Professional Practice Facts
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, "overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employment growth will vary by specialization."
According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW):
- Social workers have the right education, experience, and dedication to help people help themselves whenever and wherever they need it. It takes a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral social work degree with a minimum number of hours in supervised fieldwork to become a social worker.
- Social workers help people in all stages of life, from children to the elderly, and from all situations from adoption to hospice care.
- You can find social workers in hospitals, police departments, mental health clinics, military facilities, and even corporations.
- Professional social workers are the nation's largest providers of mental health services. According to government sources, more than 60 percent of mental health treatment is delivered by social workers.
- More than 600,000 people in the United States hold social work degrees.
- The Veteran's Administration employs more than 3,800 MSWs to assist veterans and their families with individual and family counseling, patient education, end of life planning, substance abuse treatment, crisis intervention, and other services.
- Forty percent of mental health professionals working with the Red Cross Disaster Services Human Resources system are social workers.
- There are more than 170 social workers in national, state, and local elected office, including two U.S. Senators and four U.S. Representatives.
Students graduating in social work apply for licensure and are prepared to practice social work in a number of different settings. Xavier has been very successful in placing our social work graduates. Graduates in social work have secured positions in many areas, including:
- Child/Adult protective services
- Homeless populations
- Community organizers
- Medical social work
- School social work
- Forensic social work
- Sexual assault and family violence
- Mental Health/Mental Illness
- Addictions
- Policy development and legislation
- Disaster and trauma relief
- Family social services
- Case managers
Students wishing to advance within the field of social work usually pursue a Master in Social Work (MSW) degree. Although the MSW. is a two-year degree program, students graduating from an accredited program like Xavier's may be eligible for advanced standing and complete the Master's in one year. The MSW opens up countless opportunities in the field and enables students to maximize their knowledge base and income potential.
Xavier and Saint Louis University (SLU) have partnered to offer an innovative MSW program at Xavier beginning in Fall 2021. Approximately 60 percent of classes are taught online by SLU faculty. The remainder of the courses are taught on campus at Xavier University, including research courses, practicum planning and seminar courses. Students in the advanced program can earn their degree in 12 months. Foundation students complete the program in two years.
Recent BSW graduates have also been accepted into graduate programs at the following institutions:
- Adler School of Professional Psychology
- Boston College
- Case Western Reserve
- Columbia University
- Loyola University Chicago
- New York University
- University of Chicago
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Kentucky
- University of Michigan
- Washington University in St. Louis
Xavier's Career Development Center assists students in their search for employment by offering individual career counseling sessions, by conducting an annual workshop series on interviewing and resume writing techniques, and by maintaining an educational, vocational, and employer information resource center.