Social Work

Career and Major Information
Related Career Titles
Web Sites
Salary Information

The Associate of Science degree at Walters State Community College is designed to include courses required for the freshman and sophomore levels of a bachelor’s degree in social work.  The courses include general education and introductory level curriculum for transfer; however, the curriculum is not designed to transfer to any particular school.  Students will need to consult a faculty advisor or the transfer institution to determine specific courses needed for an individual college or university.  The link for this WSCC department is: http://www.ws.edu/socialsci/default.asp#Academic%20Programs

 

 

Career and Major Information:

Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve people’s lives. Social workers help people function the best way they can in their environment, deal with their relationships, and solve personal and family problems. Social workers often see clients who face a life-threatening disease or a social problem. These problems may include inadequate housing, unemployment, serious illness, disability, or substance abuse. Social workers also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts, including those involving child or spousal abuse.

Social workers often provide social services in health-related settings that now are governed by managed care organizations. To contain costs, these organizations are emphasizing short-term intervention, ambulatory and community-based care, and greater decentralization of services.

While a bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement, a master’s degree in social work or a related field has become the standard for many positions (Occupational Outlook Handbook 2004-2005).

 

 

Related Career Titles:

 

Agency Director	Case Worker
Mental Health Worker	School Social Worker
Substance Abuse Counselor	Child Welfare/Children’s Services
Intake Counselor	Criminal Justice/Corrections Specialist

 

Web Sites:

Social Work and Social Services Jobs Online http://gwbweb.wustl.edu/jobs/index.html

Career Information from The New Social Worker www.socialworker.com/career

SocialService.com -- a great place for social workers and other social service professionals to start looking for a social service or social work job, whether in mental health, substance abuse, children and youth, medical social work, criminal justice, domestic violence, counseling, community organizing and outreach, homelessness or a variety of other areas. Browse job openings by state and post your resume (coming soon). Free to job-seekers. www.socialservice.com

 

Careers in Social Work http://www.saludos.com/cguide/cswguide.html

Good Works-Social Change Careers http://goodworksfirst.org/

National Association of Social Workers http://www.naswdc.org

American Network of Home Health Care Social Workers: www.homehealthsocialwork.org

University of North Carolina at Wilmington http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/career/Majors/socialwork.htm#Related%20Career%20Titles%20for%20Social%20Work%20Majors

Salary Information:

 

Median annual earnings of child, family, and school social workers were $33,150 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $26,310 and $42,940. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,270, and the top 10 percent earned more than $54,250.

 

Salary figures quoted are based on national figures.  Local or regional salaries may be lower.

 

 

 

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, Social Workers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos060.htm