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Nursing home social worker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a nursing home social worker. Nursing home social workers usually study social work, nursing, or sociology. 53% of nursing home social workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 97 real nursing home social worker resumes to see exactly what nursing home social worker education sections show.

The most common colleges for nursing home social workers are the Kean University and the Kean University.

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

What education do you need to become a nursing home social worker?

What degree do you need to be a nursing home social worker?

The most common degree for nursing home social workers is bachelor's degree, with 53% of nursing home social workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 33% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 53%
  • Master's, 33%
  • Associate, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a nursing home social worker?

You should major in social work to become a nursing home social worker. 58% of nursing home social workers major in social work. Other common majors for a nursing home social worker include nursing and sociology.

Most common colleges for nursing home social workers

Nursing home social workers often get their degrees at Kean University, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, and Hope College. Here are the most common colleges for nursing home social workers in the US based on their resumes.
Nursing home social worker common collegePercentages
Kean University7.69%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point7.69%
Hope College7.69%
The University of Texas at Arlington7.69%
Morehead State University7.69%

Best majors for nursing home social workers

RankMajorPercentages
1Social Work58.1%
2Nursing6.8%
3Sociology5.4%
4Psychology5.4%
5Political Science2.7%

Best colleges for nursing home social workers

The best colleges for nursing home social workers are Case Western Reserve University, University of Southern California, and Johns Hopkins University.

A nursing home 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 nursing home 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 nursing home social workers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$49,042

Enrollment

5,131

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

6. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$8,184

Enrollment

11,675

9. SUNY College at Brockport

Brockport, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,412

Enrollment

7,015

10. University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$19,080

Enrollment

19,127

20 best online courses for nursing home social workers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for nursing home social workers

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

If the best universities for nursing home 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 nursing home 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. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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 nursing home social workers

The hardest universities for nursing home social workers to get into are Case Western Reserve University, University of Southern California, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for nursing home 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 nursing home 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. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,443

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nursing home social workers

The easiest schools for nursing home social workers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, nyack college, and gwynedd mercy university.

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

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

8. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

9. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average nursing home social worker salary by education level

According to our data, nursing home social workers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $57,936 annually. Nursing home social workers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $52,542.
Nursing home social worker education levelNursing home social worker salary
Master's Degree$57,936
High School Diploma or Less$44,270
Bachelor's Degree$52,542
Some College/ Associate Degree$50,384

Nursing home social worker 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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