[humanser] questions regarding social work programs

[Vicky Winslow]

Hi Cari,
One of the top social work programs in the country is at George Washington University in St. Louis.

This is on the Master's level and I don't know about the undergraduate program. I do know that many graduate programs offer some 
kind of advanced standing for people who have a BSW.
What you look for depends a lot on you. Forbes magazine offers a school ranking so you could check any program in your area to see 
how it stacks up to others in which you are interested. That aside, which school you attend is less important than whether or not it 
fits your needs. In the end, you will end up with a degree in social work and, if you pass the licensing exam, you will be qualified 
to be a social worker. However, social work is a funny field because it offers such diversity. Some people are interested in the 
social justice and community organizing, some in setting policy. Some people prefer to focus on social administration and others 
research. I wanted to learn and practice psychotherapy. So I found a school with a very strong clinical program. There is a book I 
got on Amazon (sorry, I didn't keep the scan) about applying to graduate social work schools. (There's one for psychology too.)
I don't know if NASW (the national association of social workers) ranks schools. But they do have something on their page for 
students, so you might want to look at their website: NASW.org, I think.
Another important thing to consider is cost. In an ideal world, this wouldn't be the deciding factor, but, sometimes it is. Nobody 
goes into social work for the money and paying off student loans can take a very long time.
Those are my thoughts. I hope it helps.


Vicky Winslow, LMSW