Social Work Graduate Programs and Degrees

(Source: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm#tab-8)

(Source: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211029.htm#st)

What’s the Difference between a MFT and MSW?

Two types of common social work degrees include the Master of Social Work (MSW) and the Master of Family Therapy (MFT). While some of the coursework and program intentions overlap between these two degrees, they have some distinct elements.

First, students who earn MFTs gain knowledge and skills in psychotherapy and family systems. As such, they become Marriage and Family Therapists once licensed. They often use “systems theory” and other theory-based approaches to treat clients. Their focus when treating clients is on the couple, family unit, or other type of pair or group. For MFTs, relationships and how to facilitate healthy ones is the primary focus.

Students who earn MSWs, typically focus on treating individual clients. While they might help a client facilitate a healthy relationship, they will do so by working with the individual. If a students with an MSW wants to treat couples, families, and other group units, they have to pursue a specific license and become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Second, MFT and MSW students pursue distinct licensure. MFT graduates must earn a license to practice. MSW graduates, however, can practice in some settings without a license. Yet to become clinical professionals and eligible to work in more settings, MSW graduates must become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

The MSW is considered the terminal, or final, degree in social work. However, some social workers choose to pursue a doctorate degree. Social workers who want to develop their skills as researchers, scholars, and teachers pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work. Social workers who want to advance their clinical practice pursue a Doctor of Social Work.

Because you do not need a doctorate degree to work as a social worker or earn licensure, many social workers choose to earn an MSW. After all, it only takes two to two and a half years to earn an MSW. Once you have one, you can pursue licensure and enjoy a range of career opportunities.

Meanwhile, it takes anywhere from three to six years to earn a doctorate degree in social work. Having one doesn’t necessarily make you more competitive for jobs. Therefore, those who opt to pursue a doctorate degree usually want to work as researchers and educators, not as clinical social workers.

Social Work Masters Programs

The curricula for a master’s in social work helps students advance their practice or begin one. Through practice- and administration-oriented coursework, students grow the clinical, organizational, and political skills they need to enhance people’s lives. They also learn how to apply their skills to help individuals and families deal with contemporary issues.

The typical master’s in social work covers subjects such as social work practice, social welfare policy, human development, field work, and research methods. It also covers subjects that impact human beings, such as ethnicity, gender, and class. Courses in subjects like these give students basic knowledge.

Students gain advanced knowledge by studying more specific subjects. For example, they might study leadership and management, intervention, mental disorders, and advanced clinical work. Courses in subjects like these help students grow focused, advanced knowledge and specific skills to apply on the job.

Some MSW degrees offer students options to concentrate their studies. Examples of concentrations include:

• Advanced clinical practice
• Military social work
• Social work in healthcare
• Social work with children and families
• Social work and trauma

As you can imagine, having a concentration enables students to learn about an area of interest in depth. Doing so can direct students’ careers and give them specialized knowledge and skills.

Overall, the coursework for an MSW is divided into two parts: core and elective courses. The core courses cover foundational subjects. The elective courses cover subjects of specific interest to students. Students often devote one year of study to each.

CSWE Accredited Programs

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national organization in the U.S. that represents social work education. As an accrediting agency, it develops standards that define quality social work programming and curricula. It conducts a rigorous review of the courses, coursework, clinical hours, and more in social work programs to ensure that students learn what they need to learn to provide safe, effective care. The accreditation process is rigorous and includes reviews of curricula and programming, site visits, and case studies.

Attending a social work program accredited by the CSWE is important. It represents that the program is a quality one. It also signifies that the curricula in the program is sufficient to help students pursue licensure and employment. It offers a seal of approval in the field of social work.

How Long Does it take to earn a MSW?

With full-time study, students can earn an MSW in two years. If they opt to pursue an MSW with more clinical hours, it could take two-and-a-half years to graduate. Students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work may be eligible to pursue Advanced Standing. Having Advanced Standing can help a student earn an MSW in as little as one year.

Students who want to earn a doctorate degree in social work can do so in two to three years. Typically, students complete two years of coursework. Then they take one year to do a dissertation. Prior to pursuing a doctorate degree in social work, students must hold an MSW.

What is the Cost of a Masters in Social Work?

The median in-state cost of tuition for a degree in social work is $6,912 per year. Out-of-state tuition at a private institution, meanwhile, had a median rate of $29,900 per year. This means that some programs will be more or less expensive than this.

To give specific examples, this visualization shows instate and out of state graduate tuition costs of four institutions with Social Work Graduate Programs as reported by NCES.

Top 39 Social Work Graduate Programs