This can vary widely based on several factors, including employer, particular job duties, and state of employment.
For generalist roles in social work, a bachelor’s degree education is sufficient and may lead to licensure in your state of residence. To become a clinical social worker, you’ll need to earn a master’s degree.
Students seeking a 2-year pathway into the field of social work might consider our Associate of Science in Health and Human Services or Associate of Science in Criminal Justice programs. For jobs specifically in social work, we recommend a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, human services and criminal justice represent larger umbrellas under which exist entry-level positions which can provide valuable experience beneficial to a future career in social work.
Your state of residence and industry in which you want to work (e.g. child and family, school, healthcare, mental health) can potentially affect minimum education requirements. Contact our admissions team and we can help you determine which degree pathway is right for you.
Learn more about what you need to know about becoming a social worker
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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