Master’s in Social Work Degree Programs in Georgia

Earning your Master of Social Work from one of the accredited social work degree programs in Georgia helps you find a job working for one of the top government agencies in the state. You can use your skills to transfer to a job in another state too. Also called an MSW, this type of advanced degree is often required of those who want to get their licenses, which helps you make more money. These MSW programs have accreditation from one of the top professional organizations and include courses on working with children and adults as well as groups and individuals.

Albany State University

Department of Social Work

The Department of Social Work at Albany State University offers unique opportunities designed to meet the needs of students working in the social work field during the 21st century. As technology changed, social workers found ways to adapt and use new technology in the field and in the office. You’ll learn how to work with all the software that you use to keep track of clients and their specific needs as well as apps that you can use to record notes and do other tasks in the field. The university has its own association for social work students too.

M.S.W.

Albany State University offers one of the best accredited social work degree programs in Georgia because this program is available for students with an undergrad degree in any field as well as those who have more social work experience. If you have a BSW from an accredited college or university and maintained a grade point average of 3.0 over your entire career, you qualify for the advanced standing program. This cuts down on the total number of classes that you’ll need to take. The basic M.S.W. program requires that you take social work foundation classes as well as electives. Those classes include human behavior in the social environment, research in social work, social welfare policies and programs and theory and practice with families and groups. During your final year of study, you’ll need to complete a fieldwork program or take a seminar class to gain more experience in social work.

Accreditation

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Contact

504 College Drive

Albany, GA 31705

(229) 430-2974

https://www.asurams.edu/archives/east/social-work/

Clark Atlanta University

School of Social Work

The Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work, better known as the School of Social Work, has one goal: to prepare students for working with diverse populations, including groups on the local and global scales. In addition to offering classes, this school also offers special programs and events that allow students to address topics not covered in those classes. Students can attend events on working with clients who have emotional disorders or addictions and sign up for lectures that teach them how to write grant proposals to help nonprofit organizations get the funds needed to help different types of people.

MSW

Clark Atlanta University makes it easy for you to earn all the degrees that you want because it’s home to three of the accredited social work degree programs in Georgia. There is both a BSW and MSW program as well as a doctoral program. The MSW program allows students to finish their degree in two years as a full-time student or three years as a part-time student, but those students will all need to take 59 credits. Clark Atlanta offers an advanced standing MSW program for those who have a BSW and some social work experience, which reduces the total number of credits needed to just 38. You’ll need to apply for advanced standing when applying to the university. To ensure that students feel confident with the skills they develop, the university requires that all social work students do some fieldwork. The supervisor who oversees your work will write a report on you halfway through the semester and do a full evaluation at the end of the term. Some of the courses in this program look at specific populations such as children or the elderly. You can take classes on the warning signs of abuse and neglect and on human behavior.

Accreditation

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Contact

223 James P. Brawley Dr, SW

Atlanta, GA 30314

(404) 880-8000

info@cau.edu

http://www.cau.edu/school-of-social-work/

Georgia State University

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University allows students to study different disciplines and see how those disciplines interact in the real world. This school is home to an urban laboratory that provides participation projects and experiences for students too. Though there are degree programs available in public policy, criminology and economics, it also offers a Master of Social Work. Undergrads can enroll in its BSW program and transfer to the MSW program later, but the MSW program is also open to students with a bachelor degree from an accredited college, even if the student didn’t study social work.

M.S.W.

To get into the M.S.W. program that Georgia State offers, you must apply by April 1 to start in the fall semester. The university has a priority deadline of February 1 that lets you apply early before the program runs out of available spaces. Though there is an advanced standing option available, this program requires that you write a statement of purpose that includes information on the practicum work you did or the real life experience that you have. You need to write about what you learned and how it will help you in graduate school. As one of the top accredited social work degree programs in Georgia, this program lets you study general social work or pick a concentration in community practice. This concentration requires that you do hundreds of hours of fieldwork and take classes on community field education and skills and techniques of community practice.

Accreditation

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Contact

33 Gilmer St. SE

Atlanta, GA 30303

(404) 413-2000

http://aysps.gsu.edu/

Kennesaw State University

Department of Social Work and Human Services

Kennesaw State University and its Department of Social Work and Human Services believes in giving back to those in need. This single department provides more than $2 million of help to charities and organizations in need. Students majoring in social work and other fields have the chance to do volunteer work and complete field placements through the university that allows locals to get the help they need for free. A unique degree that the university offers is a dual MBA and MSW degree. The MBA classes you take can help you understand how running a nonprofit agency or organization is like running a business.

