Career Outlook

As of 2021, the social work profession has over 700,000 professionals because of a deep desire to help vulnerable populations and bring justice to our society. The social work occupations will surge in the next few years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social work jobs are expected to increase by 13 percent from 2019 to 2029, more than the average for all occupations. This growth is attributed to increased life expectancy, a growing aging population, and the need to offer relief to struggling people and groups.

Earning our BSW degree at Saint Leo University will give you plenty of professional development opportunities, industry knowledge from expert professors, and support from the Saint Leo community. You will be ready for a successful career working as a generalist social worker or continue your education towards a graduate degree in social work with the 4+1 model.

What skills you will learn?

• Research planning, implementation, and reporting;
• Legislative advocacy;
• Cultural competency and humility; 
• Completing a qualitative or quantitative study with coding
• Oral presentation;
• Grant writing;
• Social work practice methods

How will you gain real experience?

Internship

Gain hands-on experience at a social service agency for 32 hours per week during the final semester of your senior year.

Senior seminar

Taken in tandem with the field internship, the seminar provides an opportunity to discuss your field placement, present your cases, build your resume, practice interviewing and complete an integrative senior paper.

Co-curricular activities

Become a member of Phi Alpha, the national honor society of undergraduate and graduate social work students. You will have the opportunity to join student organizations such as the Social Work Club and Lions S.E.R.V.E. As well as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the largest professional social work organization and Vot-ER, which is a national civic organization.   

Service learning

Education should be meaningful and hands-on. Saint Leo is honored to have been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll each year since it was started in 2006

What can you do with an undergraduate social work degree?

A diverse range of private and non-profit companies (and many government agencies) offer terrific pathways to successful careers with a bachelor’s in social work degree. Common Bachelor of Social Work jobs include:

• Caseworker at a non-profit or government agency;
• Family Service Worker;
• Residential Case Manager;
• Field Organizer; 
• Habilitation Specialist in a healthcare setting; 
• Substance Abuse Specialist.

Earning a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work provides a great entry point to many varied social work career pathways or sets the foundation for completing a master’s degree in social work as this leads to managerial, specialty, or licensed clinical positions within the field. The top five rapidly growing sectors of social work include:

• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker
  Geriatric Social Worker
  Veteran Affairs Social Worker
  Healthcare Social Worker
  Child Welfare Social Worker
   

What are the top social work degree jobs?

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020.

Where are Saint Leo social work graduates now? 

Graduates of Saint Leo's BSW degree program continue their education with graduate programs, and pursue employment in various contexts - from Advent Health and BayCare Behavioral Health to numerous Florida School Districts and Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough. With great success, our students represent micro and macro employment throughout Florida and nationwide.