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Adoption social worker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an adoption social worker. Adoption social workers usually study social work, psychology, or sociology. 55% of adoption social workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 40% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 822 real adoption social worker resumes to see exactly what adoption social worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for adoption social workers are the University of Southern California and the University of Southern California.
There are also many online adoption social worker courses to help get the education required to be an adoption social worker.
There are certain adoption social worker certifications that you should consider. These adoption social worker certifications include Certification in Forensic Social Work (CFSW) and Certified School Social Work Specialist (C-SSWS).
What education do you need to become an adoption social worker?
What degree do you need to be an adoption social worker?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Master's, 40%
- Associate, 3%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become an adoption social worker?
- Social Work, 58%
- Psychology, 13%
- Sociology, 6%
- Human Services, 3%
- Other Majors, 20%
Most common colleges for adoption social workers
| Adoption social worker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Southern California | 12.66% |
| Wichita State University | 10.76% |
| Temple University | 9.49% |
| Howard University | 6.33% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 6.33% |
Best majors for adoption social workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 58.1% |
| 2 | Psychology | 13.0% |
| 3 | Sociology | 5.6% |
| 4 | Human Services | 3.3% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 2.7% |
Best colleges for adoption social workers
The best colleges for adoption social workers are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.
An adoption social worker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for adoption social workers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become adoption social workers.
1. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
3. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. SUNY College at Brockport
Brockport, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,412
Enrollment
7,015
6. Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$7,879
Enrollment
6,768
7. University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$15,887
Enrollment
23,202
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
10. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Enrollment
23,265
20 best online courses for adoption social workers
Advertising disclosure
1. MaaS: Adoption and Use
In this course you will learn how to evaluate the potential of MaaS for a city of country before putting substantial investment in realizing any MaaS pilots or large scale projects. More precisely, you will be introduced to methods allowing you to collect data from citizens. We will also have a look at some example studies in which this type of data has been analyzed to provide answers to the following questions: "Would a MaaS service attract enough travelers in the study area?" "What would be...
2. Organizational Change and Culture for Adopting Google Cloud
Understanding organizational adoption of Google Cloud. This series of courses starts with the basics of digital transformation and Google Cloud and then builds on that knowledge to understand the culture and change management that organizations use to benefit from Google Cloud...
3. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...
4. Conflict Resolution for Co-Workers
You'll learn diagnosis and resolution techniques for tense, sensitive conflicts with your co-workers, manager or peers...
5. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
6. Social Media Marketing in Practice
Welcome to the Digital Marketing Institute, the global standard in Digital Marketing certification.\n\nOver 4.6 billion people globally are using social media in 2022. This explosive growth, coupled with the speed of innovation and adoption of mobile technologies, has fundamentally reset consumer expectations, changed how consumers make purchase decisions, and transformed how businesses must operate to support their customers.\n\nThis Specialization is for those hoping to launch a career as a...
7. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...
8. The Legal Implications of Social Media in the Workplace
Regulatory and Case Law Considerations for Employers' Social Media Policy Development...
9. Healthcare Innovation: What Does Success Look Like and How to Achieve It?
This course focuses on the factors involved in the adoption of innovation - features, organizations, country of origin, cognitive, normative and affective aspects, change agents. Using real-world health innovations, you'll assess what impacts their scaleability to new contexts, how organizational and human characteristics affect adoption, to what extent diffusion of an innovation is influenced by unconscious bias. You'll also delve into the process of adopting an innovation within a clinical...
10. Managing Peer Authentication with Anthos Service Mesh
This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. Architecting Hybrid Infrastructure with Anthos: Adopt service mesh authentication and authorization using Istio...
11. The Communication Skills and Social Intelligence Masterclass
An essential guide to cultivating influential people skills, communication skills and street-smart social intelligence...
12. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
13. Social Media and Digital Marketing Fundamentals
Digital Marketing Institute is the global standard in Digital Marketing Certification. Our mission is to give our students the confidence and knowledge they need to advance in their careers through this specialization. Digital and mobile technology coupled with the explosive adoption of social media globally has fundamentally disrupted consumer expectations, and how businesses must operate to support their customers. If you want to understand the forces driving and transforming businesses today...
14. The Influence of Social Determinants on Health
Why are some groups healthier than others, and how do these differences emerge and persist over a lifetime? How do social policies on housing, transportation, and employment relate to health and health inequalities?\n\nThis specialization will examine social, behavioral, economic, political, and structural factors that contribute to health inequalities, and suggest innovative ways to reduce disparities in health to achieve health equity.You will learn,\n\n-Use conceptual models to understand...
15. PMI-ACP Certification: Agile Project Management (Beginner)
Agile Certified Practitioner Certification Program (PMI-ACP) - Course 1 and 2 of 8 - Understanding and Adopting Agile...
16. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
17. Communication & Social Skills
Learn to become more confident and effective when speaking, listening, or writing...
18. Become A Freelance Social Media Manager - Home Business
Start a home based business as a freelance social media manager. Find clients, deliver services and build your brand...
19. Communication Skills Masterclass - Your Communication Guide
Communication Skill For Business Communication & Effective Communication In Workplace & Relationships...
20. Social Media Marketing - Content Marketing Masterclass
Online Digital Marketing / Social Media Strategy For Beginners - Posts / Blogs / Podcasts / Video / Google Local SEO...
Top 10 most affordable universities for adoption social workers
The most affordable schools for adoption social workers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for adoption social workers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for adoption social workers.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
8. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for adoption social workers
The hardest universities for adoption social workers to get into are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for adoption social workers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for adoption social workers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
2. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for adoption social workers
The easiest schools for adoption social workers to get into are Nyack College, kean university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an adoption social worker without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for adoption social workers.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
7. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
Average adoption social worker salary by education level
| Adoption social worker education level | Adoption social worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $59,857 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $52,163 |
Adoption social worker education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025