Careers · Needs an MSW (a BSW Shortens It)

How to Become a School Social Worker

How Do You Become a School Social Worker?

Here is how to become a school social worker: earn a CSWE-accredited BSW, finish an MSW (advanced standing can cut it to about a year, such as 36 semester hours in 12 months at UT Knoxville), then get the school credential your state's education agency issues. In California, for example, that credential takes at least 45 semester units of post-bachelor's study in a state-approved school social work program.

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A counselor in a tan blazer takes notes in a notebook while talking with a young woman seated beside her on a sofa
Photo: Antoni Shkraba / Pexels

What a School Social Worker Does

A school social worker helps students whose problems at home, with peers or with their health get in the way of learning. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes the job this way: school social workers “work with teachers, parents, and school administrators to develop plans and strategies to improve students’ academic performance and social development.”

In practice, the work looks like this:

  • helping a student with aggressive behavior or bullying, either as the target or the cause;
  • meeting with families about frequent absences;
  • helping parents get access to special education resources;
  • connecting a family to housing, food or health services outside the school;
  • covering more than one building: BLS notes that school social workers “may be assigned to multiple schools and travel around the school district to see students.”

If you like working with kids and families but want a school calendar and a team of teachers around you, this is one of the clearest fits for a social work degree. If you would rather work for the county on abuse and neglect cases, compare the child protective services worker career.

How to Become a School Social Worker, Step by Step

School social work is an MSW-route career. The BSW doesn’t replace the master’s, but it can take a full year off it and gives you school-based field experience before you apply. These steps run in order:

  1. Earn a CSWE-accredited BSW. CSWE awards advanced standing only to graduates of accredited bachelor’s programs, so accreditation is the gate to the shorter MSW.
  2. Choose a school social work track or a school placement. Eight schools on this page list a school track, and some reserve it for strong students: the University of Memphis asks for a 3.0 GPA for its school social work concentration.
  3. Finish an MSW with advanced standing. At UT Knoxville that is 36 semester hours in 12 months full time; at Cleveland State it is 30 credits in 1 year.
  4. Earn your state’s school credential. Your state education agency sets the requirements. In California, that means graduate study in an approved program, a practicum and fingerprinting.
  5. Add a social work license if your state or district expects one. Your state social work board issues it, separately from the school credential.

To see which BSW schools also offer an MSW you can enter with advanced standing, use the BSW to MSW route finder.

Your State’s Education Agency Sets the School Credential

Here is the part most career pages skip: the school credential comes from your state’s education agency, not the social work board. Look up the education agency’s rules before you choose a graduate program, because a state can limit the credential to programs it has approved, as California does.

California shows how specific these rules can be. Its Commission on Teacher Credentialing issues a Pupil Personnel Services Credential with a school social work specialization. The clear credential requires:

  • a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university;
  • post-bachelor’s study of at least 45 semester units in a Commission-approved school social work program, including practicum;
  • a recommendation from a California college or university with an approved program;
  • the Live Scan fingerprint process.

So a BSW alone doesn’t qualify you to work as a school social worker in California. You need graduate study in an approved program, which in practice means choosing an MSW whose school social work option carries the state’s approval. California also issues no bachelor’s-level social work license, so the graduate route matters even more there. See California BSW programs to plan the first half.

School Credential vs Social Work License

You may need to satisfy two different offices, and it helps to keep them straight:

School credential Social work license
Who issues it State education agency (in California, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing) State social work board
What it covers Working as a school social worker in public schools Using a protected social work title and, at the clinical level, providing therapy
Typical degree Graduate study in an approved program (California: at least 45 semester units) Bachelor’s level in 42 of 52 jurisdictions; MSW for master’s and clinical levels
Exam Set by the state 31 jurisdictions name the ASWB Bachelors exam for the bachelor’s license

CSWE confirms the license side belongs to each state: licensure “is under the authority of a designated board within each individual state government.” Ten jurisdictions issue no bachelor’s-level credential: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Check your state in the BSW license checker or read the LBSW license guide.

School Social Worker Pay

BLS groups this work under child, family, and school social workers: a national median of $59,550 across 392,550 jobs, with the middle half earning $48,270 to $76,070 and the top tenth $95,530 or more.

Highest-paying states (500+ jobs)MedianJobs
Connecticut$78,9705,230
Maryland$76,3904,710
New Jersey$76,2807,360
Massachusetts$75,57010,900
Washington$74,48010,720
District of Columbia$73,5502,430
New Hampshire$71,0101,700
Rhode Island$69,8702,450

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 21-1021. BLS doesn't publish pay for this job title separately, so these figures cover the whole occupation.

BSW Programs With a Same-School MSW Route

Lowest federal tuition and fees first: CSWE BSWs at schools whose own MSW admits BSW graduates with advanced standing.

Compare all BSW programs · How a BSW shortens the MSW

BSW Programs With a School Social Work Track

Nine programs at eight schools in five states list a school social work track. All nine are CSWE-accredited, four have an online option, and five of the schools run an MSW you can enter with advanced standing.

Program Field hours Federal tuition and fees, 2023-24 (in-state) Advanced standing MSW
UNC Greensboro BSW (NC) Junior-year placement process, then senior-year field instruction $7,593 Joint MSW with NC A&T: 42 credit hours, one calendar year
University of Memphis BASW (TN) 400 hours (Field I 150; Field II 250) $10,344 37 credit hours, 3 semesters
Millersville University BASW (PA) $12,262 One year full time (with Shippensburg)
Cleveland State University BSW (OH) $12,613 30 credits, 1 year full time
UT Knoxville BSSW (TN) 500 clock hours (100 junior, 400 senior) $13,484 36 semester hours, 12 months full time
Touro University Worldwide online BASW (CA) Three 150-hour practicum courses $14,600
Methodist University BSW (NC) 400-hour internship $39,664
Seton Hill University BSW (PA) 500 hours plus 60 hours of service learning $41,414

Blank cells mean the school does not list that item for this program in the records behind this page.

