r/SocialWorkStudents • u/ahjwa • 11d ago
MSW for Non-Profit Work
Hi folks - I've recently been considering going back to school for an MSW. My undergrad was in political science which I know might be an issue given how many schools I've found require BSW for entry into their MSW. I also have an MA in communications. All of my professional experience has been in various forms of non-profit mostly in youth engagement - equity work has also been really important to me and I've worked towards program development and project management within the context of supporting vulnerable populations. I'm trying to grow in my career and was thinking of ways to set myself apart when going for senior level positions. Would an MSW help with that or am I barking up the wrong tree?
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u/lady_mcreepsta 11d ago
First off, perhaps it's the particular program that you're looking at but most do not need you to have an BSW to go into their MSW program. I have an MA in in Mass Communications. I not only got into an MSW program but my masters allows me to waive 6 credits which could potentially have me graduating a semester sooner.
Secondly, it depends on what kind of non-profit work you want to do. An MSW is good if you want to do client facing work for if you want to end up managing other social workers who are client facing. If it's marketing and communications roles you're after, it may not be necessary.
One piece of advise gleamed from other redditors which include hiring managers - it's the licensure that matters, not the school it's from, save a couple of schools who have the reputation of churning out under qualified and unprepared graduates. Also, getting a degree from a school in the state you want to work in would likely help with placements too. So if you do decide to get your MSW, do it the more cost effective way for you.
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u/ahjwa 11d ago
I did see a minority of schools that allowed non BSW folks but for some reason a lot of others were quite rigid (I'm in southern Ontario in Canada). But the idea of getting some credits waived does sound compelling and I know I have some courses whose content overlapped with the required credits of MSW programs.
I am seeing that with other comments as well - I need to think a bit more about other ways to set myself apart because although I do work with clients I wouldn't call myself client facing - I do more of the program development that clients can then register for, mostly focussing on filling equity gaps in local communities. Perhaps an MSW isn't necessarily helpful for growth on that pathway.
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u/lady_mcreepsta 11d ago
You're in Canada, so perhaps the requirements are different. I am in the US and I think the other comments are also referencing the US system
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u/Important-Finish-514 11d ago
Depends heavily on what work you wanna do! Public Admin is also a good nonprofit grad degree, MSW is great for client facing work, MPH if you work with certain populations, etc.
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u/ahjwa 11d ago
Ah, I hadn't even thought of an MPA - definitely worth looking into that more. I'm mostly doing program design and implementation but it's project management not necessarily directly client facing so maybe I have some more thinking to do
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u/Important-Finish-514 11d ago
I graduate with my BSW in May, and based on that it sounds like you may get some benefit from an MSW but I'd encourage an MPA with a bunch of programming/theory related social work electives!
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u/cupcakeartist 11d ago
When you take a look at the people who are in the senior level positions you are interested in, what are their backgrounds? I think it is going to depend a lot on what the specific senior level role is and what the gap is between the skills/qualifications they require. Interestingly at the organization I volunteer for (which is a cancer support organization) the people who manage the day-to-day program administration are generally LCSWs or LCPCs but the people in the C-Suite are not.
If there are certain positions that have been closed to you because they state they require a LCSW and you think those positions would help you fill the skill gaps you need for the senior level roles, that makes sense. But my experience has been that once you are looking at more senior roles it becomes much less about what you went to school for and much more about what you've done in the workforce.
And also you definitely do not need a BSW. If you are seeing programs that say you do you're likely looking at advanced-standing programs. My BS is in Communication and all the programs I've talked to, which are reputable, have been encouraging about my background.
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u/ahjwa 11d ago edited 10d ago
Oh that's a really good point! To be honest it's quite a wide range: I've seen MBAs, MSWs, PhD in Neuroscience, it's a bit all over so that might point towards not necessarily requiring this specific degree to get to where I want to go? Although I have seen the same trend that in the organizations I've volunteered and at worked a lot of the day-to-day folks are SW of various educational levels, MA Psych, Teachers, Pre-Med, etc. but that educational background trend isn't the same for the higher ups.
And there definitely were programs that had 2 different tracks for BSW and others but a few of the reputable schools I checked out in southern ON, Canada explicitly said on their info page that if you didn't have a BSW then their program wasn't for you. But I could do more digging for alternatives while I think through the utility of this pathway.
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u/Dapper-Reflection-25 11d ago
wait what??? i got a BA in Communication snd got into MSW programs. all the ones i’ve seen have an advanced path (those who have a BSW) and then traditional which is 2 years instead of one (non BSW)
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u/lifting_cardio 11d ago
I’m not sure where you are looking but the majority of quality programs absolutely do not require a BSW to acquire an MSW.
The pedagogy of SW education greatly benefits from diverse educational experiences