What Can I Do With a Bachelors in Social Science

Your Guide to the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Degree

Written by Coursera • Updated on Feb xi, 2022

Earning your Available of Social Work (BSW) degree is an important step if y'all're interested in a social work career.

The social work profession "promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people," co-ordinate to the International Federation of Social Workers [one]. This ofttimes means working with individuals, families, and communities to place issues and develop strategies to manage or solve them.

Earning your Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is an important step if you're interested in a social piece of work career. It'south frequently a requirement for entry-level administrative roles. And, if you're interested in more advanced roles, information technology can lay the foundation for a Main of Social Work (MSW) degree—a requirement for clinical social worker roles.

In this article, we'll encompass the BSW degree, including how long it takes to earn, the courses you'll near likely take, and the paths yous can follow later on graduation.

What is a BSW degree?

A BSW caste is an undergraduate degree that tends to accept a generalist approach to social work then that you tin gain a wide understanding of the profession and pursue a number of unlike paths after graduation.

Different sure other available's degree majors, which typically crave that yous declare your intent, majoring in social work frequently requires an additional awarding to a special program, department, or school inside your higher or academy that focuses on social work.

Length of time + price

Equally with other available's degrees, a Available of Social Work takes around four years of full-time study to complete. In addition to the general education requirements you lot'll fulfill as part of your degree, y'all tin wait to complete at least half of the 120 minimum credits it takes to graduate in your social work major.

A available's degree costs an average annual total of $20,598 for a public four-year institution and $44,662 for a private four-year institution, co-ordinate to the National Center for Pedagogy Statistics [2].

Types of coursework

You'll exist expected to consummate a number of required major courses in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Your social piece of work coursework may include topics similar:

• Man behavior

• Variety or multicultural social work

• Social work policy

• Social piece of work research methods

• Child welfare

• Communications

Field internship

You'll likewise need to complete a field internship before graduating, fulfilling at least 400 hours, co-ordinate to the Council on Social Work Education [iii]. Your internship typically falls during the concluding year or concluding semester in your programme and can take many different forms—unremarkably working with an agency or arrangement. The purpose is to help you develop practical experience to broaden what yous've learned in your courses.

Learn more: Your Guide to Social Work Degrees

What can you do with a BSW?

With a BSW, you can either enter the workforce or continue on to graduate schoolhouse. Let's look more closely at each of those paths.

Entry-level roles

After earning your BSW degree, you can pursue entry-level authoritative roles in the social work field. You can also apply for a number of entry-level social services jobs, including:

• Case worker

• Child and family unit abet

• Community outreach worker

• Human being services specialist

• Probation officeholder

• Social services adjutant

• Youth worker

Many social services jobs in the Usa are government jobs. Depending on the state you live in, you tin notice job listings through a central government hub like USAJobs or through diverse counties' websites.

Chief of Social Work (MSW)

If you're interested in more advanced roles, you may want to explore a Primary of Social Piece of work (MSW) degree. With a BSW, y'all may authorize for accelerated MSW programs, which reduce the amount of coursework y'all need to complete. With a master's level degree, you can become a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, or other country-certified social work professional person. Hither are some common roles that MSW graduates go on to do:

• Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)

• Behavior annotator

• Child welfare worker

• Medical social worker

• Addiction counselor

Social Work MasterTrack® Certificate

University of Michigan

Exercise you demand a BSW to earn an MSW?

No. If yous're interested in achieving a graduate-level degree in social work, there are many related majors that will assistance provide a useful foundation, including:

• Bachelor of Arts in Folklore

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

• Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Services

At that place are also many combination programs, such as BA/MSW or BSW/MSW, which are designed to significantly reduce the fourth dimension you'll spend earning both degrees. When you enroll in a combination degree program in social work, often you may only need to spend i additional yr—instead of ii or three—earning your master'due south.

Learn more than: What Is the Divergence Betwixt a BA and a BS Degree?

What are the benefits of a BSW caste?

As an important credential to begin a career in social work, a Bachelor of Social Piece of work has several benefits.

Salary + job growth

As a profession, social workers in the United States earn a median salary of $51,760 per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [4]. That'south higher than the average median salary for all occupations. And social work as a profession is set to grow by 12 pct over the next ten years, which is faster than average.

Pregnant and impact

At its core, social piece of work is nearly helping others. The National Association of Social Workers states, "The master mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-beingness and help meet basic and circuitous needs of all people, with a detail focus on those who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty" [5]. Many people enter the profession because of the potential impact they tin can have and the meaning that may create within their career.

Which BSW degree program is right for me?

The all-time BSW degree program is the ane that helps you achieve your goals, exist those personal, professional, or educational. As you research potential programs, here are four additional factors to consider:

Your goals

Your long-term education or career goals tin can help determine which BSW degree program is best for you. If you lot'd like to keep to pursue an MSW, then information technology may help to find a BSW/MSW (or BA/MSW) programme, where you can earn your Principal of Social Piece of work in an boosted yr. If, all the same, you are more interested in working after graduation, then a standard BSW degree plan may be the best choice.

Accreditation

Accreditation, or the verification that a social work programme meets certain quality standards, is important when selecting the best BSW degree program for you. In the U.s.a., but the Quango on Social Work Education (CSWE) can provide accreditation for social work programs [6]. As you inquiry potential programs, make sure to verify their accreditation status—or you can check the CSWE Directory for a list of accredited bachelor's programs.

Field internship

The types of internships yous'll find may depend on location and fifty-fifty the connections a program has established with external professional organizations. Every bit you look at various BSW degree programs, take time to find out where many students intern—or attain out to an admissions counselor for more information. Given the professional person experience you'll gain from an internship, it's important to make certain it aligns with your larger goals.

Online vs. in-person

How y'all desire to study—and the flexibility you'll demand to do and then—is another important consideration when determining the all-time BSW degree program for you. There are a number of online BSW degree options you can explore. If yous'd like to work while attending schoolhouse, or if you lot'd adopt learning from home (or anywhere with an cyberspace connection) rather than attending in-person classes, so an online BSW program may be worth exploring.

Next steps

Learn more virtually social work fundamentals with the top-rated University of Michigan'southward Social Work: Practice, Policy and Inquiry MasterTrack® Certificate. If you determine to apply to the University of Michigan Master of Social Work (MSW) and are accepted, your MasterTrack® Certificate will count toward your caste.

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Article sources

1. International Federation of Social Workers. "Social Work Action, https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-piece of work/global-definition-of-social-work/." Accessed February iii, 2022.

2. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). "The NCES Fast Facts Tool Provides Quick Answers to Many Pedagogy Questions (National Center for Education Statistics), https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76". Accessed Feb iv, 2022.

3. Quango on Social Work Education. "Social Work Education at a Glance, https://world wide web.cswe.org/Students/Fix-for-Your-Career/Social-Work-At-A-Glance." Accessed Feb 4, 2022.

4. U.s. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Social Workers : Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm."  Accessed February four, 2022

5. National Clan of Social Workers. "Why Choose the Social Work Profession?, https://www.socialworkers.org/Careers/NASW-Career-Center/Explore-Social-Work/Why-Choose-the-Social-Work-Profession." Accessed February 4, 2022.

6. Social Piece of work Licensure. "CSWE Accreditation: The Importance of Program Accreditation for Social Workers, https://socialworklicensure.org/social-worker-education/cswe-accreditation/." Accessed February 4, 2022.

Written by Coursera • Updated on Feb 11, 2022

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional enquiry to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and fiscal goals.

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Source: https://www.coursera.org/articles/bsw-degree

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