6 Surprising Ways Your Life will Change with an MSW
If you’re pursuing a career in social work, you likely have a passion for helping people and making real social change. And if you’re contemplating earning your Master of Social Work (MSW), you might not realize all the ways this degree program will change your life.
1. An MSW will give you the room to evaluate complex issues on the local and national levels.
Social work, as a profession, recognizes that an individual’s environment impacts their health and well-being. Factors such as feeling safe, access to quality education, access to healthy food and health care are all examples of environmental factors that carry generational impacts on a person’s well-being. Social workers must be aware of societal issues and commit to creating and influencing social structures that are equitable and responsive to such needs.
2. You’ll challenge your belief system to help you better understand your clients–and yourself.
At SHU, we not only increase students’ knowledge of important issues of the day; we push students to challenge their own world views and to critically analyze the injustice that underlies current events. You’ll hone in on your own passions and find ways to affect change in ways most meaningful to you.
3. As a social worker, you’ll use advanced critical thinking and interpersonal skills to confront injustice in constructive ways.
Whether it is within the classroom or internships, Sacred Heart students actively practice their social work skills. This may be practicing how to engage clients directly or challenge an unjust policy. In order to tackle the complexity underlying current events, social workers must be prepared to work within a variety of settings, with a variety of people and often without clear-cut “solutions.” Our program prepares students for work that demands advanced critical thinking skills, comfort with ambiguity, a commitment to collaborative work and an ability to engage in honest self-reflection.
4. You’ll have more career paths available with an MSW.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 9% increase in job growth for social workers from 2021 to 2031, more than double the average employment growth for all occupations. An MSW gives you a wider field of career choices and specializations in direct community or clinical practice that speak to your passion. SHU offers a flexible, part-time Ph.D. program for those who hold an MSW and are interested in research, teaching and work with community-based and governmental organizations. The University is also New England’s first credentialed play therapy education center, where you can earn a certificate of advanced study in play therapy and work with children and adolescents in a culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate way in schools, mental health settings, hospitals and more.
5. You will have the chance to be part of an interdisciplinary social work team that treats clients in a holistic way.
Social work is not an isolated profession. In many career settings, especially in health care, the traditional physician-centered model is broadening to include interprofessional collaborators – from teachers and parents to emergency personnel and behavioral counselors to legislators and legal agencies. Collaboration offers greater knowledge and expertise, varied perspectives and resources and a shared responsibility and larger support system for each client.
6. With a Master of Social Work, you’ll experience something new every day at work.
Each client is an individual complete with a unique set of circumstances and challenges. The varied nature of the social work field offers a chance to practice shifting gears and achieving nimble strategies and solutions that can make a real difference in a client’s life.
Think the MSW program at Sacred Heart University might be for you?
Curious about earning your Master of Social Work degree? Contact Cristen Meehl, associate director of graduate admissions & recruitment, at 203-416-3031, meehlc@sacredheart.edu or schedule a virtual appointment today!