FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL
1. Where should I go
to social work grad school?
Answer: The answer to
this question is different from person to person. A lot depends
on what your goals are (personally and professionally), what
your learning style is, and other factors. If your goal is to
be a professional social worker, one criteria that you SHOULD
look for is accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education
(CSWE) in the U.S., or by comparable accrediting bodies in other
countries. A list of such schools can be found in CSWE's program
directory at http://www.cswe.org.
2. Do I need to get my
BSW (Bachelor of Social Work) first, before I go for my MSW?
Answer: No, you do not
need a BSW to get an MSW. Your bachelor's degree can be in any
major. If you do have a BSW from a CSWE-accredited school, however,
you may qualify for advanced standing in some MSW programs.
3. The school I am looking
at doesn't offer the MSW. Their social work degree is an MSS.
Is that okay?
Answer: The most common
accredited degree in social work is the Master of Social Work
(MSW). However, some schools call their degrees by different
names (Master of Arts, Master of Social Service Administration,
Master of Social Sciences, for example). If the school is accredited
by CSWE, the master's degree you are getting is equivalent to
the master's degree at other CSWE-accredited schools, regardless
of the actual name of the degree offered.
4. How long will it take
me to get my MSW?
Answer: Most MSW programs
are 2 years if you are a full-time student, but this varies.
If you are in advanced standing, you may be able to obtain your
MSW in as little as 1 year.
5. How important is the
personal essay (also called the biographical statement) portion
of my MSW application?
Answer: Very important.
Each school will require that you write an essay, statement,
or similar document as part of your application for admission.
The statement/essay tells the admissions committee about your
motivation for and commitment to a social work education and
career, how well you write, and other important information about
you that is not conveyed in other parts of the application. Follow
the directions provided by each school, which will mean writing
a different statement for each application.
6. What courses do I
need to take to become a social worker?
Answer: If you are enrolled
in a CSWE-accredited degree program, there are certain core courses
that you will be required to take. They include: human behavior
and the social environment, social welfare policy and services,
social research, social work practice, and field practicum. Most
schools of social work offer a variety of concentrations or specializations
for MSW students, such as health, mental health, aging, children
and youth, and so forth. Additional courses are taken in your
area of concentration.
7. Will I have to write
a thesis?
Answer: This varies from
school to school. Some require a formal thesis; others do not.
Ask each school what the requirements are in this regard.
8. How do I know if the
MSW is the right degree for me?
Answer: Only you can
decide this for yourself. You might try doing some volunteer
work in your community, under the supervision of a social worker,
to find out what the social worker in that setting does and how
the work suits you. Talk to social workers to get a feel for
the profession. Look at the classified ads in your local newspaper
and see if the jobs that interest you typically require a social
work degree. Be aware that the social work profession is quite
broad. Read some books like DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS
(Linda M. Grobman) and CAREERS IN SOCIAL WORK (Leon Ginsburg)
to find out the variety of career paths that are available to
social workers. Look at your own career goals, possibly with
the help of a career counselor, to determine if a formal social
work education will help you reach those goals.
9. Will I need to be
licensed to practice social work, once I get my degree?
Answer: Social work licensing
is governed by the state in which you live or practice. Each
state sets its own licensing requirements. You can go to the
Web site of ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) at http://www.aswb.org
to find a directory of licensing boards in the U.S. and other
jurisdictions. This directory will give you contact information
for each board, as well as general information about each state's
requirements.
10. What are all the
initials I see after social workers' names? BSW, MSW, LSW, ACSW,
BCD? What does it all mean?
Answer: BSW (Bachelor
of Social Work) and MSW (Master of Social Work) are social work
degrees. LSW typically means Licensed Social Worker, but licenses
vary from state to state, so depending on the state, you might
see LSW, LCSW, LMSW, LBSW, and other such titles. ACSW stands
for Academy of Certified Social Workers and is a national certification
that is issued by the National Association of Social Workers.
BCD is Board Certified Diplomate, which is also a nationally
recognized credential.
11. What are the ethical
obligations of social workers?
Answer: The social work
profession takes ethics very seriously. The primary document
relating to social work ethics is the National Association of
Social Workers' Code of Ethics. It can be found online at http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.htm.
State licensing boards may also have their own codes of ethics.
If you are a licensed social worker, please check with your state
licensing board for its code of ethics (also called code of conduct
or something similar).
We will be adding to
this list periodically. If you have questions you would like
us to consider for this list, please send them to Linda
Grobman.
For more detailed answers
to these and many more questions about social work grad school,
see Jesús Reyes' book, The
Social Work Graduate School Applicant's Handbook.
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