MSW in WY | Master of Social Work in Wyoming

Wyoming is located in the mountainous region of the American West and is home to some of the most beautiful land in the country. Wyoming is a wonderful state to live in it is also a state with plenty of opportunity for the well-educated social worker. Over the past ten years we have seen huge changes in the job market. Many people who lost their jobs during the economic downturn of the past 5 years went back to colleges such as the University of Wyoming to earn Master’s degrees in their fields to retool their careers. Now more than ever it is crucial to earn an advanced degree if one wishes to remain competitive in the new economic reality of a highly educated workforce.

If you have aspirations of becoming a social worker in Wyoming, then you will almost certainly want to maximize your employability and broaden your career horizons by attaining your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. The MSW offers both tremendous opportunities in Social Work but also can give you a diversity of options within the field of Human Services in general. With a MSW you will have a wide variety of choices for your career such as becoming a: social and community service manager, a social services permanency worker working at the Wyoming Department of Health helping children become adopted into loving families, Licensed Clinical Social Worker along with a multitude of other potential careers. If you want to guarantee flexibility, advanced social work career potential and increase the likelihood of employment right out of school, you will definitely want to earn your Master of Social Work.

In Wyoming there are two levels of social work licensure that become available once you have a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. They are known as the Certified Social Worker (CSW) and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). For a complete breakdown of all the requirements for licensure visit our page on the subject here. You may also wish to review the Mental Health Professions Licensing Board.

Wyoming is a great state for those who want an independent outlook on life, and one way to ensure that you are financially independent and self-reliant is to earn your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. This involves quite a bit of effort and discipline on your part including taking the time to sift through the possible MSW schools in Wyoming and surrounding states in order to find the one that is a perfect match for your eventual career goals. After you have attained your MSW, you will be able to select your career of choice from a large group of potential options. Among your many choices is to help people work with and release their painful emotional and mental patterns so they can make healthier life decisions and become more effective people. The best route to this path of healing is to earn your MSW as one of the steps towards achieving licensure and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Jackson Hole or a similar community. If you prefer to work with the elderly you may want to evaluate whether a career as a Geriatric Social Worker in a city like Cheyenne helping elders adjust to some of the challenges that come from aging. Whatever your career goals may be, a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is going to be an extremely helpful asset to have.

Finding the Right School with MSW Programs in Wyoming

One way to go about your school selection process is to begin by researching potential careers and finding one or more occupations that are highly appealing. Some might be drawn to working in Medical Social Work at an organization such as United Medical Center in Cheyenne or a similar position in another city or town. By discovering an occupation that mirrors back to you the traits you wish to explore in yourself, you will start to discover what kind of MSW program would best fit with your employment aspirations. Some elements of most Master of Social Work programs will be similar from program to program. However, in some cases the curriculum offered can be dramatically different due to specialization of the course. If you are uncertain as to your long term career goals you can look for programs similar to the University of Wyoming’s Advanced Generalist program which will give you a broad knowledge base in Social Work and a very adaptable skillset that you will be able to take with you to virtually any career in Social Work. Taking the time to thoroughly analyze and evaluate the school and especially the MSW program’s curriculum will pay dividends when you enter the workforce.

Career Options with a MSW

You will find that a tremendous diversity of career options opens up to you once you have earned your Master of Social Work diploma. Zeroing in on a specific career can be extremely helpful in finding out exactly what your educational needs are. Another example career that might appeal is being employed by Spectrum Healthcare Resources working at Fe Warren Air Force Base helping military personnel deal with their emotional problems in a healing and empowering way. There are myriad careers available to MSW holders such as:

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

MSW Programs in Wyoming

Finding the Right Program for You

Beginning the process of choosing the perfect Master of Social Work program can seem a daunting task. So breaking the process down to specific steps can be helpful. The first step should be finding a career you want to have after graduation. Once you have found a career that sounds like a perfect match for your skillset and innate talents. You will want to then begin to compare and contrast several attributes of each program you are evaluating. One of the first steps you can take in analyzing programs that will quickly shrink your list of potential Master of Social Work programs is by determining what kind of campus your prefer. For some an online program (more on this below) is preferable. Others will find that they wish to have the experience provided by a traditional physical campus. When evaluating this decision you will want to take into account a few different elements about your personality including: budget, personal learning style, social needs, and your desired living situation. If you find that a traditional physical campus is a better fit for your educational needs, you will then be able to narrow your list of schools to those that are in regions you want to live in. Once you have come to a conclusion as to your preference of either a traditional campus or an online one, you can then turn your attention to evaluating other elements of the MSW programs you are looking at.

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

While you research Master of Social Work programs you will want to take the time to thoroughly research and evaluate several key elements of the program. Without question, the most crucial aspect of your research will be the program’s curriculum. Making certain that the curriculum will leave you with the knowledge base and techniques you need to perform at a high level in your dream job. If you can find a MSW program that is custom made for your career this could be a perfect fit for you. If you are unable to find a specialized program to fit your career aspirations you will probably find that an Advanced Generalist MSW program will be the best fit for you. If you are planning on becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker you will want to ensure that the school is CSWE accredited. For additional information on Social Work licensure in Wyoming read our article on licensure here:

Carefully examining the entrance requirements for your MSW program will be very important of course and you must meet that bar as part of your research. You will also need to evaluate your financial situation and weigh it against tuition and other costs of any program you are considering. To use as an initial yardstick for comparison of tuitions consider University of Wyoming’s MSW program which has a tuition rate of $206 per credit hour for residents and $602 per credit hour for non-residents of Wyoming. You will need to tabulate all the additional costs such as student fees, room and board, supplies and text books as you compile all the costs of a school. You will want to compare a few schools in areas you wish to live or online, to find a tuition that fits your budget and so you can make the most informed decision possible.

Online MSW Degree Programs in Wyoming

It is very important to carefully analyze the benefits and potential advantages of both online programs and the more traditional physical campus. While a physical campus has many appealing attributes, many students may find that an online program is in fact, a far superior match with their learning style. One of the significant advantages offered by online programs is that in most cases they have far lower costs over all than traditional physical campuses. Another way in which online programs can be enticing is due to their modularity. Often online programs will give the student considerably greater latitude in terms of program timelines and class schedules. Many students find this superior flexibility to be a key consideration. The ability to attend one’s classes from the relative comfort of your office or home is extremely helpful for students who possess specific learning styles. You will find that there are plusses and minuses for both online and traditional campuses depending on your education needs. It is well worth your time to do a cost benefit analysis of both options and select the better fit for you.