MSW in KS | Master of Social Work Degree, Kansas
Kansas is part of the Midwest region of the US and is home to some of the richest farmland in the world. Kansas helps to feed the country and the world. It also has tremendous opportunity for the well-educated social worker. There have been many changes in the marketplace in the past ten years. One of the most important trends has been that the workforce has become better educated and more highly trained. This was due in part to a reaction among workers over the economic downturn in 2007/08. Workers who were laid off or fired returned to schools such as University of Kansas to get advanced degrees such as a Master of Social Work. Also, many people unable to find work went back to school to earn advanced degrees as they were unable to find work. With these realities in mind, you can see that now more than ever, it is extremely important to earn an advanced degree.
If you are considering a career in social work in Kansas, you would be wise to consider getting your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. A MSW is a highly sought after degree in the human services sector. Few degrees in human services offer as many options for employment as the MSW such as the Kansas Department for Children and Families. Regardless of your career choice a MSW will open doors and also make you highly competitive for jobs in social work.
In order to pursue a career as a licensed social worker in Kansas you will need your Master of Social Work degree. Once you have your MSW you will be able to begin the process of becoming a Licensed Social Worker (LSW), Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). We have outlined the step-by-step process to attaining Kansas Social Work Licensure. There is also plenty of information to on the ksbsrb webpage.
Kansas is a wonderful state to practice Social Work in and is also one that gives you two very distinct choices in working environment. There is a tremendous difference between rural Kansas and its larger urban centers both in terms of the pace of life and also in terms of the needs of clients and regional socio-economic issues. The rural poor have very different needs in terms of gaining self-sufficiency from those who live in the larger cities. The pace of life in Wichita is also markedly different from that in Great Bend. If you wish to help families in farming committees gain access to Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP formerly Food Stamps) benefits, you might want to consider a career as an Eligibility worker in Prairie Village or a similar community. For those drawn to helping people resolve and heal emotional issues, a career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Kansas City might be an excellent fit. Whatever your eventual financial or occupational goals might be, having your Master of Social Work degree (MSW) will be tremendously helpful in the great state of Kansas.
Finding the Right School for MSW in Kansas
Once you have decided that getting your MSW is a very wise choice in today’s marketplace, you can turn your attention to finding a school with the ideal program for you. Choosing your school and program is almost as important as earning your MSW itself. You will want to take the time to compare and contrast several schools to make sure you have found one that has all the features you want.
By finding a career that sounds like a perfect fit, you will be able to bring clarity to you decision making process in regards to choosing a school. Remember that while certain aspects of any given MSW program will be identical to other MSW programs there are some programs that have been constructed to help students enter into certain specialties. For example, there are some programs that are designed for folks who are wishing to work as a Social Services Administrator as is the case with the University of Kansas degree concentration in Social Work Administrative and Advocacy practice. This shows the importance of closely examining your curriculum before deciding on a school. Once you have earned your MSW you will find a whole constellation of job options that you did not previously have both in social work and also in human services in general.
Career Options with a MSW
Earning your MSW is a fantastic career move if you wish to work in human services. You will find that many employment doors have opened for you after graduating with your MSW. If you wish to find the ideal school and program for you, then you will want to take the time to thoroughly research a number of potential careers to find one that resonates with you. For example, if you like working in a medical environment you might want to consider a job working at St. Francis Health Center in Topeka or a similar job. Here at humanservicesedu.org we have built a resource that can help you research this exact decision. Below you will find a fairly short list of some of the many positions you will qualified for with an MSW in KS. For more in-depth research consult our section on job descriptions:
- Aging and Disability Services Case manager
- Social Service Screener
- School Social Worker
- Child Welfare Case Manager
- Social and Community Service Manager
- Licensed Clinical Social Work
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Social Work Administrator
- Social Service Permanency Worker
MSW Programs in Kansas
Finding the Right Program for You
In order to make the best possible choice in terms of finding an ideal Kansas MSW program you will want to carefully research a number of elements of the programs you are considering. One of the first decisions you can make that will help you quickly narrow the field, is whether you prefer a traditional physical campus or an online program. If you feel that a physical campus would be a better fit for your learning needs, then you can quickly focus on Kansas schools and programs in areas you wish to live in such as the Washburn University campus in Topeka (Pop. 128,000). After you have decided on your campus type, you can then concentrate on evaluating elements of the programs you are considering:
- The curriculum
- Program accreditation (CSWE etc.)