Tennessee has two strong public options with school tracks, Memphis and UT Knoxville; see all Tennessee BSW programs. North Carolina students can compare UNC Greensboro with Methodist on the North Carolina page.

How Much Time a BSW Saves on the MSW

BLS says a standard MSW “generally take[s] 2 years.” With a CSWE-accredited BSW, the schools above shorten that:

  • UNC Greensboro and NC A&T joint MSW: 42 credit hours in one calendar year, starting in the first summer session.
  • University of Memphis: 37 credit hours over 3 semesters, or 2 years in Extended Study.
  • UT Knoxville: 36 semester hours in 12 months full time, or 24 months part time.
  • Cleveland State: 30 credits in 1 year full time, 1.5 years accelerated part time or 2 years part time.
  • Millersville and Shippensburg collaborative MSW: one year of full-time study, on campus or online.

The field hours carry over too. CSWE requires advanced standing students to reach at least 900 field hours across both degrees, so a 500-hour BSW placement like UT Knoxville’s or Seton Hill’s counts toward that total. Read the BSW to MSW guide for how advanced standing admission works.

What a School Social Work BSW Costs

Federal tuition and fees for a full-time year (NCES, 2023-24) across the eight schools run from $7,593 at UNC Greensboro to $41,414 at Seton Hill University, with a median of $12,613. Public schools have a median of $12,262 and private schools $39,664.

Published per-credit rates in this set range from $400 at Touro University Worldwide to $490 at the University of Memphis (the 2026-27 resident rate, or $5,880 per semester at 12 to 18 hours). Touro accepts up to 90 transfer credits, which makes it a fit if you already have an associate degree or college credit. Compare programs side by side in the BSW cost comparison tool, or check transfer options in the transfer finder.

Getting School Experience During Your BSW

Your BSW field placement is where you find out whether you like schools, and it gives you something concrete to show an MSW program. CSWE’s minimum is 400 hours; several programs here go further.

  • UT Knoxville: 500 clock hours of supervised instruction, 100 in the junior year and 400 in the senior year.
  • Seton Hill: 500 hours of faculty-directed field experience plus 60 hours of service learning.
  • Touro University Worldwide: three 150-hour practicum courses, taken alongside Social Work Practice I, II and III.
  • University of Memphis: a block placement option for students with a 3.25 GPA.

Ask each program whether it places students in public schools and whether its school track guarantees a school placement.

How to Choose a Program for School Social Work

Run each program through this checklist:

  • Is it CSWE-accredited? All nine here are, which keeps advanced standing open.
  • Does it list a school track or concentration? Check GPA rules: Memphis asks for a 3.0.
  • Is there a same-school MSW with advanced standing? Five of the eight schools have one.
  • Which states’ school credentials will the MSW lead to? If you plan to work in California, look for programs the Commission on Teacher Credentialing has approved.
  • How many field hours, and where? A placement in a school district is worth more than an extra elective.

Child, family and school social workers earn a median $59,550 (BLS, May 2025). For related routes, see medical social worker, case manager and all BSW careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Be a School Social Worker With a Bachelor's Degree?

It depends on your state, because the school credential comes from the state education agency. California's school social work credential requires post-bachelor's study of at least 45 semester units in an approved program, so a BSW alone does not qualify there. Treat the MSW as the standard route and check your own state's education department.

How Long Does It Take to Become a School Social Worker?

Plan on about five years if you start with a BSW: four for the bachelor's and about one for an advanced standing MSW. Cleveland State lists 30 credits in 1 year full time, and the University of Memphis lists 37 credit hours over 3 semesters. Without a BSW, BLS says an MSW generally takes 2 years.

Can You Earn a School Social Work BSW Online?

Yes. Four of the 9 programs on this page have an online option, including Touro University Worldwide's online BASW at $400 per semester credit with up to 90 transfer credits accepted. The field practicum, three 150-hour courses at Touro, still takes place in person.

Do School Social Workers Need a Social Work License Too?

Often you deal with two systems: the state education agency's school credential and the state social work board's license. CSWE notes that social work licensure is set by a board in each state. 42 of 52 jurisdictions issue a bachelor's-level social work credential; California, New York and Illinois do not.

Which BSW Programs Have a School Social Work Track?

This page covers 9 programs at 8 schools in 5 states that list a school social work track, including UNC Greensboro, the University of Memphis, Millersville University, UT Knoxville and Touro University Worldwide (online). All 9 are CSWE-accredited.

What Do School Social Workers Earn?

BLS groups school social workers with child and family social workers. That group earns a median $59,550, and Connecticut has the highest state median at $78,970 (May 2025).

Other Careers With a BSW

Sources

  1. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers
  2. California Commission on Teacher Credentialing: Pupil Personnel Services Credential (CL-606C)
  3. CSWE: Accreditation FAQs
  4. CSWE: 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  6. CSWE, directory of accredited programs

Every program on this site was checked against the school's own website. Accreditation status comes only from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) directory, license rules from each state's social work board, and tuition and graduate counts from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES/IPEDS). Sponsored listings are labeled and never change which programs we list or how we rank them. How we verify programs