Monday, March 12, 2012

Getting a Doctorate or Masters in Social Work

The most commonly opted-for social work courses would have to be those for a master's and a doctorate in the course. Students take up a Masters in Social Work in order to be able to tack on another credential to their resume when applying for jobs. Should the student desire a more theory and analysis-focused study, the doctorate awaits.

You have a wide and intriguing range of subjects in a masters program of this type. This is a course that demands only a few years of your time. In addition, plenty of financial aid programs are available to students taking masters degrees that can spare students the extravagant tuition expenses of education.

Aside from completing coursework, students of MSW programs must also complete at least 900 hours of fieldwork in an accredited agency. Work would typically revolve around organizing, managing, planning and analyzing social agencies. You may choose a particular concentration for your studies to help sharpen your skills towards a goal.

Students of masters in social welfare may also specialize in public policy, methodology or even psychotherapy. From state to private institutions, students coming from the social work program generally choose groups that can help them protect societal health. Some opt for the joint degree, which is a viable solution if you have two areas of interest.

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the leading accrediting body of MSW degrees. The council's list of accredited schools all boast excellent social work courses that can be continued with doctoral courses. Students are then able to finish their Masters program within a year’s time.

The doctorate is meant to be an extended study course, a way of providing people with even more specialized and complex tools for social work and its evaluation. There is no consensus on which is the better term: PhD or doctorate. Do not be confused into thinking they stand for different types of programs, however.

Most graduates of doctorates go into the academe. For many, this will mean a total shift from social work practice to the academe. The doctoral enables you to draw attention to yourself as a major thinker and analyst in the field.

You shall be specializing in the research-centered side of social work and activity. You shall need to produce a dissertation to complete the program. The easiest way to think of a dissertation is as an enormous essay that is going to be a complete book by the time it is done, composed of work you have done in researching your chosen subject and conclusions you have drawn in the process.

You should set aside several years to finish the whole program: it is not going to be quick and easy. It is possible to work in the field even if you are a doctorate-holder in social work, even if most of your colleagues shall be opting for the academe. It is not going to be easy, but you may also decide to take on jobs and duties from both sides of the discipline.

In contrast to the masters in social work course, doctorates for the field are not accredited by the CSWE. PhD programs typically do not have scholarships too. These are also very emphatic on the point of the applicant needing to have had experience in the field as well as serious knowledge before everything else.


When looking for the best college degree, visiting my blog will help.