Overview of Free Online Classes for Social Work
There are many free, online classes for students who want to learn about social work. These classes do not typically award students credit and are meant to provide students access to higher education. The social work classes below are much like the standard classes offered at universities and allow students access to real course materials, such as assignments, essays, readings, videos and lectures. Since the classes do not award credit, students are not required to submit assignments or complete exams. All of the classes can be completed at the student's own pace, giving students the freedom to study how they want to study.
Schools Offering Free Social Work Courses Online
Here are some examples of free social work classes that are offered online.
The Open University
The Open University offers a variety of OpenCourseWare courses related to social work, as well as online study clubs that give students a chance to form groups and virtually study and converse with fellow classmates.
- Social Work Learning Practice is largely an audio unit. As a whole, the class teaches students how to understand others, connect with people of different backgrounds and understand social work.
- Interview With a Social Worker is for students who want to learn about what it takes to be in social work.
- The Social in Social Science is an advanced course that combines the concepts of social sciences with social work. Online students can learn about social processes and governance and how to deal with daily problems.
- Remaking the Relations of Work and Welfare is also an advanced class that covers students about the 'welfare-to-work' model and how these types of social work theories apply to people's daily lives.
- Social Problems: Who Makes Them? explores the issues in modern society, whether it's poverty, drug use or homelessness.
- Becoming a Critical Social Work Practitioner covers how to become a critical thinker, so that students learn about addressing social welfare problems in society.
University of Massachusetts - Boston
These University of Massachusetts - Boston social service worker online courses include quizzes, written assignments and online lectures.
- Substance Abuse and the Family allows students to learn about ways that family members and providers can assist family members dealing with substance abuse.
- Social Attitudes and Public Opinion teaches students about the role of human attitudes and behavior.
Earning Credit for Online Classes in Social Work
You can get a good introduction into the field of social work by taking a social worker training course free of charge. However, most free online courses in social work do not offer the opportunity to get a degree or certification. There aren't many free online courses with certificates in social work, so if you're interested in earning course credit for your social work courses online, you should consider enrolling in an online college or university that offers a social work program. Although you would be responsible for paying tuition in order to take these classes, you would have the opportunity to earn credit with the flexibility of taking social worker courses from home. The table below displays a list of schools that offer online certificate courses in social work, along with other information like tuition costs and degrees available.
| School | Degrees Offered | Tuition |
| Southern New Hampshire University | BS in Human Services in Advocacy | $9,600 |
| Simmons University | Master's in Social Work | $990 per credit hour |
| University of Louisville | Bachelor's in Social Work, Master's in Social Work | $499 (undergraduate) or $737 (graduate) per credit hour |
