Your Social Work Career After Widener
The MSW online program from Widener University empowers you with the flexibility to continue your career while furthering your education. Engage with an expert faculty and develop your understanding of trauma-informed practice while maintaining your current life commitments. Learn new skills and then immediately apply them in your field. Develop a strong clinical skill set to move beyond entry-level positions. As a Widener MSW online student, you develop the knowledge and skills needed to drive change and make an impact in the communities and lives of those battling mental illness and social-emotional issues.
When you graduate with an online MSW from Widener University, you are eligible and prepared for the Licensed Social Worker (LSW) exam and, after two years of supervised clinical practice, you may sit for the Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) exam.* These two advanced exams are increasingly required by mental health service organizations and clinics. Obtaining these licenses will also help you secure higher positions and better salaries within the social work field.
Understand Trauma. Save Lives.
As an MSW Widener graduate, you are prepared to assist in a variety of rapidly expanding subfields and specialties, including the treatment of veterans, the urban youth, trauma survivors, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, older adults, and those in need of child welfare services.
A master's in social work is often needed to advance in the human services field, and our program swiftly prepares you for a successful career in roles such as:
- Clinical social worker
- Trauma-informed therapist
- Clinical supervisor
- Children's services worker
- Adoption specialist
- Medical social worker
Salary Expectations
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers earn an average yearly salary of $49,470. In addition, professional opportunities are increasing, with an anticipated job growth rate of 16 percent over the next decade, which is much faster than average.1 According to Burning Glass, social work jobs that require a master's degree offer a median salary up to 20 percent higher than those only requiring a bachelor's degree.2
Demand for social workers spans civil service and health care, offering opportunity across sectors:
- Hospitals; state, local, and private
$60,100 median annual salary - Local government, excluding education and hospitals
$54,430 median annual salary - Ambulatory health care services
$49,840 median annual salary - State government (excluding education and hospitals)
$48,590 median annual salary - Individual and family services
$41,810 median annual salary
All median salaries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.1
Newsweek named Widener the No. 19 service-minded college in the country.
Take the Next Step Today
Call a Program Manager at 1-844-386-7321 or request a free program brochure to learn more about Widener's online Master of Social Work program.
*Varies by state. Check your state's social work licensing requirements.
Sources:
1 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019 June 18). Social Workers. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved on July 12, 2019, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm
2 Burning Glass Technologies: Labor Insight™. Retrieved July 10, 2019.