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forensic social work

Types of Degrees forensic social work Majors Are Earning

Those studying forensic social work can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	8

What forensic social work Majors Need to Know

Programs in forensic social work develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that forensic social work graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in forensic social work emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a forensic social work program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to forensic social work careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, forensic 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	4.5 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by forensic social work professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for forensic social work graduates include:

• Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Assistant Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Clinical Professor
• Lecturer
• Social Work Instructor
• Faculty Member
• Social Work Faculty Member
• Geriatric Social Work Professor
• Field Instructor
• College Professor
• Social Work Assistant Professor
• Family Welfare Social Work Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	34.6%
Master’s degree	34.6%
Bachelor’s degree	18.6%
First professional degree	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	2.8%
Post-doctoral training	2.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.8%
Some college courses	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in forensic social work?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.5% of forensic social work degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7	87.5%
Men	1	12.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of forensic social work graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	8	100.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do forensic social work Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of forensic social work graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 forensic social work Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for forensic 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
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{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 forensic social work Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, forensic 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 Work	44.07
Social Work, Other	44.0799
Social Work	44.0701
Youth Services/Administration	44.0702
Community Organization and Advocacy	44.0201

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.