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Psychotherapist social worker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a psychotherapist social worker. Psychotherapist social workers usually study social work, psychology, or mental health counseling. 58% of psychotherapist social workers hold a master's degree, and 39% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 125 real psychotherapist social worker resumes to see exactly what psychotherapist social worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for psychotherapist social workers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online psychotherapist social worker courses to help get the education required to be a psychotherapist social worker.
What education do you need to become a psychotherapist social worker?
What degree do you need to be a psychotherapist social worker?
- Master's, 58%
- Bachelor's, 39%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Associate, 1%
What should I major in to become a psychotherapist social worker?
- Social Work, 43%
- Psychology, 13%
- Sociology, 5%
- Other Majors, 27%
Most common colleges for psychotherapist social workers
| Psychotherapist social worker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 18.00% |
| Tulane University | 10.00% |
| Fordham University | 10.00% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.00% |
| Yeshiva University | 6.00% |
Best majors for psychotherapist social workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 43.2% |
| 2 | Psychology | 12.6% |
| 3 | Mental Health Counseling | 11.6% |
| 4 | Sociology | 5.3% |
| 5 | Human Development | 3.2% |
Best colleges for psychotherapist social workers
The best colleges for psychotherapist social workers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
A psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist social workers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
8. Coppin State University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$8,873
Enrollment
2,326
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
20 best online courses for psychotherapist social workers
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18. Oxford Diploma: Art Therapy:create books; run (4) workshops!
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19. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)
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20. Social Media for Healthcare Providers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for psychotherapist social workers
The most affordable schools for psychotherapist social workers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist 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. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for psychotherapist social workers
The hardest universities for psychotherapist social workers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
Some great schools for psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for psychotherapist social workers
The easiest schools for psychotherapist social workers to get into are Nyack College, notre dame de namur university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist social workers.
1. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
6. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
8. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Washington Adventist Hospital
Takoma Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
958
Average psychotherapist social worker salary by education level
| Psychotherapist social worker education level | Psychotherapist social worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $67,229 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $49,066 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $59,962 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $57,089 |
Psychotherapist social worker education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025