Social Work major
Social Work: courses, careers, and where to study
Social Work prepares graduates for licensed direct practice with individuals, families, and communities, combining behavioral sciences with field placements and an explicit ethical framework.
A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is a CSWE-accredited professional degree that prepares graduates for entry-level licensed social-work practice (LSW or LBSW depending on state). Programs combine social-work theory, human behavior, social policy, research, and practice methods with at least 400 hours of supervised field placement. A BSW is the standard prerequisite for an Advanced Standing MSW program (about 1 year vs the standard 2-year MSW), which then qualifies graduates for clinical practice (LCSW after supervised hours).
Social Work is one of the most direct-entry social-service majors and is consistently in high demand across child welfare, healthcare, mental health, schools, and community organizations.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Social Work maps to CIP 44.0701, Social Work, within the PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals for the professional practice of social welfare administration and counseling, and that focus on the study of organized means of providing basic support services for vulnerable individuals and groups. Includes instruction in social welfare policy; case work planning; social counseling and intervention strategies; administrative procedures and regulations; and specific applications in areas such as child welfare and family services, probation, employment services, and disability counseling.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Social Work is awarded as
Of the 57,453 Social Work credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate<1%548
- Associate3%1,892
- Bachelor's32%18,256
- Graduate64%36,757
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 50 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 4 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Generalist social-work practice with individuals, families, groups, communities
- Human behavior and the social environment
- Social welfare policy and history
- Social-work research methods
- Diversity, equity, and ethics
- Field placements (400+ supervised hours)
- Crisis intervention and case management
- Trauma-informed practice
Typical careers
- Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
- Child Welfare Caseworker
- School Social Worker (with MSW)
- Medical Social Worker
- Mental Health Therapist (with LCSW)
- Nonprofit Program Manager
Typical salary range: $48,000–$65,000 early-career (BLS, 2024 child, family, and school social workers median $58,570)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Social Work, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $58,570 | 35,100 | +3.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Social and Community Service Managers | $78,240 | 18,600 | +6.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Healthcare Social Workers | $68,090 | 18,400 | +7.7% | Master's degree |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $60,060 | 13,500 | +9.7% | Master's degree |
| Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists | $64,520 | 7,900 | +2.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $63,780 | 7,700 | +12.6% | Master's degree |
| Counselors, All Other | $49,830 | 7,400 | +12.6% | Master's degree |
| Social Workers, All Other | $69,480 | 7,000 | +3.9% | Bachelor's degree |
| Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary | $76,210 | 1,300 | +2.3% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 9 of these 9 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Social Work does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Social Work major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Social Work program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Social Work department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Social Work program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Social Work credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Walden UniversityMN · 1,611
- University of KentuckyKY · 1,196
- The University of Texas at ArlingtonTX · 915
- Rutgers University-New BrunswickNJ · 775
- Aurora UniversityIL · 749
- Fordham UniversityNY · 729
- Simmons UniversityMA · 632
- CUNY Hunter CollegeNY · 630
- University of Southern CaliforniaCA · 623
- University of DenverCO · 590
- Indiana University-IndianapolisIN · 588
- Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY · 562
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Social Work credentials were awarded
41 states have a distinct enough set of Social Work colleges to be worth its own page.
- Ohio57
- Texas48
- Pennsylvania45
- Illinois36
- California36
- New York35
- Michigan33
- Minnesota28
- North Carolina25
- New Jersey23
- Indiana23
- Iowa21
- Missouri21
- Tennessee19
- Massachusetts17
- Arizona17
- Georgia17
- Mississippi17
- Florida16
- Alabama16
- Wisconsin16
- Kentucky14
- Virginia14
- Kansas14
- Arkansas12
- Louisiana11
- Maryland10
- Connecticut10
- Washington10
- Oregon9
- Nebraska9
- Idaho8
- Utah8
- Colorado7
- Oklahoma7
- New Mexico7
- West Virginia7
- Maine6
- Montana6
- South Carolina5
- North Dakota5
Related majors
Psychology
Psychology majors study human cognition, behavior, and emotion, preparing graduates for clinical, research, business, and human-services careers (and graduate school in clinical, counseling, and I/O psych).
Sociology
Sociology studies social institutions, group behavior, inequality, and culture, preparing graduates for research, policy, social services, and graduate school in law or social work.
Public Administration
Public Administration trains graduates for careers in government, nonprofits, and public-private partnerships, combining policy analysis with management practice.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Social Work degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Community & Social Service careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Social Work degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Social Work path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.