Forensic social worker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a forensic social worker. Forensic social workers usually study social work, psychology, or sociology. 52% of forensic social workers hold a master's degree, and 43% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 285 real forensic social worker resumes to see exactly what forensic social worker education sections show.

The most common colleges for forensic social workers are the New York University and the New York University.

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

What education do you need to become a forensic social worker?

What degree do you need to be a forensic social worker?

The most common degree for forensic social workers is master's degree, with 52% of forensic social workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 43% and bachelor's degree degree at 3%.

Master's, 52%

Bachelor's, 43%

Doctorate, 3%

Associate, 2%

Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a forensic social worker?

You should major in social work to become a forensic social worker. 56% of forensic social workers major in social work. Other common majors for a forensic social worker include psychology and sociology.

Social Work, 56%

Psychology, 11%

Sociology, 6%

Mental Health Counseling, 5%

Other Majors, 22%

Most common colleges for forensic social workers

Forensic social workers often get their degrees at New York University, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus, and Adelphi University. Here are the most common colleges for forensic social workers in the US based on their resumes.

Forensic social worker common college	Percentages
New York University	17.72%
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus	10.13%
Adelphi University	10.13%
Fordham University	10.13%
Widener University	3.80%

Show more common forensic social worker colleges

Best majors for forensic social workers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Social Work	55.8%
2	Psychology	10.7%
3	Sociology	6.0%
4	Mental Health Counseling	4.7%
5	Criminal Justice	4.7%

Show more common forensic social worker majors

Best colleges for forensic social workers

The best colleges for forensic social workers are Boston College, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.

A forensic 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 forensic 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 forensic social workers.

1. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. SUNY College at Brockport

Brockport, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,412

Enrollment

7,015

5. Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$7,879

Enrollment

6,768

6. University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$15,887

Enrollment

23,202

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Enrollment

23,265

9. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

Oshkosh, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$7,621

Enrollment

10,749

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for forensic social workers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for forensic social workers

The most affordable schools for forensic 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 forensic 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 forensic 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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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 forensic social workers

The hardest universities for forensic social workers to get into are Boston College, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for forensic 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 forensic 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for forensic social workers

The easiest schools for forensic social workers to get into are Nyack College, mount saint mary's university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a forensic 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 forensic social workers.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

7. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

8. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

9. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

10. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

Average forensic social worker salary by education level

According to our data, forensic social workers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $58,381 annually. Forensic social workers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $50,530.

Forensic social worker education level	Forensic social worker salary
Master's Degree	$58,381
Bachelor's Degree	$50,530

Forensic social worker education FAQs

What is the best college for Forensic Social Workers?

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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

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