What Can You Do With an Online MSW?

What can you do with an online MSW? If you are considering a career in the social work field, you are probably asking yourself just that question.

You might also be wondering if an online Master of Social Work opens the same doors as a traditional, on-campus master’s degree. Or, perhaps you are already preparing to enroll in an online MSW degree program, and you’re wondering what options you have for specialization.

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In this article, we answer these questions and more. Let’s get to it!

What is an Online MSW Degree?

An online Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is a two-year master’s program that prepares students to become licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs). Online social work programs are offered by a number of top-ranked universities. They should be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which is the main accrediting body for schools of social work.

Online master’s degree programs are appealing to many graduate students. Some programs are synchronous. This means they follow a similar order of courses at the same pace as the on-campus program. Many others are asynchronous, which allows students to complete coursework at their own pace.

Admissions Requirements for Master of Social Work Programs

Admission to online MSW programs most often follows the same process as admission to traditional, on-campus degree programs. Almost always included in the online application process are:

undergraduate transcripts
letters of recommendation
a personal statement

GRE scores are required by some online MSW degree programs, but not by all.

To apply for a master’s in social work, you should have already earned a bachelor’s degree. Students who have earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) will be able to apply this degree to the advanced standing program of a graduate degree. Those with advanced standing are not required to complete the program’s foundational courses This privilege that often halves the overall requirements for earning the degree.

Online MSW Curriculum

The curriculum for online MSW degrees closely follows that of on-campus programs. MSW students who do not have advanced standing begin with a series of foundational courses. Those who have already formally studied social work jump straight into either “generalist” or “specialist” coursework.

The majority of programs also require two or three electives, which gives you the opportunity to focus your studies or explore a specific topic in the subject of social work.

To become a CSWE-accredited program, a MSW online program must include a minimum of 900 hours of field education. This requirement provides valuable hands-on social work practice. It also help prepare graduate students for licensure in their field. Online students are usually able to work with a program representative to find a field placement located near them.

Related Reading: 30 Cheapest Online MSW Programs

What Can You Do With a MSW?

These days, more and more social work jobs require an advanced degree and license. Taking the time to earn an online MSW will prepare you to become a licensed clinical social worker. It will also maximize your career options in the field of social work.

Below, we highlight 11 types of social work careers that almost always require a Master of Social Work.

Adoption Social Workers

Average Salary: $39,268
Adoption social workers facilitate the logistics of the adoption process. This includes everything from screening potential adoptive families to ensuring that everything goes smoothly from pregnancy to official adoption.

Many adoption social workers choose to work in private practice, where they work one-on-one with their clients:

birth parents
adoptive parents
foster parents

Child and Family Social Worker

Average Salary: $44,430
Child and family social workers work with families to ensure all members are feeling their best:

physically
mentally
emotionally

Specific tasks are wide ranging, but they could include:

securing foster homes for children who are abandoned or abused
organizing counseling to confront behavioral issues
assisting parents when it comes to improving child welfare

Community Social Worker

Average Salary: $37,731
Community social workers help with the immediate needs of a group of people. They help tackle:

health and wellness
community organizing
social justice on the local, national, and international levels

Potential tasks include:

working with non-profit organizations
setting up assistance programs
helping to secure necessary funding

Criminal Justice Social Worker

Average Salary: $57,907
Criminal justice social workers work hard to serve:

criminals
victims
their families

Some criminal justice social workers advocate for the well-being of those who are incarcerated. Others help recently freed individuals transition back into society. Still other criminal justice social workers specialize in advocating for victims as they navigate the system, from the reporting of a crime onward.

Disability Social Worker

Average Salary: $50,290
Disability social workers typically specialize in one type of disability (learning or developmental, for example). Common responsibilities of a disability social worker include:

helping people understand their disability
advocating for any medical needs
helping clients make adjustments to their daily lives

Gerontological Social Worker

Average Salary: $49,827
Gerontological social workers are also called geriatric social workers or gerontology social workers. They work with older adults as they learn to manage the many challenges that come with getting older:

social
emotional
physical challenges

Much of a gerontological social worker’s job comes down to ensuring that a person receives the proper care and services from their family and healthcare team.

