The List of All U.S Colleges With a Social Work Major

If you’re a do-gooder who wants to spend your career helping people, a degree in social work could be the answer. Bachelor in Social Worker (BSW) programs equip students with the skills to help diverse populations solve problems and improve their lives.

Are you considering earning a BSW? Find out whether it’s the right path for you—and what you need to do to gain admission into a top social work program.

Why Should You Study Social Work in College?

1. You’ll have plenty of career options.

The most obvious career path for someone with a BSW is that of a social worker. But even within the title of social worker, there are many different specialties and possibilities. For example, you might work as a clinical, child and family, healthcare, hospice, geriatric, addiction, or other type of social worker. There’s also a wide range of types of employers and facilities in which social workers work, from schools to hospitals to private practices.

In order to become a licensed social worker, you will need a master’s degree, usually an MSW. However, there are many other related jobs you can get with a BSW. They include:

• Human resources specialist
• Human services specialist
• Probation officer
• Case manager
• Child protective services worker
• Community outreach specialist
• Case consultant

2. You’ll wear many hats.

Social workers have many different roles working with a wide range of demographics, from children in the foster care system to inmates to individuals dealing with addiction to people in hospice. They must be equipped to handle a myriad of challenges and pressures.

Because of these varied challenges and roles, BSW programs teach students a diverse array of skills and cover topics including communication, human behavior, statistics, and research. You’ll also learn how to work with different cultures and populations.

3. You’ll help people.

At its core, social work is about supporting and helping other people through difficult situations, whether you’re working with the elderly, people with disabilities, children, people struggling with illnesses or addictions, or others. A social worker is there to help people cope with and solve problems.

That’s why, despite the challenging nature of the work, it can ultimately be so rewarding. If you’re someone who really wants to make a difference in the lives of others, social work is a promising path.

How Can You Increase Your Chances of Acceptance into a Social Work Program?

Along with strong grades and test scores in humanities and social science subjects including English and History, you’ll also want to demonstrate competencies in foreign language classes, since many social workers assist non-English-speaking populations. You should also focus on community service-oriented activities and involvement, such as working in a community center, volunteering at a soup kitchen, tutoring inner-city students, and so on. Leadership is another important quality for social workers, so you should proactively look for roles in organizations in and out of school.

At CollegeVine, we can help you put together a strong profile early on. Through our Early Advising Program, we’ll pair you with a mentor who will offer guidance on choosing the courses and activities that will prepare you for acceptance into a top BSW program.

If you’re later on in the process, our College Strategy Program for 11th graders will prepare you for the process of applying to colleges. You’ll learn how to bolster your profile for a social work major, and we’ll help you put together a college list with the best BSW programs that meet your needs.

What Colleges Have a Social Work Major?

How We Help Students Improve Their Chances

Ready to apply to a BSW program? Our Applications program will help you through every step of the admissions process, from generating a school list that reflects your real chances of acceptance to creating a cohesive theme for your application. Learn more today!