Masters in Social Work (MSW) Salary

Having you Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree will not only give you a much greater diversity of possible careers, it will also enable you to command a significantly higher salary. The difference between someone holding a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree and someone with a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is substantial. According to Salary.com, the Median expected pay for a Social Worker who holds a Bachelor of Social Work is $47,4091 this is compared to a median salary of $56,4202, a difference of $9,000 per year.

During the course of a 25-year career, that is a difference of $225,000, a difference that more than makes up for the additional cost of earning your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.

Some specific jobs in Social Work that require a Master’s degree and their salaries can be found below:

Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker

If you are interested in working in the counseling end of social work and wish to help families of terminally ill people as well as the dying work with their grief, you may wish to consider a career as an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker. For these specialized Social Workers, you can expect a median pay depending on employer and the state in which you work of between $40,740 and $70,600.

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The Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Salary

If you are interested in working in Mental Health counseling within a Social Work outlook,, then you may want to investigate the possibility of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Depending on whether you are in private practice, working for a state agency and also the state in which you work, you can anticipate a median yearly salary of between $40,740 and $70,600. Explore our in-depth career description.

The School Social Worker Salary

If you have a strong affinity for children and wish to help them work through their emotional problems in order to perform better at school, you might want to explore the idea of becoming a School Social Worker. For the School Social Worker depending on the state in which you work as well as school district you work within, you can look forward to a yearly median salary of between: $32,080 to $62,200.

The Certified Social Work Case Manager

For those who feel drawn to practicing counseling as a mental health professional within the structure of a medical organization you may want to consider a career as a Certified Social Work Case Manager. Your main tasks will be found in working with individuals and families who are experiencing stress due to some necessary but invasive medical treatments. As a Certified Social Work Case Manager you can look forward to a median salary of between $40,700 and $56,660 per year.

Having a Masters in Social Work (MSW) will give you a variety of high end Social Work opportunities in a diverse number of contexts. Finding the career that resonates with you is a key consideration.

In addition to having tremendous options and opportunities within the Social Work sector, having attained your Master’s in Social Work (MSW) will also allow you to have significantly increased earning potential compared to those who only have a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). This makes the Master of Social Work a very worthy investment in time and money.