Getting a Master of Social Work degree requires dedication and hard work, as students are expected to acclimate to the core principles of the social work profession at the same time that they begin on-the-ground field work experiences. In order to stay motivated and make the most of this time, it can be game-changing for students to have a solid idea of what type of social work career they wish to pursue.
There is a broad spectrum of jobs for Masters of Social Work graduates, with opportunities to accommodate people with a huge range of skills and interests.
This open field of possibilities is a great thing for social workers, but it means that they must start their careers by exploring the many options available to them, choosing the path that will be most fulfilling in the long term.
This guide provides future social workers an overview of the jobs for Master of Social Work holders, exploring each of the primary focus areas within the social work profession and providing general salary data for Texas-based social workers. If you’re ready to start laying the foundations of your career, read on.
A Social Work Career Can Be Many Different Things
Are you someone who enjoys direct engagement with others, providing support through empathetic interactions? Or are you a “systems thinker,” employing abstract knowledge to create change on a structural level? Are there causes close to your heart which you could approach with unique insight? Or perhaps there are issues outside of your direct experience that compel you to take action?
There are all different sorts of reasons why social workers might take up their profession, and different talents they can bring to the table. What many people don’t realize about social work is that it is a varied and diverse field, with job opportunities that can suit many different people.
In your Master of Social Work program, you will be exposed to the many opportunities out there for social workers, getting the chance through your field work opportunity to experience the day-to-day life of a social worker in whatever area most appeals to you. This is an excellent way to figure out what you want (and what you don’t want) from your future social work career.
For this reason, it’s important to keep an open mind as you learn about the different branches of the social work profession. There may be opportunities out there that you never knew existed, or causes that begin to speak to you the more you learn about them.
That said, it’s always worth your while to inform yourself about your future professional landscape even prior to commencing your program. By learning about social work masters jobs prior to starting your program, you may be better prepared to make decisions to shape your future career.
Master of Social Work Jobs by Focus Area
Below are listings for some of the top jobs in the social work profession, organized by focus area. These do not represent the full range of MSW jobs but can give aspiring social workers a sense of the range of career paths available to them upon obtaining their degrees.
Aging and Gerontology
Social workers specializing in gerontology (elder care) focus on the needs of senior citizens, from managing mental and physical health concerns to assisting with administrative tasks that might be daunting or confusing for older people. Elder care social workers can be employed in a wide variety of contexts, including nursing homes and senior centers as well as in at-home care arrangements.
Geriatric Social Worker
Geriatric social workers, also known as elder care social workers, provide for seniors who may need assistance in completing their day-to-day obligations. They can also act as counselors and therapists for older people who are struggling with mental health concerns, with training that extensively covers the unique emotional and psychological needs of the elderly.
At-Home Care Gerontologist
While many elder care social workers are employed in nursing homes and other residential facilities for elderly people, there are also social workers who pay home visits to elderly people in need of mental health services or other welfare concerns. It’s important to note that these social workers do not have the same responsibilities as live-in nurses or healthcare providers, though the two types of professional may coordinate services together.
Child Welfare Work
If you’re passionate about working with young people, the path of a child welfare social worker may be right for you. These social work professionals help young people who are facing a wide variety of needs, from mental health concerns to securing vital resources to providing supportive services for at-risk young people in the child welfare system. As you will see in the list of job titles below, there are several different ways social workers can play an instrumental role in the lives of children who are struggling.
Adoption and Foster Care Social Worker
Social workers in the adoption and foster care system work with children and adoptive families alike, monitoring children to ensure their needs are met and evaluating prospective families who are hoping to foster or adopt children.
Child Welfare Social Worker
Those who work in child welfare take on the enormous responsibility of evaluating and assisting children at risk of neglect and abuse. Their work can include assessing families in the child protective services system, coordinating resources for under-resourced children and families, and administering therapy for children struggling with emotional issues as a result of their circumstances.
Criminal Justice Social Work
Social workers can play critical roles in the criminal justice system, advocating on behalf of victims of crimes as well as looking after the best interests of incarcerated people who are trying to turn their lives around. These social workers are also sometimes known as forensic social workers, and they can be employed in courthouses, correctional facilities, domestic violence support centers, and more. They are sometimes summoned to courtroom proceedings as expert witnesses, and can also provide counseling to those suffering from PTSD and other mental health issues.
