Social Work Degree

Social workers help disadvantaged people improve the quality of their lives by enabling them to cope with stresses and difficulties too great to handle alone. These problems can concern family, education, mental health, career decisions or personal situations. Social workers often provide services that emphasize short-term intervention.

The field of social work holds great opportunities for empathetic people with a sincere desire to help others, including children at risk, mentally ill patients and the general public experiencing temporary setbacks in health, employment or coping ability.

Social Work Degrees

In a field as wide-ranging as social work, numerous occupational opportunities exist for the prospective jobseeker with the proper degree. A bachelor's degree is usually the minimum requirement for employment and a master's degree has become the prerequisite for those wishing to provide counseling services. As in any career, the higher the degree obtained, the more qualified the degree holder will be to compete for a position and the higher the salary range that can be commanded.

Social Work Fields

Earning an online degree in social work can help prepare you for one of the fast-growing job categories below.

• Child Advocate

  Child advocates are individuals or organizations which actively promote the health and welfare of children. They protect children's rights, provide a public voice for children's needs, and act on behalf of abused and neglected children.

• Child Social Worker

  Child social workers arrange and deliver services intended to protect children and families at risk. These services can be personal, psychological or social. Child social workers protect and counsel vulnerable children in a variety of situations using an assortment of techniques and resources.

• Social Worker

  The mission of the social worker is to assist disadvantaged populations to deal with personal, social, physical or mental problems.