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Foster care case manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a foster care case manager. Foster care case managers usually study social work, psychology, or criminal justice. 77% of foster care case managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,425 real foster care case manager resumes to see exactly what foster care case manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for foster care case managers are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.

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

What education do you need to become a foster care case manager?

What degree do you need to be a foster care case manager?

The most common degree for foster care case managers is bachelor's degree, with 77% of foster care case managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 77%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Associate, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a foster care case manager?

You should major in social work to become a foster care case manager. 29% of foster care case managers major in social work. Other common majors for a foster care case manager include psychology and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for foster care case managers

Foster care case managers often get their degrees at Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, and Grand Valley State University. Here are the most common colleges for foster care case managers in the US based on their resumes.
Foster care case manager common collegePercentages
Michigan State University9.95%
Western Michigan University9.00%
Grand Valley State University8.53%
Wayne State University7.58%
Eastern Michigan University7.11%

Best majors for foster care case managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Social Work29.0%
2Psychology23.4%
3Criminal Justice10.6%
4Sociology9.1%
5Human Services5.5%

Best colleges for foster care case managers

The best colleges for foster care case managers are Boston University, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A foster care case manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for foster care case managers. 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 foster care case managers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

8. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

20 best online courses for foster care case managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Child Care as a Business

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2. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

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In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...

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Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

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

5. Palliative Care Always

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Palliative Care Always is a specialization for health care practitioners, patients and caregivers. We’ve designed this specialization to demonstrate how palliative medicine integrates with patient care, and to help you develop primary palliative care skills. Over the next five courses, you will develop skills in symptom management, goals of care and effective communication to improve the quality of life for patients and families suffering with serious illness. Our hope is that you feel...

6. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

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9. The Business of Health Care

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This Specialization was designed to help you keep pace with the rapidly changing world of health and health care. Through partnership with Wharton and Penn Medicine, you’ll learn from experts in business acumen, health care management, and health care policy to develop the skills you’ll need to successfully navigate the quickly evolving landscape of this fast-growing field.* By the end of this specialization, you will have a strong foundational understanding of the American health care system,...

10. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

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A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...

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13. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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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...

14. Engaging in Service Innovation and Management

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This course is the continuation of "Introduction to Service Innovation and Management". If you have not yet taken "Introduction to Service Innovation and Management", it is recommended that you complete that course prior to this course. The foundational knowledge and project plan from the introduction are carried through in this deeper dive into service innovation and management. This course will give you tools to examine initial plans for healthcare service/process redesign. You will be...

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17. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...

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19. Crisis Intervention Seminar

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Top 10 most affordable universities for foster care case managers

The most affordable schools for foster care case managers 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 foster care case managers 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 foster care case managers.

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. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for foster care case managers

The hardest universities for foster care case managers to get into are Boston University, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for foster care case managers 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 foster care case managers 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 University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,347

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for foster care case managers

The easiest schools for foster care case managers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a foster care case manager 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 foster care case managers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

9. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

10. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

Average foster care case manager salary by education level

According to our data, foster care case managers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $44,798 annually. Foster care case managers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $41,872.
Foster care case manager education levelFoster care case manager salary
Master's Degree$44,798
High School Diploma or Less$38,211
Bachelor's Degree$41,872
Some College/ Associate Degree$38,402

Foster care case manager 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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