How long it takes depends on what education and experience you’ve already earned.

If you have already earned a bachelor’s degree in a non-social work major, you can potentially complete an MSW program in around 2 years and prepare to become a social worker.

If you have already earned a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW), you may qualify for faster programs designed for students who have already completed some social work undergraduate coursework.

While the field of social work has evolved to become more diverse and specialized, core master’s degree courses prepare you for a wide variety of job possibilities.

Choose the MSW specialization best reflecting the social work career path you want to walk.

Job titles can vary widely with overlap across each specialty. Your choice of specialty today doesn’t necessarily preclude you from pursuing job possibilities in other areas.

Mental Health

• Behavioral Health Therapist 
• Mental Health Social Worker 
• Psychiatric Social Worker 
• Psychosocial Coordinator 
• Residential Therapist 
• Substance Use Disorder Clinician 
• Suicide Prevention Specialist 
• Therapist 
• Victim Advocate 

Medical 

• Home Health & Hospice Social Worker 
• Hospice Social Worker 
• Medical Social Worker 
• Oncology Social Worker 
• Residential Treatment Coordinator 
• Social Work Case Manager 

Children, Families, and Aging

• Adoption Social Worker 
• Adult Protective Services Worker 
• Child Protective Services Supervisor (CPS Social Worker) 
• Domestic Violence Advocate 
• Family Protection Specialist 
• Family Resource Coordinator 
• Family Service Worker 
• Foster Care Social Worker 
• Gerontology Social Worker 
• Pediatric Social Worker 
• School Social Worker 
• Veteran Affairs (VA) Social Worker 
• Youth Specialist 

Educational and licensing requirements can vary by state and employer across both jobs. The disciplines are distinct enough to demand separate master’s degree curriculums.

The primary difference between clinical social workers and mental health counselors is the scope of their duties and the education required to perform them. Generally, counselors focus solely on mental health issues, while clinical social workers carry a wide variety of responsibilities including and beyond mental health care.

Becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) includes more involvement in managing your clients’ support network and larger community. While clinical social workers can potentially adopt a direct, active role in diagnosing and treating mental health issues, it’s not the sole purpose of the profession as it is for mental health counselors.

Social workers provide assistance to individuals, families and communities to address problems in their everyday lives. They can work in a “macro” role directly coordinating with organizations or policymakers, or a “micro” role focusing on individuals and their families. 

The social work job description varies—social workers can have a wide variety of duties: 

• Find those in need of help 
• Work with people in all stages of life from birth to end of life 
• Assess their situation: what they need, who supports them, what their goals are and develop interventions and strategies to help 
• Collaborate with community resources to offer a network of care and refer clients accordingly 
• Diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional health problems 
• Maintain clear case files and records 
• Raise awareness and advocate for solutions at the local, state, or even national level 
• Navigate crisis situations, such as child abuse, family and community violence, or health emergencies 

Yes, you can elect an extended 4-year part-time program as an alternative to the 2-year full-time plan. The extended 4-year plan spans 12 semesters as opposed to 6 semesters in the full-time plan.

According to the CSWE’s most recent Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, the 9 Social Work Competencies are listed as such: 

1. Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior 
2. Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
3. Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
4. Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
5. Engage in Policy Practice
6. Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
7. Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations and Communities
8. Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
9. Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Learn more about the most important skills needed to succeed as a social worker.

No. Our 2-year MSW program is designed for those without a BSW. 

As long as you’ve earned a non-social work bachelor’s degree earned through an accredited university recognized by the US Department of Education, you can potentially qualify to enroll in our program.

The average salary for a social worker depends on several factors, including where they work, the state in which they practice, how long they have practiced, and chosen specialization.  

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides average salary estimates for three different types of social workers:* 

• Child, family, and school social workers earn an annual average salary of $59,190 per year ($28.46 per hour) 
• Healthcare social workers earn an annual average salary of $67,430 per year ($32.42 per hour) 
• Mental health and substance abuse social workers earn an annual average salary of $63,870 per year ($30.71 per hour).