online No GRE Required Minimum GPA 2.5	Earn your CSWE-accredited MSW online from Denver's GSSW, a top-15 school of social work. Gain a strong foundation for social work practice with a concentration in Mental Health and Trauma or Health, Equity and Wellness. GRE scores are not required. Students with a BSW can earn their MSW in as few as 12 months in the online advanced-standing track; students without a BSW can earn an MSW in as few as 21 months. Learn More
National University Master of Social Work COAMFTE Accredited	✔ Online GRE Scores Not Required	Our Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program will prepare students for diverse career opportunities within a variety of social service settings. Learn More
Northern Kentucky University Master of Social Work	✔ Online 100% Online, Prepare for LCSW/LISW	This flexible program is for individuals who have earned an undergraduate degree in a field other than social work. It provides the path to help you transition into this sector and take on leadership roles as a clinical practitioner. Learn More

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☰ For detailed degree information, view the guides to:
Online CACREP Accredited programs | Online MPCAC Accredited programs

MSW vs. MFT: What’s Unique About Each Degree?

While both an MSW and MFT will prepare you to empower clients to overcome their challenges, each degree has a unique direction and focus.

What’s an MSW Degree?

An MSW is a professional degree that prepares you to engage in a wide range of activities designed to help individuals, families, and communities overcome adversities and thrive. The degree explores issues central to social work, including how to:
Reduce economic inequality

Advance social justice
Work toward equal opportunity
Close the health care gap
Address domestic violence

Typically, MSW programs require two years of full-time study, though some schools can accommodate part-time study over a longer period of time. A signature of the MSW degree is field education. MSW students participate in two years of hands-on supervised practicums in which they put their classroom learning to work in the real world.

Types of MSW Degrees

MSW Curriculum

The MSW curriculum aims to develop key knowledge and skills that social workers need to perform direct social work services, clinical social work, and organizational social work.

Direct social work services involve face-to-face dealings with clients and providing support, guidance, and referrals to social assistance programs and vital resources. Case management and assessments determining a person’s eligibility for services also make up direct social work.

Clinical social work focuses more on addressing mental health needs, diagnosing and providing psychotherapy to treat emotional and psychological problems.

Organizational social work involves developing and administering programs that provide social work services.

Accreditation standards from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) shape the curricula of MSW programs. Throughout your MSW studies, you can expect coursework that covers:

Studies and theories on human behavior
The history of social work policy
Organization building that addresses community needs
Policy advocacy and analysis methods
Advanced case management, needs assessment, and intervention strategies
Methods to identify, analyze, and implement research-informed interventions
Research methodologies

In addition to general coursework, an MSW gives you opportunities to focus on what you feel most passionate about. Consider some specialization options available:

Child and family social work, helping families provide nurturing and safe environments to protect children and youth from neglect and abuse
Gerontological social work, helping older adults manage different aspects of everyday life, including the physical, social, psychological, and economic components
Justice and corrections social work, providing services in the courts, prisons, police departments, and rape crisis centers
Public welfare social work, engaging in the organizing and administering of social work programs, supervising and leading staff, and setting and assessing standards
Developmental disabilities social work, advocating for people with developmental disabilities and helping to identify special services
Clinical social work, assessing, diagnosing, and providing therapy to those with addictions and mental illness

What’s an MFT Degree?

MFT degrees train students to become mental health practitioners who deliver marriage and family therapy. The therapy involves helping individuals, couples, and families make important changes to improve how they cope with their lives.
Marriage and family therapy is:

Short term
Solution driven
Focused on reaching specific therapeutic goals
Structured to reach an endpoint

If you choose to enroll in an MFT program, plan for two years of full-time study to complete your degree.

To meet standards set by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), the national accrediting body for MFT programs, you must complete supervised clinical hours to graduate. The number of hours varies by state.

MFT programs offer courses that train students to deliver therapy that addresses a range of clinical problems, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, marital problems, conflict between children and parents, and individual psychological conditions. Students learn methods to engage in family intervention, group therapy, and marriage counseling.

An MFT prepares you to counsel individuals, couples, and families using various psychotherapy techniques, with an emphasis on family systems. The family systems approach focuses on the interactions between family members or couples. It views the problems or symptoms of a client within the context of those relationships instead of focusing on individual pathologies.

To develop the skills and knowledge required to engage in marriage and family therapy MFT programs provide coursework that covers:

MFT theories, philosophies, and conceptual foundations
Treatment approaches designed for individuals, couples, and families
Evidence-based practices for counseling same-sex couples, children and adolescents, older adults, and interfaith couples
Research and evaluation
Ethics and laws governing MFT practice
Human sexuality and family development
Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions

Your MFT studies also give you a chance to focus on an area of specialization by taking classes that go into depth about effective therapeutic approaches for:

Grief and loss
Separation and divorce
Adolescent issues
Childhood trauma
LGBTQ issues
Eating disorders
High-conflict relationships
Family dysfunction
Managing physical health problems

Keep Learning: How to Become a Marriage and Family Therapist

MSW: Social Work Program at Liberty University

Liberty University - MSW: Social Work (SACSCOC Accredited)

Master of Social Work Program at Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University - Master of Social Work (CSWE Accredited)

Master of Social Work Program at Fordham University

Fordham University - Master of Social Work (CSWE Accredited)

Master of Social Work Program at Syracuse University

Syracuse University - Master of Social Work (CSWE Accredited)

Master of Social Work Program at University of Denver

University of Denver - Master of Social Work (CSWE Accredited)

Master of Social Work Program at National University

National University - Master of Social Work (COAMFTE Accredited)

Master of Social Work Program at Northern Kentucky University

Northern Kentucky University - Master of Social Work (CSWE Accredited)

MSW vs. MFT Licensure

After completing an MSW or MFT, graduates must be licensed before they can practice. States determine the licensure and registration requirements, as well as the use of professional titles.

