<p>My daughter (2013) has become very interested in majoring in Social Work in college. I've gone to the the CSWE and looked up accredited programs so we have that to use to locate schools. However, I can find very little information on which schools have particularly GOOD programs in social work. Rugg's Recommendations isn't very helpful. Some schools she might want to look at include James Madison, Baylor, Juniata, St. Olaf and Hope College. However, I don't know about the QUALITY of their programs. Are there schools known for having particularly strong social work programs at the bachelor level? Or do you know where that information can be located? Anything positive or negative about the schools listed above, or schools we should add to our list to look at? </p>
<p>The only thing she is pretty sure she doesn't want is to be in a very large University system.</p>
<p>Thanks, tsdad. I’ve told her that and she knows it. She’s pretty determined though so at this point, I just want to point her in the direction of some good programs. Do you have any recommendations? Or anyone else? Please? :-)</p>
<p>I’d also suggest that she speak with people who are working in that profession who she knows. If she doesn’t personally know anyone, have her start with the school social worker assigned to her high school. They will be able to tell her if the undergraduate college/university matters or not, and whether or not she needs to major in social work. For example, she might be better advised to major in Psychology or the like as an undergrad.</p>
<p>Do know that there is a high burnout rate for those working directly with clients. Good intentions often falter in the face of having to deal with the actuality of the clientele. I would urge her not to get into children services, which is often an entry level position for people with BSWs. Lots of turn over. Low pay, and the opportunity to make mistakes that ruin your life and that of the children your dealing with. </p>
<p>My wife has her MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill. (That’s where we met.) She entered the program several years after undergraduate school and had two years in VISTA and a year or so working in an alcohol clinic and with the Girl Scouts. She was a sociology major in her undergraduate school. She earned a post-masters in health care in administration from George Washington University. </p>
<p>She did not spend many years in delivering direct services. It is my observation that few MSWs do. She quickly moved over into administration and ended a career in the Federal government in charge of the branch in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in HHS that provided the majority of the Federal mental health funds to the states. Since her retirement from the Feds she has a second career as a supervisor of a unit in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that provides funds to the counties, and others, for mental health services.</p>
<p>I do know we have an excellent School of Social Work here at UW-Madison, but
I do not know about the undergraduate programs, either at Carolina or here in Madison. In any case both are in very large universities something your daughter may not be interested in.</p>
<p>If your daughter would like at a school near home, she might want to look at Catholic University in DC. They do turn out a number of undergraduates from their social work program. It is also a much smaller, but not small, university than Carolina or Madison. It has about 3-4,000 undergraduates and less than 7.000 total students.</p>
<p>I’m a Texas resident and current high school senior considering majoring in English, International relations, or social work. Just from my own application process this past fall, I know that Baylor and UT both have great SW programs. In fact, Baylor has a program where you can receive your MSW in 5 years. I have been accepted to Baylor, but am still waiting to hear from UT Austin. Good luck with your daughter’s college search!</p>
<p>I have my Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work. I have been working as an older adult social worker for 24 years. I have never had a job where I was burned out. I have lost a couple due to budget cuts, it is difficult in the world of non-profits. However, I love what I do. The pay is not great but I still really enjoy it all these years later. I never did get a Master’s but I know more and more younger students are getting an MSW. I have worked in various areas, such as nursing homes and now a county office. It is a terrific field and as the baby boomers are rapidly aging the need for good qualified social workers is on the rise. I think any program that is accredited is going to be a good program, the coursework is all very standard from program to program d/t the requirements of being accredited.</p>