What Can I Do With a Masters in Social Work?

A Masters degree in Social Work is an important qualification that can allow you to pursue a profession as a social worker or a related career in social care. It is usually taken by those with an undergraduate degree in a different area that have an interest in social work and have some work experience in social care.

This page will provide an introduction to the skills you can develop and careers you could expect to be on offer to a Social Work Masters graduate. We’ve also used official government data to estimate the impact having a Masters in Social Work could have on your future earnings and employability.

Doing a Masters in Social Work will equip you with specialist knowledge and techniques ideal for a career in social work or helping people in another setting.

These postgraduate qualifications are most commonly Master of Arts (MA) but can be Master of Science (MSc) depending on the modules covered during the course, with MSc degrees involving more research methods.

You can expect to develop a range of skills and extensive knowledge doing a Masters in Social Work, including a strong understanding of:

• Social work theories
• Research methodologies
• Law and legislation
• Ethics
• Essential skills such as critical thinking and analysis

Regardless of being an MA or MSc, the courses are two years long and include at least one work placement. There is a strong focus on practical experience to prepare you for a career as a professional social worker. However, there are a series of modules to teach you some of the expertise listed above and a research project taken in the second year, which is assessed through a dissertation.

Our guide to the Masters in Social Work has more information on what it’s like to study one of these qualifications.

If you want to become a professional social worker, make sure you study a course approved by Social Work England (SWE), Social Care Wales, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC). After completion of the course, you are then eligible to register and practice as a qualified social worker.

There are several jobs closely associated with social work that you can apply for, including:

• Social worker, improving lives by supporting individuals and their families.
• Family support worker, helping families experiencing difficulties.
• High intensity therapist, supporting people with mental health conditions.

There are many areas of specialism available to social workers, such as mental health, criminal justice, school, medical and hospice social work.

However, having a Masters in Social Work doesn’t mean you have to become a social worker. There are a number of other careers in which your skills will be useful, including:

• Advice worker
• Adult guidance worker
• Careers adviser
• Counsellor
• Life coach
• Youth worker

You will be happy to hear that, according to official data, Masters graduates in Social Work earn on average a higher salary than those with only an undergraduate degree. We investigated how much this difference was in terms of annual salary:

• The median earnings of a Health and Social Care Masters graduate five years after finishing their course were £34,300
• The median earnings of a Health and Social Care first degree graduate five years after finishing their course were £26,600

This means that, on average, Masters graduates in Health and Social Care earn £7,700 per year more than Bachelors graduates – around 29% higher.