---

Social Work

Types of Degrees Social Work Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Social Work have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	125
Associate’s Degree	2,154
Bachelor’s Degree	18,657
Master’s Degree	36,305
Doctor’s Degree	917

What Social Work Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Social Work emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Social Work graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Social Work emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Social Work program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Social Work careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Social Work graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Social Work professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Social Work graduates include:

• Case Manager
• Social Worker
• Faculty Member
• Health Social Work Professor
• Field Education Coordinator
• Clinical Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Geriatric Social Work Professor
• Social Work Assistant Professor
• University Faculty Member
• College Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Field Instructor
• Instructor
• Social Work Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Social Work graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.6%
Doctoral degree	27.4%
Bachelor’s degree	21.2%
First professional degree	3.6%
Post-master’s certificate	2.9%
Post-doctoral training	2.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%
Some college courses	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Social Work?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.5% of Social Work degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	50,926	87.5%
Men	7,250	12.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Social Work graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	29,945	51.5%
Asian	1,817	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	11,090	19.1%
Black or African American	10,068	17.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	434	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	117	0.2%
Two or More Races	2,162	3.7%
Race Unknown	1,824	3.1%
International Students	719	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Social Work Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Social Work graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,745
4 years	$51,599
5 years	$57,911

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $57,911 — roughly 16% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Social Work Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Social Work. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	31	17
Bachelor’s	65	62
Master’s	99	86
Doctoral (Research)	9	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Social Work Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Social Work graduates earn a median of $51,599 four years after completion — roughly 36% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Social Services Public Administration	44
Community Organization and Advocacy	44.02
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other	44.99
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS	44.00
Public Administration	44.04
Public Policy Analysis	44.05

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.