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Protective services social worker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a protective services social worker. Protective services social workers usually study social work, psychology, or sociology. 72% of protective services social workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 827 real protective services social worker resumes to see exactly what protective services social worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for protective services social workers are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
There are also many online protective services social worker courses to help get the education required to be a protective services social worker.
What education do you need to become a protective services social worker?
What degree do you need to be a protective services social worker?
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 6%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a protective services social worker?
- Social Work, 45%
- Psychology, 14%
- Sociology, 8%
- Criminal Justice, 8%
- Other Majors, 25%
Most common colleges for protective services social workers
| Protective services social worker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 14.08% |
| Appalachian State University | 10.56% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 5.63% |
| Liberty University | 5.63% |
| Norfolk State University | 5.63% |
Best majors for protective services social workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 44.8% |
| 2 | Psychology | 14.4% |
| 3 | Sociology | 8.4% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 8.0% |
| 5 | Human Services | 4.4% |
Best colleges for protective services social workers
The best colleges for protective services social workers are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A protective services 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 protective services 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 protective services social workers.
1. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. SUNY College at Brockport
Brockport, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,412
Enrollment
7,015
6. Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$7,879
Enrollment
6,768
7. University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$15,887
Enrollment
23,202
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
10. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Enrollment
23,265
20 best online courses for protective services social workers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for protective services social workers
The most affordable schools for protective services 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 protective services 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 protective services 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. 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 protective services social workers
The hardest universities for protective services social workers to get into are Boston College, Boston University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for protective services 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 protective services 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for protective services social workers
The easiest schools for protective services social 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 protective services 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 protective services social 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. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
7. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
Average protective services social worker salary by education level
| Protective services social worker education level | Protective services social worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $57,915 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,365 |
Protective services social worker education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025