This depends on your specific career goals, namely if you want to continue specializing solely in social work, or if you want to branch out into health and human services more broadly.
The biggest difference between these two master’s degree curriculums is the MSW program prepares you to continue as a practitioner in the field as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).i
The Health and Human Services Leadership curriculum prepares you to advance from a role as a practitioner to a position in leadership or management. This is not a track to become an LCSW—rather, you would become more qualified to manage a team of social workers, or multidisciplinary team including social workers and other types of human services professionals.
i. Individuals considering the Master of Social Work program should be aware that state certification/ licensure requirements and eligibility to apply for certification/licensure vary from state to state. While certification/licensure is not a requirement for certain types of jobs, in some states, it may be required for any positions titled ‘Social Worker’ and to refer to yourself as a Social Worker in professional settings.
Learn more about our Master of Science in Health and Human Services Leadership program
BLS pay estimates calculate the median annual wage for various occupations. Per the BLS the median wage for an occupation is: "The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount, and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey." Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2024. BLS median wage estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geographic market in which you want to work, and degree level and field, will affect career outcomes, including starting salary and earnings as an experienced employee. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the median salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, particular wage or salary, or other career growth.
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