Case worker education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be a caseworker?

You need a bachelor's degree in a behavioral science discipline to be a caseworker. Social Work, Sociology, or Psychology are the recommended choices for a major. Sometimes a bachelor's in an unrelated field is acceptable, but must be accompanied by experience in the appropriate field. Earning your master's degree in social work (MSW) is a promising path to obtaining a job as a caseworker. You could boost your resume by adding a foreign language to those classes during your MSW program. There are a few certifications that can be obtained, and in some cases they are required for a specific job. Healthcare facilities often require you to be a Certified Case Manager (CCM). Other certifications that can be obtained are Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS), Accredited Case Manager (ACM), and Case Management Administrator Certification (CMAC). There are several areas that you can branch off to and specialize in once you have your degree and licensure. Several of these areas fall under the medical field, some legal, while others involve juveniles and the elderly. As you earn your degree it is important to determine where you may want to focus, and spend time getting familiar with that area.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a case worker. Case workers usually study psychology, social work, or criminal justice. 64% of case workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 10,436 real case worker resumes to see exactly what case worker education sections show.

The most common colleges for case workers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online case worker courses to help get the education required to be a case worker.

There are certain case worker certifications that you should consider. These case worker certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become a case worker?

What degree do you need to be a case worker?

The most common degree for case workers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of case workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Associate, 14%

Master's, 12%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a case worker?

You should major in psychology to become a case worker. 21% of case workers major in psychology. Other common majors for a case worker include social work and criminal justice.

Psychology, 21%

Social Work, 17%

Criminal Justice, 12%

Business, 9%

Other Majors, 41%

Most common colleges for case workers

Case workers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, College of New Rochelle, The, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for case workers in the US based on their resumes.

Case worker common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	18.32%
College of New Rochelle, The	6.71%
New York University	5.17%
California State University - San Bernardino	4.90%
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York	4.76%

Show more common case worker colleges

Best majors for case workers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	20.7%
2	Social Work	17.4%
3	Criminal Justice	11.5%
4	Business	9.1%
5	Sociology	7.7%

Show more common case worker majors

Best colleges for case workers

The best colleges for case workers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.

A case 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 case 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 case workers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for case workers

Advertising disclosure

1. 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...

2. Customer Service Fundamentals

There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...

3. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

4. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

5. CVS Health Call Center Customer Service

The demand for call center customer service representatives is huge, there are thousands of open job roles in the US alone. If you are someone that enjoys talking to people and solving problems and are ready for new experiences, then this program is right for you. Customer service in a call center is an exciting career where every day is a new day and a new adventure. If you're considering a career in retail customer service and you're someone who is passionate about providing exceptional...

6. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

7. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)

4.7

(311)

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...

8. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

4.5

(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

9. Public Relations: Media Crisis Communications

4.6

(2,248)

Public Relations: You Can Shape and Control Your Media Messages at The Worst Possible Times...

10. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs

4.7

(1,529)

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...

11. Crisis Intervention Seminar

4.4

(634)

The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...

12. Business Communication Skills: Handling Clients & Customers

4.4

(1,161)

Soft Skills Training Social Skills Business Etiquette Business English Customer Service Training...

13. Customer Service Foundation

4.5

(290)

An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

14. Start Improving Customer Service

4.8

(2,040)

Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

15. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

4.4

(313)

Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

16. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

4.5

(2,276)

3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

17. Customer Service

4.6

(11,267)

How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

18. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

4.7

(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

19. Zendesk for Customer Service Agents Training Course

4.6

(1,065)

How to provide great customer support using Zendesk, a course for beginners...

20. Mental Health Ambassador Certificate

4.6

(1,115)

Be a leader in improving society's mental health and learn to provide mental health first aid...

Top 10 most affordable universities for case workers

The most affordable schools for case workers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for case 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 case 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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for case workers

The hardest universities for case workers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston College.

Some great schools for case 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 case 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for case workers

The easiest schools for case 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 a case 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 case 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. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

5. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

7. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

8. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

9. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

Average case worker salary by education level

According to our data, case workers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $48,672 annually. Case workers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $40,230.

Case worker education level	Case worker salary
Master's Degree	$48,672
Bachelor's Degree	$40,230

Case worker education FAQs

What degree do you need to be a caseworker?

What is the best college for Case Workers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

Search for case worker jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs