MSW in FL | Master of Social Work Degree, Florida

Florida is famous for its incredible beaches and natural beauty. It is home to Disney world and a few other man made wonders. Florida is also a state that has excellent opportunities for the well-trained and educated social worker. With baby boomers on the east coast looking to retire to Florida in the next few years, the opportunities for human services workers will rise tremendously. Another demographic shift to be aware of is how workers responded to the economic down turn of the past 5 years. Many workers went back to school at universities like the University of South Florida to attain higher educational degrees such as a Master of Social Work so they could be competitive in the job market. This means that employers can be more selective in new hires and look for those with Master’s degrees from strong Social Work programs like those offered at Florida Atlantic University. With the labor pool being more educated in general it is very important to make sure you keep abreast of these changes and get an education that will make you competitive. For those interested in pursuing virtually any career in social work in Florida it is highly advisable to consider earning your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.

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Southern New Hampshire University

Featured Program: Earn your BA in Human Services with concentrations in Child and Family Services; Substance Abuse and Gerontology.

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Grand Canyon University

Featured Program: Choose from a variety of online counseling degree programs at GCU, from our Bachelor of Science in Counseling to our counseling master's degrees, including the Christian-focused online counseling and addiction counseling degrees.

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Walden University

Featured Program: Earn you BA, MS or PhD degree in Human Services in various concentrations.

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Liberty University

Featured Program: Our 100% online master’s in human services counseling degree is designed to give you a solid foundation in the study of human behavior and equip you with the practical helping skills you need to make a lasting impact on those around you.

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Purdue Global

Featured Program: Courses in Purdue Global’s social and behavioral sciences programs are reviewed by professionals and industry leaders to help ensure your education keeps you competitive.

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Rasmussen University

Featured Program: Human Services Associate Degree; Human Services Bachelors Degree-Completion Program

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Living in Florida presents one with one of the most unique cultural and climate options of anywhere in the United States. It also gives one an opportunity to work with a variety of different demographics as a Social Worker. Human Services professionals who have attained a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) will find that the full array of potential career paths in Human Services become open to them in Florida where need for Social Workers with advanced degrees is great. With an ever burgeoning retiree population that is only expected to increase with the baby boom generation entering into retirement, a particularly in demand sub-specialty is that of Geriatric Social Work as well as Aging and Disability Case Workers. For example, you could work for HCR Manor Care in Palm Beach Gardens, as a Geriatric Social Worker. This is true all across Florida where there are similar opportunities in cities like Tampa Bay, to Orlando and Miami. There are also unique populations who are impoverished who will benefit from people becoming Eligibility Workers helping their family have access to government assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps) benefits. Under any circumstances, having your MSW degree will be of great benefit to you if you wish to have a fulfilling career as a Human Services professional in Florida.

Finding the Right MSW School in Florida

After you have decided that earning your MSW is an extremely wise decision in today’s job market, you can begin the process of finding the right school and MSW program for you. The best way to analyze potential schools and programs is by finding a career that resonates with you and then using that as the standard for evaluating potential schools and MSW programs to find one that will give you the skillset you need for your job. Certain elements of MSW programs will be universal, however in some cases the curriculum and skills taught at different schools and various programs may differ, in some cases in dramatic ways. For example, the MSW program concentration at University of South Florida is tailored to help prepare graduates for work as Licensed Clinical Social Workers with a focus on individual, family and group work. Closely examining the curriculum through the lens of your career goals will help you to be discerning in selecting the right school for you. If you want a specialized program you will need to find a school that has a program that will give you the outcome you want and if you are unsure of your career goals a more generalized Social Work Master’s program such as the one offered at Florida Atlantic University will give you the broad over view and skillset you need.

Career Options with a MSW

With an MSW you will be able to hold almost any career in social work from licensed clinical social work to school social workers. It is well worth your time to carefully research a variety of careers such as working as a Counselor IV / Social Worker IV at the Non-profit Children’s Home Society in Orlando or similar jobs in other cities. Here at humanservicesedu.org we have built a resource that can help you research this exact question. Below you will find a fairly short list of some of the many positions you will qualified for with an MSW. For more in-depth research consult our section on job descriptions:

• School Social Worker
• Social Work Administrator
• Aging and Disability Services Case manager
• Licensed Clinical Social Work
• Eligibility Worker
• Social Service Screener
• Child Welfare Case Manager
• Social and Community Service Manager
• Marriage and Family Therapist
• Social Service Permanency Worker

MSW Programs in Florida

Finding the Right Program for You

You will want to review and evaluate several elements of potential programs in order to come to an informed decision. One of the first choices you can make which will help you to narrow the field is on whether you prefer a traditional physical campus or an online program. There are advantages and disadvantages to both depending on your personal tastes, learning style and desired living situation. If you find that a physical college campus such as the Florida Atlantic University campus at Fort Lauderdale (Pop. 165,521) is more appealing to you, then you can simply look for a program that is in a city that you wish to live in. Once you have made a decision on whether you prefer an online or traditional campus, you can start evaluating some of the aspects of schools and programs you are considering:

• The curriculum
• Admissions requirements
• Program accreditation (CSWE etc.)
• Program prestige
• The financial costs of the program

Among the aspects of each program you will want to compare and contrast, the most important is certainly the curriculums of the programs you are considering. While there will be a lot of crossover between different Florida MSW programs some have been crafted to help students achieve specific career outcomes. For example, there are some programs that are designed to prepare students to become Child Welfare workers as is the case with the Florida Atlantic University Child Welfare degree concentration. There are others that have an emphasis on training child welfare workers. If you are unsure of your career path or wish to have flexibility in your career you may wish to find a generalized program. However, if you have a specific career in mind it may be ideal to find a program in Florida that is tailor made for the career of your choice.

If becoming a licensed clinical social worker in Florida is your career goal, then you will want to find a school and program that has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Admissions requirements and financial costs will need to be taken into consideration as you will need to be able to meet both requirements. While admissions requirements will vary from program to program they generally require the following components:

• Graduation with a Bachelor’s in Social Work or highly related field
• GPA of 3.0 or higher in last 60 credit hours (varies)
• Qualifying score on GRE if required by school (Many schools do not require GRE check with your school for more information)
• Completion of certain pre-requisite classes which will vary from school to school

Financial costs are a big part of your decision and you will want to examine different schools to see how affordable one program is compared to another. For example, the University of Central Florida’s MSW program has a tuition rate of $367.35 per credit hour for residents, and $1,191.75 per credit hour for non-residents. Of course different schools will have different rates and this will be part of your evaluation process. These can be lynch pin decisions for you, but are also very personal to your situation.

Online MSW Degree Programs in Florida

With the 100% online Master of Social Work at the University of Kentucky, you can earn a CSWE-accredited MSW that meets all the requirements for licensure in Florida through a school that’s been preparing social workers for more than 80 years.

There are a few key differences between online programs and more traditional physical campuses that make both worth considering. In most cases, online programs will offer considerable financial savings when compared to their traditional campus peers. This can be extremely important for many students as higher education is an expensive proposition. Another feature that is perhaps the biggest selling point for certain students is that online programs will usually provide more flexibility. This is seen in flexible class schedules and also program completion rates. Some online programs in Florida will offer fast tracked programs to shorten the turnaround time between starting school and entering the workforce. For many “non-traditional students”, the greater flexibility of online programs is very appealing. Another feature of online programs that is very compelling for some is the ability to take classes from the comfort of one’s home or office cutting down on commuting times. You will need to evaluate both types of campuses to find out which one is a better fit for your personal lifestyle and educational needs.

Florida Colleges with MSW Prerequisite and Preparation Degree Programs