Masters in Social Work

What Do You Learn in a Masters in Social Work?

A master’s degree in social work aims to provide individuals with the ability to work in multiple positions, often working one-on-one with individuals and families. The MSW degree often prepares students for self-critical and specific areas of social work, including aiding the oppressed, vulnerable, and at-risk populations in the community. Individuals typically develop skills for numerous needs, including having the ability to gather information, make assessments, and apply solutions based on the unique needs of the job role.

The following are some of the courses a person completing a master’s in social work may complete.

Top 25 Schools Graduating Students with a Masters in Social Work

According to the NCES, these are the schools graduating the highest number of students in social work in the U.S. for the 2019-2020 school year.

Social Work Courses May Include

Research in Social Work Practice

This course often covers the tools needed for performing research in the field of social work. Skills may include planning and conducting research and assessing the research of others. The relationship between social work and research may be big parts of this course.

Social Welfare History, Policy and Practice

In this course, students may analyze domestic social policies and the history of social welfare. Students may gain knowledge in best social work practices and issues of social and economic justice. The human rights of people of all ages, families, and communities may all be topics for this program.

Human Behavior and the Social Environment

The main portion of this course is often the study of the systems approach and how to apply it to social work. The use of theory, how to analyze and approach various issues, and analysis of research..

Micro Social Work Practice

This course is designed to help with the understanding of practice skills needed for a generalist social work practice. Planned change and problem solving practice may be applied in this course. Students may learn to conceptualize the well-being of people and to analyze all environmental conditions that may adversely affect them..

Social Planning and Policy in Human Service

This course typically analyzes the history of social work and how it is applied. Politics, origins, and processes of this field are often all topics of discussion. The role of a social worker is usually analyzed and explained in this course. The difference between social work values and cultural diversity may be examined..

Mezzo Social Work Practice

In this course, the focus is often on the best way to work with small and medium sized groups in the field. The analysis of environment, ethical concerns, and research literature may all be applied. How to integrate technology and apply the policies in this course. This is often applied to individuals, families and groups..

How Much Does A Masters in Social Work Cost?

Paying for a graduate school education may seem daunting, but there are multiple funding options that may be available to many students. Financial aid may be available to those who qualify. The NCES, reports that in the 2018 to 2019 school year, a student completing a master’s degree at a public institution was likely to spend, on average, $19,314 per year to do so.

To pay for this, students may have several options if they do not want to or cannot pay out of pocket for those costs. Below are some examples of this.

Social Work Scholarships

One of the options for covering the cost of a master’s degree in social work may be the use of scholarships. These often do not require repayment – scholarships from organizations, private sector companies, and numerous other affiliations may have specific requirements and limited funds available. A few options may include:

Federal Loans

Federal loans are those backed by the federal government. Several programs may be available to help cover the cost of a master’s in social work. Here are a few examples of potential options.

There are three types of loans available at this level:

• Direct Unsubsidized Loans: These may be available to graduate schools and professional students. Unlike direct subsidized loans, which are made available to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need, direct unsubsidized loans often do not have a need based requirement. More students may be eligible for them.
• Direct PLUS Loans: These are often made available to professional or graduate level students. They are designed to pay for educational expenses that are typically not paid for through other loans. Eligibility for these loans is often not based on financial need. However, some may require a credit check to be performed, and borrowers may not qualify without meeting other requirements in some cases.
• Direct Consolidation Loans: These loans may enable a student to combine all of their undergraduate and graduate level federal debt into one new loan. This consolidation loan is typically provided after a student completes their education.

Private Student Loans

For those seeking other options for paying for college for a master’s degree in social work, private student loans may offer some help. These are loans provided by providing institutions and lenders. As a result, they typically have varied interest rates (sometimes higher than federal student loan rates) as well as a wide range of different terms. Be sure to learn as much as possible about the loan before applying, including the costs, fees, prepayment penalties, consolidation options, and any forbearance options that may (or may not) be available.

• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2022 Median Salary for a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker

The following are the median annual salaries for people working as a mental health or substance abuse social worker in 2022, based on BLS data.

Is a mental health counselor a good career?

A mental health counselor may be a good career for those who wish to work in advising and counseling individuals and groups on various emotional and mental health issues. A great deal of the focus for this career may be on prevention and early intervention. They may work in areas of families, parenting, mental health disorders, stress management, substance abuse, addictions, aging, and other areas.

The tasks in this type of work often include maintaining confidentiality in relation to treatment for clients, assessing patients for risks to their safety, such as suicide, and encouraging the expression of thoughts and feelings. They often develop deep insights into relationships and the overall mental well-being of a person.

The skills needed as a mental health counselor are numerous and may include some technology but also social perceptiveness, active listening, and good communication. They may also need to be able to provide service orientation to help people.

Work activities typically include assisting others in their mental health needs, establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships, getting information and data to use for creating treatment plans, and then organizing and planning those treatments. They often oversee care for individuals and may work with supervisors and peers in the process.

The work done here is high level, which is why most mental health counselor positions may require at least a master’s degree, with some employers seeking out doctoral level experience. Many may want students to obtain working experience in a related field as well. There is often little to no on-the-job learning aside from getting accustomed to the location’s specific workday.

• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

2022 Median Salary for Mental Health Counselors

The median annual salary for 2022 for those working as a mental health counselor is listed below for each state, as supplied by BLS.gov.

Read More

Here are a few related blog posts that may provide additional insight into social work and the different graduate programs available. Thank you for reading!

• Advanced standing MSW programs
• Affordable MSW programs
• CSWE accredited MSW programs
• Online MSW programs with no GRE required
• MSW programs that accept low GPA
• Social work career paths