Licensure Requirements After an MSW

After earning an MSW, many social workers go on to become licensed clinical social workers (LCSW). Although some states don’t demand licensure, most social work activities require a license. If you want to pursue clinical social work, licensure is mandatory in all states.

Specific requirements vary by state, but to become an LCSW, you must:

Hold an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program
Apply for a license
Pass the clinical social work exam
Complete supervised practice (number of hours vary)

To obtain a nonclinical social work license, check with the state where you want to practice. Most states have different license categories, which recognize various practice scopes. The steps for getting licensure as a nonclinical MSW are similar to those for LCSWs, except not all states require supervised practice.

You can learn about specific state requirements for licensure by referring to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).

Types of MSW Licensed Social Workers

Licensure Requirements after an MFT

As with social work licensure, states establish the specific rules and requirements for a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) license. Regardless of state differences, all licensed MFTs must:

Complete a COAMFTE-accredited MFT program
Fulfill supervised field experience (number of hours required before sitting for exam varies)
Pass the appropriate MFT licensing exam

In most cases, you’ll take the MFT National Examination that the Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) administers, but check with your state to verify.

Career Opportunities: MSW vs. MFT

Both an MSW and MFT can lead to fulfilling careers in the helping professions. Depending on your professional goals and work setting preferences, you can choose from an array of options.

MSW Careers

MSWs use their knowledge and skills in many environments. While you may envision social workers in government agencies advocating for abused children, supporting veterans, or assisting the homeless, you may also find social workers in other settings. For example, MSWs work in private practices, adoption agencies, and the courts. Health clinics, addiction centers, and residential homes for the elderly or disabled also employ social workers, as do schools and community-based organizations.

Additionally, many large businesses rely on social workers to direct their corporate social responsibility programs, assist in improving corporate culture, and guide human resources departments.

MSW careers generally fit into the categories of clinical, direct care, and educational social work. Clinical social work includes delivering counseling, psychotherapy, and substance abuse support. Direct care social work includes managing cases, connecting clients to resources, and mediating. Educational social work involves working with students in schools or conducting research.

Additionally, with an MSW, you can choose to work at the organizational level of social work, coordinating programs, shaping policies, and supervising other social workers.

Here are some careers you might explore as a licensed social worker:

Director of corporate social responsibility, supervises the development and implementation of corporate social responsibility programs
Clinical social worker, diagnoses and treats mental health and behavioral problems
Social work policy analyst, advocates for policy reforms on social issues
Social work administrator, shapes an organization’s policies toward the communities it serves and oversees its programs
School social worker, provides students and schools with mental health and positive behavioral support and consultations to create conducive learning environments
Child welfare social worker, protects children from mistreatment by investigating accusations of abuse and supporting families to create safe environments
Veterans social worker, supports veterans with counseling, discharge planning, and referrals for financial assistance and housing
Health care social worker, helps people dealing with acute or terminal illness and disease

MFT Careers

While careers in social work can lead in multiple directions, MFT careers focus on counseling. Nevertheless, counseling is far from monolithic.

When choosing an MFT career, think about:

The type of work environment that appeals to you
The client populations you want to work with (ages, backgrounds, mental health conditions)

Those with an MFT have various options in where they work. Hospitals, mental health facilities, substance abuse treatment centers, and state governments all employ MFTs. You can also find MFTs working for businesses within their employee assistance programs (EAPs). Additionally, many MFTs choose to go into private practice.

Other places MFTs practice include the following:

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers
Schools and universities
Correctional facilities and courts
Health maintenance organizations

With an MFT, you may also collaborate with teams of health care practitioners to provide clients with well-rounded, comprehensive treatment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 21% of MFTs work in the offices of other health care professionals.

You may feel a calling to work with a particular group of people. For example, perhaps your own family experience draws you to work involving elderly clients dealing with dementia, or, maybe you’re fascinated by childhood development and want to concentrate your career on work with young children.

Consider the following areas where you may focus your counseling career:

Bipolar disorders
Domestic violence
Marital problems
Adjustment to disease
Emotional and behavioral disorders
Childhood and adolescent conduct disorders
Distress-related disorders
Personality disorders
Sexuality issues

MSW vs. MFT Salary

Salaries for MSW and MFT careers can vary considerably depending on where you choose to work and your position. Nevertheless, BLS salary data can offer a good idea of income ranges in each field.

Salaries for MSWs

As of May 2020, social worker salaries ranged from $33,020 to $85,820; the median annual salary was $51,760. Health care social workers earned the most, and social workers in local governments (excluding hospitals and schools owned by local governments), also earned salaries higher than social workers in other industries.

Salaries for MFTs

As of May 2020, MFT salaries ranged from $33,140 to $92,930; the median annual salary was $51,340. Overall, MFTs working for state government agencies, excluding state-owned schools and hospitals, earned more

than others, as did MFTs working in outpatient care centers.

Explore Your MSW Vs MFT Career Options

Whether delivering therapy that saves a marriage or connecting clients to critical resources during their time of need, both MSWs and MFTs have the opportunity to change people’s lives. By examining the differences between MSW vs. MFT degrees and career options, you can find the path that meets your professional goals.

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