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Social work associate education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a social work associate. Social work associates usually study social work, psychology, or business. 57% of social work associates hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 1,149 real social work associate resumes to see exactly what social work associate education sections show.
The most common colleges for social work associates are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online social work associate courses to help get the education required to be a social work associate.
What education do you need to become a social work associate?
What degree do you need to be a social work associate?
- Bachelor's, 57%
- High School Diploma, 13%
- Master's, 13%
- Associate, 12%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a social work associate?
- Social Work, 38%
- Psychology, 11%
- Business, 7%
- Sociology, 5%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for social work associates
| Social work associate common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 8.51% |
| University of Kentucky | 6.38% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.38% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 6.38% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 5.32% |
Best majors for social work associates
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 37.8% |
| 2 | Psychology | 11.2% |
| 3 | Business | 7.5% |
| 4 | Sociology | 5.2% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 5.2% |
Best colleges for social work associates
The best colleges for social work associates are Boston University, SUNY at Binghamton, and Syracuse University.
A social work associate 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 work associates. 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 work associates.
1. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Enrollment
34,637
2. Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$8,184
Enrollment
11,675
3. California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,922
Enrollment
17,704
4. SUNY College at Brockport
Brockport, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,412
Enrollment
7,015
5. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
7. Indiana Wesleyan University
Marion, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$26,630
Enrollment
2,647
8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla
Aguadilla, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,902
Enrollment
3,622
9. Washington State University
Pullman, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,584
Enrollment
25,675
10. University of North Texas
Denton, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,852
Enrollment
31,375
20 best online courses for social work associates
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Top 10 most affordable universities for social work associates
The most affordable schools for social work associates are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - fullerton, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for social work associates 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 work associates.
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 - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,922
Cost of attendance
18,522
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Southern University at New Orleans
New Orleans, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,033
Cost of attendance
12,702
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social work associates
The hardest universities for social work associates to get into are Boston University, SUNY at Binghamton, and Syracuse University.
Some great schools for social work associates 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 work associates 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. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
3. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,307
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
1,365
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
9. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social work associates
The easiest schools for social work associates to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, university of north texas at dallas, and ottawa university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social work associate 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 work associates.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
3. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
4. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
8. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Chestnut Hill College
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,026
Average social work associate salary by education level
| Social work associate education level | Social work associate salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $50,503 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $42,157 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $46,773 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $42,396 |
Social work associate education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025