Corrections Social Worker
Corrections social workers provide counseling to those in the criminal justice system, providing emotional counseling and other supportive resources to help reduce recidivism among incarcerated people. For those who are passionate about restorative justice, this is a meaningful way of addressing the inequalities of the carceral system.
Victim Advocate
Those who have been directly impacted by crimes have many needs, from addressing the emotional fallout of their experiences to seeking resources to support their participation in criminal proceedings. Victim advocates step in to give due attention and care to those who need it most, ensuring that their emotional needs are met and that their interests are represented in court.
Disaster Relief and Crisis Intervention
More than ever, the U.S. is impacted by catastrophic events as a result of climate change. Social workers have played an important role on the front lines of disaster response, helping the hardest-hit individuals, families, and communities regain their footing in the aftermath of a crisis. Understanding the short-term and long-term consequences of these dramatic events, social workers provide resources that can help people rebuild their lives with longevity in mind.
Crisis Intervention Counselor
LCSWs working in the disaster relief field of social work can provide direct counseling and therapy to people who have been impacted by crises, who frequently suffer from post-traumatic disorders and other emotional needs. These clinicians are trained specifically to support people in the immediate and long-term aftermath of such events.
Emergency Services Manager
Those who thrive during crises can make a tremendous impact as emergency services managers, overseeing the distribution of social service resources to impacted individuals in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. This can involve coordinating a wide variety of supportive services, from finding shelter for families that have been displaced to helping individuals with health crises navigate their care options.
Homelessness
The efforts of social workers have long been instrumental in helping homeless and displaced people find shelter and other key services they need in order to remain safe and healthy while struggling with difficult circumstances. As homelessness continues to become a more prevalent issue in cities across the U.S., these efforts make a world of difference in the lives of homeless people as well as the larger communities they belong to.
Homeless Case Manager
People who are struggling with homelessness can benefit deeply from the focused attention of a social worker to help them access the immediate resources they need as well as investing a long-term effort to help them turn their lives around.
Homeless Services Program Manager
For those who are more systems-oriented, a program manager position for a homeless services agency or nonprofit can offer a way to empower communities as a whole. Social workers in these roles assess the needs of the homeless community and develop targeted programs and services that individuals can access to start creating change in their lives.
Immigration & Refugees
There are many hurdles faced by immigrants and refugees who have resettled their lives in the United States. Social workers play a huge role in supporting these individuals and families in finding the resources they need to pursue securing a form of citizenship as well as addressing their immediate needs, such as employment, health care, and housing. They can also act as advocates for those who are involved in legal proceedings to confirm their documentation status.
Case Specialist
Case specialists for immigrants and refugees are at the forefront of advocating for and supporting individuals seeking refuge in a new country. This role involves conducting thorough assessments of clients’ social and emotional needs, providing trauma-informed counseling, and collaborating with legal professionals to build compelling asylum cases.
Resettlement Coordinator
Resettlement coordinators play a vital role in helping immigrants integrate into their new communities, with responsibilities including conducting comprehensive needs assessments, connecting clients with essential services such as housing, education, and healthcare, and facilitating cultural orientation programs.
Medical and Health Care Social Work
Many social workers are employed in hospitals, clinics, and other medical settings to help people navigate the complex world of the healthcare system. This can extend to helping patients ensure that they are utilizing their insurance to the fullest, providing counseling for patients who are facing health concerns, and developing programs to help support underserved patients in medical centers.
Hospital Social Worker
Social workers who are employed in hospitals and clinics provide support to patients with medical needs, assisting them manage the complicated and often stressful protocols and guidelines they may face while receiving care. LCSWs employed in hospital settings may also be authorized to provide counseling for patients who have received difficult diagnoses or are experiencing chronic discomfort as a result of their medical conditions.
Hospice and Palliative Care Social Worker
Hospice social work is a subfield of medical social work that focuses on those receiving end-of-life treatment, as well as their families. Responsibilities can include supporting patients’ and families’ mental health needs as well as helping underserved families manage the bureaucratic and logistical requirements associated with end-of-life care.
