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Social Work Degree Program

How Do I Find out If My Social Work Program Is Licensed?

Margaret Smead is an academic counselor for a private institution in California. She shares that many students do not realize that there are often licensing requirements that must be met, even when someone graduates with a master’s degree.

“One of the first things I encourage students to do is “follow the degree through..” By that I mean follow the degree through to the job. Do you need to do anything in between?  For some the answer is no, they only need the degree. For others they need to factor in and plan for internships as well as meeting varying licensing requirements. If they face an array of tests and scores that will be necessary to take and pass, I work with them on a planning calendar, in order to keep them on track.”

-Margaret Smead

Further Reading:

How Will I Know If a Social Work School I Am Considering Is Accredited?

As of February 2014 the current number of social work programs is as follows:

493 accredited baccalaureate social work programs

231 accredited master’s social work programs

19 baccalaureate social work programs in candidacy

13 master’s social work programs in candidacy

What If My Social Work College Is Not Accredited?

Again Smead encourages students to persevere no matter what their position in the academic ranks;

“No one need look upon education as useless. Everything happens for a good reason; even if no one seems to know what that reason is exactly. If I were talking to someone who had earned a degree from an institution which was not accredited, I would encourage them to look at it as work experience. They were in fact doing a form of work and they are all the smarter for it. Never get discouraged, it is counter-productive.”

Wherever you are on the timeline of your path tobecoming a social worker, be sure and form some sort of connection with your state’s licensing board. Until you are happily practicing with your license, they will be the powers that be.

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