Employers Value Social Work Majors
Undergraduate Social Work: Generalist Practice
Generalist Social Work students are trained to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in a variety of settings in pursuit of social, economic, and environmental justice. Generalist practitioners use a person-in-environment theory as a multifaceted way of viewing and providing services for a problem. Generalists work with individuals to recognize and build upon inherent strengths while working to minimize weaknesses. They engage, assess, organize, intervene, and organize with and on behalf of individuals, families, and communities. Generalist practitioners engage in community development, organizational development, and evaluation in order to ensure that services are useful, effective, and ethical.
Graduate Social Work Specialization: Community Partnerships
The School of Social Work’s Master of Social Work specialization is community partnerships. Community partnerships recognize and explore the importance of community demographics, politics, economics, geography, and human service delivery systems. These components encourage partnerships that focus social work engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation at the community level with the capacity to intervene at community subsystem and/or suprasystem levels. It requires social work practitioners to consider and respond to the broader community dynamics that impact individuals, families, and groups with a particular emphasis on those considered to be vulnerable and at risk.
Social services is a relevant skill for GSU Social Work graduates.
Nationally, 82% of Social Work majors are female.
On a national scale, the average salary for a Social Work graduate is $70K.
The most common job title for a GSU Social Work graduate is social worker.
Nationally, US Department of Veterans Affairs is the top employer for Social Work graduates.
86% of GSU Social Work graduates are female.
The average salary is $67K for GSU Social Work graduates.
The State of Georgia is the top employer for GSU Social Work graduates.
Major Stories
SOCIAL WORK FACULTY HELP STUDENTS WRITE THEIR SUCCESS STORIES.
Hear what Social Work alumni have to say about being a Social Work major.
GSU Social Work alum Sarina Marsh tells about how courses and skills she learned in the Social Work program help her perform her duties as a social worker.
- Alumni Spotlight Dr. Tonia Nixon LCSW
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Hear what Social Work alumni have to say about being a Social Work major.
- Alumni Spotlight Sarina Marsh
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GSU Social Work alum Sarina Marsh tells about how courses and skills she learned in the Social Work program help her perform her duties as a social worker.
Your Degree at Work
HERE ARE THE TOP FIVE EMPLOYMENT FIELDS OF GSU STUDENTS WITH A SOCIAL WORK DEGREE.
INDUSTRY
AVG. SALARY
AVG. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
COMMON JOB TITLES
WHY HIRE SOCIAL WORK MAJORS FOR THIS FIELD? THEY'VE GOT SKILLS!
INDUSTRY
AVG. SALARY
AVG. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
COMMON JOB TITLES
WHY HIRE SOCIAL WORK MAJORS FOR THIS FIELD? THEY'VE GOT SKILLS!
INDUSTRY
AVG. SALARY
AVG. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
COMMON JOB TITLES
WHY HIRE SOCIAL WORK MAJORS FOR THIS FIELD? THEY'VE GOT SKILLS!
INDUSTRY
AVG. SALARY
AVG. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
COMMON JOB TITLES
WHY HIRE SOCIAL WORK MAJORS FOR THIS FIELD? THEY'VE GOT SKILLS!
INDUSTRY
AVG. SALARY
AVG. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
COMMON JOB TITLES
WHY HIRE SOCIAL WORK MAJORS FOR THIS FIELD? THEY'VE GOT SKILLS!
TAKE A LOOK AT THE CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMING AVAILABLE TO SOCIAL WORK MAJORS.
Professionalism/
Work Ethic
Oral/Written
Communication
Career
Management
Global/
Intercultural Fluency
Critical Thinking/
Problem Solving
Teamwork/
Collaboration
Digital/
Technology
Leadership
Your Career Starts Here
TOP EMPLOYERS OF GSU SOCIAL WORK GRADS AND AVERAGE SALARY
WHAT DOES A CAREER PATH LOOK LIKE FOR A SOCIAL WORK MAJOR?
Career paths are often full of twists and turns. They are rarely straight lines. Watch the following video tutorial to learn how to explore the career paths of GSU alumni who after graduating with a degree in this major pursued their interests and passions rather than a specific job title:
CLINICAL SERVICES
DIRECTOR
51%
Over 51% of 11,766 people working as clinical services directors majored in fields other than Health Care. The chart above shows what they studied.
874
874 clinical services directors majored in Social Work.
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
CONSULTANT
65%
Around 65% of 2,468 people working as child development consultants majored in fields other than Psychology & Counseling. The chart above shows what they studied.
119
119 child development consultants majored in Social Work.
GUIDANCE
COUNSELOR
46%
Over 46% of 7,719 people working as guidance counselors majored in fields other than Psychology & Counseling. The chart above shows what they studied.
230
230 people working as guidance counselors majored in Social Work.
IS GRAD SCHOOL NECESSARY FOR YOUR CAREER?
Learn about typical entry-level education requirements for over 800 occupations, reasons you should go to Grad School, reasons you should not go to Grad School, and whether or not you should go to Grad School right after Undergrad.
Program Director - Central Outreach & Advocacy Center
"The field of social work has been my career of choice for about 6 years, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of fields such as mental health, substance use, forensic social work, and now homelessness. In 2016, I graduated from Georgia State University with my Bachelor's in Social Work...
In that same year I completed an Advanced Standing Program at Barry University in Miami and also graduated with my Masters in Social Work. On top of holding my LMSW, I'm also a certified life coach, grief counselor, as well as a PhD candidate at Walden University."
Licensed Master Social Worker
"Jasmine Terry is currently an Assessment Counselor at Peachford Hospital. She graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and later returned to pursue a Master of Social Work degree, and graduated in May 2020...
She worked in mobile crisis intervention with Behavioral Health Link after graduation for 1.5 years and recently transitioned to Peachford Hospital. Aside from work, she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family."
Master's Social Worker and a Certified Life Coach
"I currently work at Ableto and Cerebral (contract); both are remote positions that provide mental health services to individuals with unmet behavioral health needs. I also have a Life Coaching Business that provides moms with support, healing, empowerment, encouragement, and love...
Receiving my MSW from Georgia State University has been one of the best investments I have ever made in myself. The Master Social Work program prepared me with the tools I needed to be a change in my community by enhancing my commitment to helping people to achieve personal growth and prevent and solve issues."
Program Director - State of Georgia
"Receiving my MSW from GSU further prepared me for my current position by helping me enhance my critical-thinking skills and obtain a different perspective of the challenges faced by the underprivileged underrepresented, and the underserved...
and how I could use my role to develop recommendations that could improve the outcome for children in foster care."
Management Consultant - Public Knowledge
"The community partnership focus taught me to apply a social work lens to understand complex relationships within and between systems and to effectively engage diverse stakeholders in developing solutions...
The foundational skill set has been an asset in all my jobs and makes me effective in my current work - supporting multiple states with broad child welfare system reform projects."
University Career Services
Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni
Are you interested in pursuing a graduate degree? The CASA is a campus hub of faculty, staff, and students helping to make PhD programs, medical school, and law school accessible to all students with an interest and motivation to pursue these paths.
University Advisement Center
Want to know more about the course scheduling, program, and degree requirements for this and other majors? The UAC is here to assist you in charting your path.
Are you looking for more information?
Contact
College to Career
Office of the Senior Vice President for Student Success
Recruiters
Click on the link below to find out how Georgia State University can help you reach your recruiting goals: