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Social service coordinator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a social service coordinator. Social service coordinators usually study social work, psychology, or sociology. 64% of social service coordinators hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,644 real social service coordinator resumes to see exactly what social service coordinator education sections show.

The most common colleges for social service coordinators are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain social service coordinator certifications that you should consider. These social service coordinator certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become a social service coordinator?

What degree do you need to be a social service coordinator?

The most common degree for social service coordinators is bachelor's degree, with 64% of social service coordinators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Master's, 23%
  • Associate, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a social service coordinator?

You should major in social work to become a social service coordinator. 30% of social service coordinators major in social work. Other common majors for a social service coordinator include psychology and sociology.

Most common colleges for social service coordinators

Social service coordinators often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Temple University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for social service coordinators in the US based on their resumes.
Social service coordinator common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix9.76%
Temple University8.42%
New York University5.39%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale5.39%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey5.39%

Best majors for social service coordinators

RankMajorPercentages
1Social Work29.7%
2Psychology18.4%
3Sociology8.0%
4Human Services5.9%
5Business5.5%

Best colleges for social service coordinators

The best colleges for social service coordinators are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

A social service coordinator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for social service coordinators. 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 social service coordinators.

1. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

4. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for social service coordinators

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1. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners

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In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...

2. Social Determinants of Health: Data to Action

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This five course specialization explores dimensions of applied knowledge related to the social determinants of health. This specialization will utilize the Data-to-Action Hourglass Model to support thinking about multiple perspectives as a way to filter, frame, and focus data-driven action related to social determinants of health.\n\nCourse 1: Introduction to the Social Determinants of Health, provides an overview of definitions and theoretical perspectives that will form the foundation of this...

3. Social Media for Healthcare Providers

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Social media and HIPPA compliance training for covered entities that transmit health information...

4. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

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Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

5. HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social/Peer Perspective)

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HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. No additional hardware or software are required for this course. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace. Transformative health care delivery programs depend heavily on...

6. Social Determinants of Health

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This is an introductory course on social determinants of population health with a focus on the United States. The course will introduce you to, or reinforce your knowledge of, issues related to health that consider behavioral, psychological and structural factors in population health beyond the healthcare system. We will examine social, economic, and political factors that contribute to health inequalities and suggest innovative ways to reduce disparities in health when the goal is to achieve...

7. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs

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Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...

8. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)

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Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...

9. The Influence of Social Determinants on Health

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Why are some groups healthier than others, and how do these differences emerge and persist over a lifetime? How do social policies on housing, transportation, and employment relate to health and health inequalities?\n\nThis specialization will examine social, behavioral, economic, political, and structural factors that contribute to health inequalities, and suggest innovative ways to reduce disparities in health to achieve health equity.You will learn,\n\n-Use conceptual models to understand...

10. The Influence of Social Context on Health

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Why are some groups healthier than others, and how do these differences emerge and persist over the life course? How do social policies (e.g., housing, transportation, employment) relate to health and health inequalities? Why are there health disparities even in countries that have free universal health care? This course will address conceptual models for understanding health disparities in the US and internationally, how population science identifies the main sources of these disparities, and...

11. The Communication Skills and Social Intelligence Masterclass

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An essential guide to cultivating influential people skills, communication skills and street-smart social intelligence...

12. Mental Health Ambassador Certificate

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Be a leader in improving society's mental health and learn to provide mental health first aid...

13. Introduction to Social Determinants of Health

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This first of five courses introduces students to the social determinants of health, and provides an overview of the definitions and theoretical perspectives that will form the foundation of this specialization. The topics of this course include: 1. Introduction to the Social Determinants of Health 2. Theoretical Perspectives and Knowledge Complexity 3. Data Driven Collective Impact 4. Minority Stress Theory 5. Data Applications: Frequency Analysis and Bar Chart Visualization...

14. Social Determinants of Health: Vulnerable Populations

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This second of five courses focuses on how social determinants of health affects vulnerable populations. Focusing on four groups of vulnerable populations, students will examine how social determinants of health contribute to the poor health outcomes experienced by these populations. The topics of this course include: 1. Poverty 2. Women’s Health 3. Gender and LGBTQI+ Health 4. Family Health 5. Data Applications: t-test Analysis and Box Plot Visualization...

15. Communication & Social Skills

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Learn to become more confident and effective when speaking, listening, or writing...

16. Crisis Intervention Seminar

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The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...

17. Palliative Care: It's Not Just Hospice Anymore

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People living with serious, life-limiting, chronic illness experience significant suffering. Fortunately there are new and developing treatments which may cure some and improve survival for many people living with serious illness. However, seriously ill people and their loved ones still experience many distressing physical symptoms as well as spiritual, social and psychological distress. There is much we can do to support people to live well with serious and life-limiting illness by...

18. Social Media Crisis Prevention

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Get practical skills to protect your reputation and your organization against a social media meltdown...

19. Social Media Monitoring

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Our new course on Social Media Monitoring in a post Google Reader World is coming soon...

20. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for social service coordinators

The most affordable schools for social service coordinators are California State University - Bakersfield, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for social service coordinators 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 social service coordinators.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

10. California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,922

Cost of attendance

18,522

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social service coordinators

The hardest universities for social service coordinators to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

Some great schools for social service coordinators 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 social service coordinators 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social service coordinators

The easiest schools for social service coordinators to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social service coordinator 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 social service coordinators.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

6. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average social service coordinator salary by education level

Social service coordinators with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $46,369 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, social service coordinators earn a median annual income of $43,499 compared to $40,081 for social service coordinators with an Associate degree.
Social service coordinator education levelSocial service coordinator salary
Master's Degree$46,369
High School Diploma or Less$39,893
Bachelor's Degree$43,499
Some College/ Associate Degree$40,081

Social service coordinator 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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