International Social Worker

Average Salary: $50,000
If your career goals include tackling human rights on a global scale, then a career as an international social worker may be right for you. International social workers are employed by government agencies and NGOs. They are often deployed to third-world countries. They are tasked with setting up assistance to deal with issues like:

poverty
child labor
war
natural disasters

Medical Social Worker

Average Salary: $74,668
Medical social worker is a broad job title that also covers palliative and hospice social worker. Generally speaking, medical social workers partner with healthcare teams to advocate for their patients. Responsibilities vary, but they often include:

providing families with information about financial aid
coordinating more complex care
helping patients to emotionally accept the end of life.

Mental Health Social Worker

Average Salary: $51,760
Social workers interested in the brain and human behavior may be interested in becoming mental health social workers. These social workers work closely with patients who have been diagnosed with various mental health disorders. They help empower these patients through tasks like:

providing therapy
conducting risk assessment based on a patient’s competencies
implementing measures of crisis intervention.

Military and Veterans Social Worker

Average Salary: $74,633
Military and veterans social workers dedicate their careers to advocacy for those:

in the military
veterans
military families

Tasks include:

acting as a liaison between patients and the Veterans Administration system
offering resources for legal, financial, and protective assistance
helping patients to overcome substance abuse, PTSD, and other traumas.

School Social Worker

Average Salary: $49,541
School social workers are hired by school districts to work in:

elementary schools
middle schools
high schools

They have a wide variety of responsibilities. However, these mostly boil down to assisting students and staff in dealing with:

behavioral issues
mental health issues
academic issues

Most school social workers also have some formal training as mental health professionals.

What Can You Do With a MSW Besides Traditional Social Work?

Burnout and “compassion fatigue” are very common among social workers. If you are a social worker experiencing emotional and physical exhaustion, then you may be considering trying something new.

Fortunately, your Master of Social Work degree can open the door to a variety of other full-time positions. Many of these offer the same personal satisfaction without the accompanying emotional toil. We list a few of those careers below.

Community Program Administrator

Average Salary: $43,952
Like social workers, community program administrators work to serve a specific community or demographic. They are usually hired in leadership positions in social services programs or in nonprofit organizations.

Daycare Provider

Average Salary: $39,278
Many former and retired social workers transition their social work careers to that of a daycare provider. Some daycare providers choose to work at established preschools or care centers. Others form their own in-home daycares.

Many people enter social work because they care about children. Working as a daycare provider allows former social workers to practice that care in a setting that does not require as much emotional stress.

Human Resources Manager

Average Salary: $69,226
Human resource managers oversee the hiring, firing, and overall welfare of employees. This is in both big and small companies. Specific tasks include:

overseeing healthcare and other benefits programs
properly disciplining employees
dealing with any harassment claims

The role of H.R. manager is a natural fit for someone with a social work degree. Like social workers, human resource managers spend their days working closely with people. Also, both social workers and H.R. managers tend to be empathetic people with good communication skills. Some relevant work experience is usually required before you can be hired into a management position.

Political Social Worker

Average Salary: $49,274
Political social workers are still involved with social work. However, instead of working directly with individuals and communities, these social workers work “behind the scenes” for:

the federal government
lobbyists
political parties
think tanks

A political social worker’s day-to-day life is spent:

leading change movements
lobbying for changes in social welfare policy
challenging various policies and structures.

School Counselor

Average Salary: $51,476
Like some social workers, school counselors work closely with children and teens. They mainly work in educational environments. They help students and families with anything that might impede academic learning. Specific tasks might include:

working in a one-on-one setting with students and/or their families
helping students plan for college and/or a career.

In addition to a MSW or other relevant master’s degree, school counselors must have a state-issued license or certification.

Are Online MSW Programs Respected?

As long as it is an accredited program, an online Master of Social Work degree program carries the same weight and commands the same amount of respect as any other MSW degree. Like an on-campus MSW, an accredited online program requires field experience and prepares a learner to take the licensing exam.

Summary

Earning an accredited MSW is the key to obtaining just about any position in the field of social work. Online master’s degree programs offer a focused curriculum that prepares students for licensure. Fieldwork experience provides ample hands-on opportunities. A licensed social worker with a MSW can be hired for just about any social work job available, from adoption specialist to youth social worker.

By Kelsey Fox
December 2021

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This concludes our article on what you can do with an online master’s in social work.

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