MSW in CT | Master of Social Work in Connecticut

Connecticut is a state with a great economy and tremendous opportunity for the well-trained social worker. In today’s highly competitive marketplace it is imperative to make your resume stand out to prospective employers in cities like Hartford. As the workforce has become increasingly well-educated it becomes critical that you maintain pace and earn an education that helps you find work such as being a Hospice Social Worker for Amedisys Home Health and Hospice Care in Mystic. For those who are considering becoming social workers in Connecticut, you will want to really take a close look at getting your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. A MSW is a degree that is very sought after by employers in the human services field such as the Connecticut Department of Social Services and is one that offers a tremendous diversity of potential careers to those who have one.

The Master of Social Work degree is profoundly useful and it can help fulfill one of the pre-requisites to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Connecticut. You can learn more about the specifics of the Connecticut licensure process by reading our in-depth article here. There is a wealth of additional information available on The Department of Public Heatlh.

Earning your MSW will give you many potential career paths you can take, such as: becoming a school social worker at one of Connecticut’s 150+ School districts to help troubled youth, becoming a case manager with the department of social services, and setting up an independent practice as a licensed clinical social worker in Newhaven. There are many career options available once you’ve attained your MSW. In addition to careers that require an MSW it is worth remembering that in today’s highly competitive marketplace in cities like Bridgeport, anything you can do to help your resume stand out, such as earning your Master of Social Work degree, is well worth pursuing.

Connecticut has an expansive school system of over 150 school districts that have need of well-educated Human Services professionals who hold Master of Social Work degrees (MSW) to become School Social Workers helping guide its children towards getting an optimal educational outcome. You might consider looking for work as a Medical Social Worker in one of Waterbury’s hospitals helping people gain access to Medicare and Medicaid benefits. If you are interested in helping children find loving homes for either adoptive placement or to serve as foster families, your MSW degree will help you find work as a Social Service Permanency Worker in New Haven. If you are living in Greenwich and have an urge to work with the elderly you might consider a career as a Home Care Social Worker for Gentiva or perhaps an Aging and Disability Case manager through the Department of Social Services in Stamford. Some are drawn to work with couples helping them to put a marriage back together, for them finding work in a city like Hartford as a Marriage and Family Therapist will allow for a diverse and consistent clientele. Whatever your long term career or financial goals may be, having your Master of Social Work degree (MSW) will put you in a position to succeed in the Human Services sector.

Finding the Right School for MSW in Connecticut

Once you’ve decided that obtaining an MSW is a wise educational decision you will want to turn your attention to the selection of an excellent school and MSW program such as the one offered at the University of Connecticut. Finding a MSW program and school that meets your employment goals is almost as important as earning the degree itself. Evaluating several schools will really help you to understand exactly what it is you are looking for in a program, as sometimes the search itself helps you to refine what it is you are looking for.

Focusing on several key aspects of the MSW programs you are research will help inform your decision. Taking a step back and envisioning your end goal, in the form of what career you want to have after graduation can really help to bring clarity to your decision making process. There are many different career options you will have available once you have your MSW, however the curriculum and skills taught at each program may differ greatly. Once you know what you wish to specialize in, you will be able to discern which program truly fits your needs. As an example of the programs one of many potential schools hold, those looking to go into management may want to consider the University of Connecticut School of Social Work degree concentration in Administration, those who wish to go into child welfare will want to look into the Case Worker concentration at U of C or those interested in becoming a licensed clinical social worker specializing in working with groups of people will want to examine U of C’s Group Work concentration.

Career Options with a MSW

While you will have many options after achieving your MSW such as being a Psych Social Worker at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, it is good to spend the time to research and consider which career is a good fit for you. Here at humanservicesedu.org we have built a resource that can help you research this exact question. Below you will find a fairly short list of some of the many positions you will qualified for with an MSW. For more in-depth research consult our section on job descriptions:

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

MSW Programs in Connecticut

Finding the Right Program for You

It is very important to take the time to evaluate a number of elements of potential schools you are researching and the individual MSW programs themselves. To begin with, you will want to determine whether a physical campus such as the Southern Connecticut University in New Haven (Pop. 130,000) or online program is a better fit for you considering your need for flexibility, living situation, learning style and finances. If you are someone to whom a traditional “brick and mortar” campus is more appealing, then you will be able to quickly determine schools that are appealing based on the area you wish to live there is a big difference between New Haven (Pop. 130,000) and Storrs (Pop 11,000). Once you’ve decided on physical vs. online campus, you will want to turn your attention to the following elements of the programs you are considering:

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

Remember, as you research various programs you will want to keep your end employment goals in mind. It is very important that the curriculum of the program you choose closely matches your desired career. Some programs are tailored to helping train future child welfare workers such as the Case Worker Concentration at the University of Connecticut. If pursuing a career as a licensed clinical social worker in Connecticut sounds appealing to you (More info on LCSW licensure here: then you will want to look for programs that have been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Choosing a program that is CSWE accredited is an excellent choice as it will help move you towards licensure in Connecticut and at the same time open the door to possible licensure in other states as most states require CSWE accreditation for licensure.

Financial considerations will of course be a key to making a decision on what school and program is ideally suited for you. For example, Southern Connecticut State University has a full year resident tuition of $9,477, whereas non-residents will pay $20,460. This does not include miscellaneous fees, books and room and board. However, once you have your MSW you can expect a median yearly wage of $53,820 in Connecticut as a Social Worker according to the BLS.

While not a critical consideration you may want to research and see if the program you are considering is part of a school that is considered to be excellent or above average in the social work community.

Online Programs

There are several advantages to online programs that make them well worth the time to consider. Often online programs have far lower tuitions than their traditional counterparts for a variety of reasons. Often online programs have much greater flexibility in terms of class times and the rate at which you complete the program. This kind of flexibility can be a real selling point for busy parents, adults who are returning to education after an extended break or others for whom flexibility is critical. There are pros and cons to both traditional campuses and online programs you will have to discover for yourself which method of education is better for you.