About the field of Social Work: Social workers bring a desire to help improve people's lives to a profession that requires a great deal of care and commitment to such ideals. While some people work in the field with only a bachelor's degree, having a masters or doctoral degree has become the standard. Most social workers specialize and tend to work directly with clients although some are involved in research (which can require a doctoral degree ), policy development and research , or administration . Social workers must meet certain licensing, certification, and/or registration requirements depending on where they are practicing. A master's degree can help social workers perform clinical assessments, manage large caseloads, and explore new ways of drawing upon social services to meet the needs of clients. It is required to provide therapy. Related fields include human services , sociology , counseling , public health , housing , and psychology .