At-Home Care Social Worker
As with at-home gerontologists, at-home care social workers can work with patients out of their own homes, providing similar services to the ones that can be found in hospitals and clinics. These services can be tremendously beneficial for individuals whose healthcare concerns make it difficult or impossible to leave the house.
Mental Health Social Work
As the list above makes clear, many jobs for masters of social work offer mental health services, even if they are working in locations that are not specifically devoted to mental health support, such as hospitals or schools. However, those categorized as “mental health social workers” tend to work in organizations that are specifically devoted to helping clients who are struggling with emotional and psychological issues.
Addiction and Substance Abuse Counselors
Addiction specialists are typically employed in dedicated mental health organizations that help patients in recovery. Their work can include in-person and group counseling services for those struggling with addiction, and can encompass a wide variety of therapeutic modalities.
Behavioral Health Specialist
Those who specialize in behavioral health help patients – often but not always children – address behavioral issues that are impeding in their day to day lives. This can include helping clients build the personal resources to manage their behavior and often improve learning capabilities.
Mental Health Counselor
Mental health counselors can be employed within specialized facilities or within broader organizations that provide free or low-cost therapy to patients with emotional and psychological needs. There is a wide breadth of opportunities available for mental health social workers of this type.
School Social Work
One of the top nationwide employers of social workers are schools at all educational levels. For aspiring social workers who enjoy working with young people and wish to contribute to a community, this can be an excellent career path with immeasurable rewards.
School Counselor
School social workers’ best-known responsibility is providing counseling for students who are dealing with psychological, emotional, and behavioral issues. Beyond this, they also can monitor students suspected to be at risk of abuse, neglect, or lack of resources, coordinating interventions as needed. School social workers can also act as educators and program directors for schoolwide initiatives to support students’ mental health and wellbeing.
Another Side of Social Work: Macro-Level MSW Jobs
The above masters in social work job descriptions mainly focus on roles that provide direct services to individuals and families. However, social workers can also work at what is known as the macro level of social work, developing programs and overseeing efforts to make a difference on a larger scale. These roles can have the following titles:
- Community health specialist
- Community organizer
- Nonprofit director or manager
- Policy advocate
- Research specialist
This indicates the vast range of job descriptions for MSWs in Texas and the rest of the country, making clear that social workers have a wide range of options to choose from when shaping their career paths.
Master of Social Work Salaries in Texas
As you’re considering the many different jobs you can find with an MSW, you’re likely to have another important factor in mind: salary. This is an important concern that should be taken seriously as you begin setting goals for your professional life.
The salary for a social worker with a master’s degree in Texas can vary greatly depending on where you are employed, as well as the social work sector where you are employed.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles the official salary data for each industry in the U.S., divides the social work profession into four major subfields. Below you can find the median annual Master of Social Work salaries in Texas for each industry:
- Child, family, and school social workers: $49,810
- Healthcare social workers: $62,500
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers: $44,100
- Social workers, all other: $68,500
It’s important to note that while these social work master’s salaries can give a broad sense of pay expectations, the data does not factor in considerations like license level and seniority within an organization. One can expect that they will make considerably more if they rise in the ranks of their field, and can take these numbers to be closer to entry level MSW salaries in Texas.
The above information is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2022 report, accessed February 2024.
FAQs
Is it possible to become a social worker in Texas without an MSW?
No. The state of Texas requires social workers to hold a Master of Social Work degree in order to pursue licensing, without which they will not be eligible for the great responsibilities of a social worker.
Will I get the opportunity to experience the day-to-day responsibilities of a social worker before getting my license?
Yes. Throughout your MSW program you will be required to complete field work (practicum), which is designed to give students exposure to the social work field. Students can choose from opportunities in the wide range of specialties listed above to get a sense of which subfield is right for them.
How can one take on a leadership role in a social work organization?
There are many different paths to becoming a high-ranking social worker. Most in the field work their way up to leadership roles through hard work and dedication, gaining experience that builds insight and expertise. In Texas, it is also possible to pursue an LMSW-Advanced Practice license, which can indicate to prospective employers that you have pursued the highest level education possible to accelerate your career trajectory.