Master of Social Work

The university has a graduate fellowship program open to MSW students. Winners receive up to $20,000 a year that they can use to pay for tuition, textbooks and costs associated with traveling to their field placements. You’ll need to apply early and ensure that your application shows why you are a good choice. There are 60 total credits that you need to complete to graduate with your MSW. Half of those credits are foundation courses that all social work students take, but half are courses from your concentration. This program offers more concentrations than most accredited social work degree programs in Georgia, including those in behavioral health services and children and family services. Kennesaw State University offers clinical electives that help you gain more experience in specific fields of social work practice, including working with families, domestic abuse victims or children and youths.

Accreditation

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Contact

1000 Chastain Road

Kennesaw, GA 30144

(470) 578-6000

http://wellstarcollege.kennesaw.edu/swhs/

Savannah State University

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Savannah State University offers just six graduate degree programs, but its Master of Social Work program ranks among the top accredited social work degree programs in Georgia. Depending on your grade point average and the level of experience that you have, you may qualify as either a standard student or for advanced standing. Advanced standing MSW students must have a 3.0 GPA and score highly on the writing section of the GRE. You’ll also need to provide the university with letters of recommendation and a transcript. The recommendation letters should come from your fieldwork supervisors and your college professors.

Master of Social Work

The Master of Social Work program that Savannah State University offers requires that you do more fieldwork than other programs do. You will take a practicum during your first year and work at least 20 hours a week to complete a minimum of 200 hours by the end of the semester. The practicums that you do in your second year are more intensive. You’ll work 24 hours every week and complete 350 hours of fieldwork each semester for a final total of 1,000 hours done across the two years. Savannah State asks that you pick a concentration in either social administration practice or clinical practice. All the fieldwork that you do will relate back to that concentration. In addition to classes in your concentration, you’ll also take 33 credits of social work foundation classes. These classes include research methods, law, race and poverty in the welfare of children and cultural diversity.

Accreditation

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Contact

3219 College St.

Savannah, GA 31404

(912) 358-4778

https://www.savannahstate.edu/graduate/master-degrees/degrees-grad-sw.shtml

University of Georgia

School of Social Work

One of the largest public colleges in the state of Georgia is the University of Georgia. Its School of Social Work offers lots of opportunities for students, including the chance to do research on topics that interest them and fieldwork experiences in agencies all across the state. Continuing education programs through this school help students who spent more time out of college go back to school and enroll in a master’s program. The MSW program that the university offers has two concentrations available. Clinical practice is best for those who want to work directly with clients, but there is also a concentration in community empowerment and program development.

MSW

When looking at the accredited social work degree programs in Georgia, you may like the MSW program that the University of Georgia offers because you can enroll as a part-time student. The part-time program, also called the extended-time program, requires that you take classes over eight semesters. You can take classes later in the day and night classes that fit your schedule. To earn your MSW, you must take foundation classes and between four and five classes from your concentration. The university revised its MSW program in 2017 to bring in some new foundation courses. You can expect to take human behavior in the social environment, social work research methods, introduction to social work field education and practice with individuals and families among other courses. The university awards you six credits for the fieldwork that you do over the course of two semesters too.

Accreditation

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Contact

279 Williams St.

Athens, GA 30602

(877) 535-6590

http://ssw.uga.edu/

Valdosta State University

Department of Social Work

The Department of Social Work at Valdosta State University is a branch of the university’s Dewar College of Education and Human Services. When you enroll in this program, you can look forward to taking classes on human behaviors and actions, which can help you work with different types of people and understand why they think and feel the way they do. Valdosta State offers a number of assistantships each year that cover your tuition and give you a small stipend in exchange for working no more than 14 hours a week. Competition for these positions is intense, which is why you need to submit your application early.

Master of Social Work

Valdosta State University is home to one of the best accredited social work degree programs in Georgia because this program lets you study some of the top areas of social work, including community organization, school social work and criminal social work. When you apply for a spot in this accredited social work program, you need to let the university know whether you want to enroll as an advanced standing student. Advanced standing students do not need to take all the foundation courses that other students take, but they will need to agree to start their studies in the summer rather than the fall. All students must create a portfolio that includes some of the projects and papers they did in graduate school as well as information about the practicums they completed. The university puts on a social work fair each year that lets you learn about careers in the field.

Accreditation

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

Contact

1500 N. Patterson St.

Valdosta, Georgia 31698

(229) 333-5800

https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/education/social-work/

Though you might have a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and find work with that type of degree, even more jobs will open up to you once you complete an MSW. Accredited social work degree programs in Georgia can help you earn your MSW in just few years of study and hard work.

Related Resource: Top Ten Best Online Social Work Degree Programs