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Casework specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a casework specialist. Casework specialists usually study social work, psychology, or criminal justice. 59% of casework specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 273 real casework specialist resumes to see exactly what casework specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for casework specialists are the California State University - San Bernardino and the California State University - San Bernardino.

There are also many online casework specialist courses to help get the education required to be a casework specialist.

What education do you need to become a casework specialist?

What degree do you need to be a casework specialist?

The most common degree for casework specialists is bachelor's degree, with 59% of casework specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 27% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 59%
  • Master's, 27%
  • Associate, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a casework specialist?

You should major in social work to become a casework specialist. 30% of casework specialists major in social work. Other common majors for a casework specialist include psychology and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for casework specialists

Casework specialists often get their degrees at California State University - San Bernardino, Morgan State University, and University of Maryland - Baltimore. Here are the most common colleges for casework specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Casework specialist common collegePercentages
California State University - San Bernardino12.90%
Morgan State University9.68%
University of Maryland - Baltimore8.06%
University of Cincinnati6.45%
Youngstown State University4.84%

Best majors for casework specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Social Work29.7%
2Psychology13.9%
3Criminal Justice8.5%
4Sociology7.3%
5Human Services6.7%

Best colleges for casework specialists

The best colleges for casework specialists are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston College.

A casework specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for casework specialists. 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 casework specialists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

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 Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

20 best online courses for casework specialists

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5. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

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Top 10 most affordable universities for casework specialists

The most affordable schools for casework specialists are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for casework specialists 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 casework specialists.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

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 casework specialists

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

Some great schools for casework specialists 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 casework specialists 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for casework specialists

The easiest schools for casework specialists 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 casework specialist 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 casework specialists.

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. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

9. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

10. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

Average casework specialist salary by education level

According to our data, casework specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $46,844 annually. Casework specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $38,883.
Casework specialist education levelCasework specialist salary
Master's Degree$46,844
Bachelor's Degree$38,883

Casework specialist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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