- Admissions requirements
- Program prestige
- The financial costs of the program
The most important element you will want to examine when considering a program is its curriculum. Many MSW programs will have universal elements in their curriculum. However, some Kansas MSW programs have been tailored to help students develop the tools for certain specialties. For example, some MSW programs are designed to help create a new generation of Licensed Clinical Social Workers (for more information on licensure in Kansas click here: . You will need to evaluate if a customized program or a general MSW is the better fit for you and your employment goals.
You will need to review the financial and academic admissions requirements of programs you are considering to make sure you are eligible to apply and that your financial situation will mesh with program costs. Another aspect of programs to consider is their relative prestige within the social work community. Some schools and programs are considered to be excellent and may help you in attaining employment as they make your resume stand out.
For example, Washburn University has a per credit hour tuition rate of $309 for Kansas residents and $630 for non-residents. This does not include books, fees or room and board costs, which should be consider as part of the overall cost and compared with several other schools and programs to find a good fit for your personal financial situation. Another aspect of programs to consider is their relative prestige within the social work community. Some schools and programs are considered to be excellent and may help you in attaining employment as they make your resume stand out.
Online MSW Degree Programs in Kansas
It is well worth your time to carefully evaluate the differences between online programs vs. traditional physical campuses. Many people find that online programs are a better fit for them for a variety of reasons. One reason to consider an online program is that in many cases online programs are significantly less expensive than their traditional counterparts. For some students the most compelling feature about online programs is how modular they are. With class schedules and program completion rates being highly flexible, online programs are very appealing for certain students. One lifestyle consideration to think about is that with online programs you are able to take classes from the comfort of your own home or office. This is a trait unique to online programs that can be very helpful for certain learning styles.
Kansas Colleges with MSW Prerequisite and Preparation Degree Programs
| Baker University 618 Eighth Street Baldwin City, KS 66006-0065 (800) 873-4282 www.bakeru.edu | Benedictine College 1020 N 2nd St Atchison, KS 66002-1499 (913) 367-5340 www.benedictine.edu/ | Bethany College-Lindsborg 335 e swensson st Lindsborg, KS 67456-1897 (785) 227-3311 www.bethanylb.edu | Butler Community College 901 S Haverhill Rd El Dorado, KS 67042-3280 (316) 321-2222 www.butlercc.edu |
| Cloud County Community College 2221 Campus Dr Concordia, KS 66901-1002 (785) 243-1435 www.cloud.edu | Emporia State University 1200 Commercial Emporia, KS 66801-5087 (620) 341-1200 www.emporia.edu/ | Fort Hays State University 600 Park St Hays, KS 67601-4099 (785) 628-4000 | Fort Scott Community College 2108 S Horton Fort Scott, KS 66701 (620) 223-2700 fortscott.edu/ |
| Friends University 2100 W. University Ave. Wichita, KS 67213 (316) 295-5000 | Highland Community College-Highland 606 W Main Highland, KS 66035-4165 (785) 442-6000 | Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd Overland Park, KS 66210-1299 (913) 469-8500 | Kansas State University Anderson Hall Manhattan, KS 66506 (785) 532-6250 consider.k-state.edu/admissions/ |
| Labette Community College 200 S 14th Parsons, KS 67357-4201 (620) 421-6700 www.labette.edu/ | MidAmerica Nazarene University 2030 E College Way Olathe, KS 66062-1899 (913) 782-3750 www.mnu.edu | Pittsburg State University 1701 S Broadway Pittsburg, KS 66762 (620) 231-7000 www.pittstate.edu | Seward County Community College 1801 N. Kansas Ave. Liberal, KS 67901 (620) 624-1951 www.sccc.edu/ |
| Southwestern College-Winfield 100 College St Winfield, KS 67156-6224 (620) 229-6000 www.sckans.edu/ | Sterling College-Sterling 125 W. Cooper Sterling, KS 67579 (620) 278-2173 www.sterling.edu/ | Tabor College 400 S Jefferson Hillsboro, KS 67063-1799 (620) 947-3121 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 (785) 864-2700 www.ku.edu/admissions |
| Washburn University 1700 SW College Avenue Topeka, KS 66621-0001 (785) 670-1010 | Wichita State University 1845 Fairmount Wichita, KS 67260-0124 (316) 978-3456 www.wichita.edu/ |
