Skip to main content

Master of Social Work career opportunities

A Master of Social Work (MSW) opens many doors to exciting career opportunities and prepares you to advocate for and empower individuals and make the world a better place for all people. Choosing to pursue a career in social work is more than a noble cause; it signals a passion for transforming people’s lives. The required courses and electives in the program prepare you to succeed in various careers, and Social Work Degree Center shares a few of the many opportunities available to MSW graduates.

Clinical Social Worker

As a clinical social worker, you are often the first to diagnose and treat people with mental disorders and a wide range of emotional and behavioral health concerns. You provide behavioral health treatment in a variety of client-centered settings and take a holistic approach in addressing client needs. Earning an MSW teaches you the skills necessary to succeed as a clinical social worker and prepares you for licensure.

MSW courses that prepare you for clinical social work:

  • Evaluation and treatment of mental disorders prepares students to conduct systematic and strengths-based biopsychosocial assessments across the lifespan, formulate differential diagnostic impressions in accordance with the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and recommend effective and appropriate theoretically guided interventions.
  • Advanced Interventions I & II build upon the generalist foundation and advances student knowledge of theoretical frameworks used in social work practice to bring about change in individuals and families.

Sample elective courses available to support clinical practice:

Health Care Social Worker

Health care social workers support patients and advocate for patient rights, addressing the full range of emotional and social issues that impact well-being. Health care social workers practice in various clinical and non-clinical settings, including hospitals, emergency rooms, nursing homes, patient homes, primary care clinics, specialty clinics, hospice facilities, veteran’s facilities and rehabilitation hospitals.

Since much of the work that health care social workers do is clinical, all of the clinical courses listed above will prepare graduates for this field. In addition to those courses, we offer a specific elective for those interested in this field.

Elective course to prepare for health care social work:

  • Social Work in Health Care is an elective that builds on core knowledge common to all fields of practice. It examines advanced practice skills and interventions relevant to health care settings in work with individual clients, families, groups and interdisciplinary teams. Social work practice is explored in the context of the psychosocial consequences of illness and current health care delivery.

Substance Abuse and Addictions Social Worker

Substance abuse and addictions social workers help individuals, families and communities affected by substance use disorders and addiction. Addressing the needs of the client and the possibility of co-occurring addictions is the approach that social workers take to influence positive outcomes and improve treatment services. Substance abuse and addictions social workers work with clients in various settings, including health and mental health centers, hospitals, child welfare and aging services, courts and correctional facilities, employee assistance programs and private practices.

All of the clinical courses listed above will prepare graduates for this field. In addition to those courses, we offer a specific elective for those interested in the substance abuse and addictions field.

Elective course to prepare for substance abuse and addiction social work:

  • Substance Use and Other Addictive Disorders is an elective that provides an overview of chemical dependency and process addictions including public policy, theories of prevention and addiction, screening and assessment, evidence-based treatment, the physiology and psychology of addiction and the effects of drugs on the individual, family and society.

Corrections Social Worker

Minorities and lower socioeconomic populations have a higher likelihood of being incarcerated than their white counterparts. In addition, research shows that 85% of incarcerated individuals have a SUD¹, nearly 40% have a mental health disorder² and over 50% of youth entering the juvenile justice system have experience trauma³. Arrests and incarceration can exacerbate these issues and destabilize their lives. Social workers can address these issues by providing mental health services, individual and group therapy, substance abuse treatment, vocational rehabilitation, case management and education. Corrections social workers work with clients in various settings, such as jails, prisons, juvenile justice facilities, post-incarceration reentry programs and in the probation sphere of the justice system. The required courses in the master of social work program prepare you to be a successful corrections social worker.

MSW courses and electives to prepare for corrections social work:

  • Evaluation and treatment of mental disorders prepares students to conduct systematic and strengths-based biopsychosocial assessments across the lifespan, formulate differential diagnostic impressions in accordance with the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and recommend effective and appropriate theoretically guided interventions.
  • Substance Use and Other Addictive Disorders is an elective that provides an overview of chemical dependency and process addictions, including public policy, theories of prevention and addiction, screening and assessment, evidence-based treatment, the physiology and psychology of addiction and the effects of drugs on the individual, family and society.
  • Foundation and application of trauma-informed practice is an elective that examines acute, chronic and complex trauma informed by current evidence-based assessment and intervention methods for individuals, families, groups and communities impacted by traumatic stress.

Gerontological Social Worker

Gerontological social workers work with the aging and elderly as well as caregivers to promote independence, autonomy and dignity in later life. Social workers fill various needs, such as mediating disputes between elders and their families, identifying and intervening in elder abuse, and connecting elderly clients with resources. They typically work in senior and assisted living facilities, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals and private practices that see aging and elderly clients.

Elective course to prepare for gerontological social work:

Macro Social Worker

”All social workers are expected to engage in policy practice, but some choose to focus on social policy, social justice or human rights advocacy as their full-time job,” states the Social Work Degree Center. Many work in advocacy organizations, community centers, non-profits and government agencies. Macro social workers may engage in program development and evaluation, policy development, policy analysis and advocacy and participate in local, state, federal and even global initiatives to address inequities.

MSW courses that prepare you for macro social work:

  • Organizations and Communities introduces students to theories and skills required for social work practice in organizational and community settings and learn strategies and skills for assessment and intervention.
  • Foundation of Social Welfare Policy examines contemporary welfare policies, in a value-analytic framework and in the context of the United States and international political economies. Emphasis is placed on values of equity, adequacy and universality of access to basic social and economic security. Policy practice skills include identification and evaluation of policy problems, including their empirical and value dimensions, and policy advocacy skills with legislators and the general public.
  • Program Leadership and Management is designed to prepare students with the knowledge and skills for management and leadership in social service programs.
  • Social Dimensions of Human Behavior utilizes a variety of theoretical perspectives to examine the impact of social systems and institutions on human behavior. It draws on traditional and alternative conflict theoretical perspectives and the role of systemic oppression and discrimination to examine how experiences differ across factors such as race/ethnicity, immigration status, gender, etc. Examine strategies to eliminate oppressive structural barriers and protect human rights.

Child Welfare and School Social Workers

Child welfare social workers are advocates for and protectors of the well-being of children and support families. Practice in child welfare may include child abuse prevention, investigation of child abuse and neglect, parenting programs, family support programs, family-based services, family foster care, kinship care, residential group homes, adoption and independent living.

School social workers also focus on children but specifically in educational settings. They seek to ensure equitable educational opportunities; ensure that students are mentally, physically and emotionally present in the classroom; and promote respect and dignity for all students.

Courses that prepare you for child welfare social work:

  • Individuals and Families enhances the practice skills necessary to provide effective assessment and intervention techniques regarding the more general issues and disorders which are frequently seen by social workers, such as child maltreatment, substance abuse and mental health.
  • Families and Groups introduces competencies required for social work practice with diverse families and small groups.
  • Foundation and application of trauma-informed practice is an elective that examines acute, chronic and complex trauma informed by current evidence-based assessment and intervention methods for individuals, families, groups and communities impacted by traumatic stress.
  • School Social Work is an elective that develops an in-depth understanding of school social work skills and knowledge from a broad range of social work theories.

More Careers in Social Work

These careers are not the only paths available in social work. If you aren’t sure which area of practice is the best fit for you, the field work component of the MSW program is the perfect way to get hands-on experience before committing to a career path.

Have questions about Boise State’s Master of Social Work online?

Contact a Student Success Coach

Resources:

  1. Criminal Justice DrugFacts
  2. Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates
  3. Policies and Practices Surrounding Mental Health