In 2022-23, 199 students were enrolled in Keuka College’s online Master of Social Work program.
The following year, that number grew to 337, and for the 2024-25 academic year: 419.
Overseeing the increasingly in-demand program is Associate Professor of Social Work Dr. Julie Burns, a longtime professor at the College who knows a thing or two about managing off-campus degree programs.
Shortly after arriving at Keuka College in 2007, she helped design the College’s previous off-campus Bachelor of Social Work program, a statewide network of satellite classes that helped working adults earn degrees locally before the advent of online instruction.
She sees parallels to today’s online MSW.
“The original program was framed as a way to provide a bachelor’s-level education to students that are working full time, managing families, and that want to further their careers,” she said. “So, it’s that same model today of giving access to students who wouldn’t otherwise have access to the Keuka College experience.”
An Online Experience That Feels Personal
The College’s MSW courses are developed collaboratively by Keuka College faculty and instructional designers and delivered asynchronously – meaning students can complete coursework on their own schedules. Regular check-ins throughout each term foster connection and engagement between students and instructors.
“That’s really the beauty of it,” said Dr. Burns. “One of the things that we’re trying to do with the online program is to replicate that small, hands-on nurturing feel that you get when you’re on the campus of Keuka College.”
Many faculty, including Dr. Burns herself, teach both in-person and online. This consistency reinforces Keuka College’s commitment to educational quality across platforms.
“Our faculty are not only educators but practicing social workers,” she said. “They’re doing work in their own community, which then informs the teaching that they’re doing in this online environment.”
Leading Through Change
Dr. Burns assumed the program director role in March during a reorganization of the College’s former Division of Health and Human Services, which was restructured into three divisions: Applied Health & Wellness, Nursing, and Social Work & Criminal Justice. The latter is co-chaired by Dr. Burns and longtime colleague and Professor of Social Work Jennifer Mealey ’99. Prof. Mealey also directs the College’s BSW program.
The College has added faculty to meet the influx of students in the program, which is among the top providers of social work degrees in New York. There’s a good reason those degrees are in demand.
“Social Work, fortunately and unfortunately, has never had a lag in terms of need in the community,” said Dr. Burns. “We always need social workers.”
Social work, she explained, is a dynamic field – constantly evolving with advances in technology, research, and policy.
“Some social workers are still doing home visits with a clipboard, while others are using mobile technology to link clients to community resources in real time. Our students reflect that same spectrum – some are returning to school after years away, learning to navigate new digital tools just like their clients are.”
Building on Core Values
While the core values of social work remain – service, social justice, the dignity of the person – the profession now draws on increasingly sophisticated research.
“We have a lot more data right now in terms of research on people and understanding people,” said Dr. Burns. “So, part of what the online program – well, the whole social work profession – is able to do is then take that new research data that we have about human beings and family systems and societal systems and apply it to the work that we do.”
Under Dr. Burns’ leadership, the online MSW program continues to grow while staying rooted in Keuka College’s founding values: accessible, experiential education that empowers students to create change.
Join the Ranks
With an online Master of Social Work degree from Keuka College and your license as a clinical social worker, you can address the growing need in our society for mental health services and improve the lives of people in your community. Students with bachelor’s degrees in social work from other colleges can complete their online MSW with Keuka College in as little as one year. Students with four-year degrees in other disciplines, who might be looking to make a career move, can earn their MSW in two years. Learn more and apply here.
