Careers in Social Work

Social workers help people cope with problems in their everyday lives.

They can work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Work settings for social workers include mental health clinics, schools, child welfare and human services agencies, hospitals and private practices.

Popular career areas include therapy and counseling, substance use recovery, healthcare, school social work, and nonprofit management.

Explore career areas in social work and the types of practicum placements available for KU School of Social Welfare students.

Careers Resources

Social Work Career Areas

Children & Families

Do you want to help children and families? Social work areas include school social work, child welfare, mental health and healthcare.

Children and Families

Mental Health

Do you want to become a therapist? Mental health social workers work in inpatient or outpatient settings to help people with mental illnesses.

Mental Health

Aging Adults

Do you want to work with older adults? Hospice programs, hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies employ social workers.

Aging Adults

Healthcare

In healthcare settings such as hospitals, nursing homes and hospice programs, social workers may help clients connect with services, provide patient education and counseling, or advise caregivers.

Healthcare

Substance Misuse

Social workers support individuals, families and communities with recovery from substance use. They provide counseling, coordinate treatment plans and meet with patients.

Substance Misuse

Administration and Policy

Social workers in macro practice focus on organizations and communities. Additional career options include community development, fundraising and community relations.

Administration and Policy

School Social Work

Social workers in schools help to identify and address the social and emotional difficulties that students face that can interfere with their success in school.

School Social Work

Justice & Victim Services

Social workers can be advocates for victims, program coordinators or family counselors. Job settings include courts, corrections facilities and domestic violence shelters.

Justice & Victim Services

Practicum Education

Social work students in the undergraduate Bachelor of Social Work program and graduate Master of Social Work program complete a required internship, or practicum, as part of their degree.

The KU School of Social Welfare's Practicum Education Office works with students to find practicum placements and deliver an enriching educational experience.

Learn more about practicum education at the KU School of Social Welfare.

Practicum Resources

Social Work Licensing

KU’s BSW and MSW degrees meet the licensure educational requirements for all the U.S. states that license at the Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW), Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) levels.

The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Questions about licensure? Contact the Practicum Education Office at practicum@ku.edu.

Learn more about social work licensing.

Licensing Resources

Licensure Information

Practicum & Licensing

Students in the BSW and MSW programs complete a required internship, or practicum, as part of the degree. The Practicum Education Office supports students as graduates as they prepare for social work licensing exams.

Practicum Education Practicum Education

Licensing Information Licensing Information

Alumni Spotlights

Alumni Spotlight: Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Rosen

Eric Rosen still channels his social work education and background as he leads the Kansas Supreme Court.

Alumni Spotlight: Jacob McKee

Social Welfare alum Jacob McKee is proud of his Master of Social Work degree and the path it led him on. McKee, a deputy director of improvement in the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Improvement Office, shares his experience through a variety of roles in his career.

Master of Social Work student Emma Kelley

Social Work MSW Macro Spotlight: Emma Kelley

In her work as a research project coordinator for UMKC's Urban Education Research Center, Emma Kelley, MSW 2024, combines interests in macro-level social work and program evaluation.

Social Work MSW Macro Alumni Spotlight: Ella Hinson

Recent KU MSW graduate Ella Hinson is putting her macro social work skills to work as an advocacy specialist with the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, managing a community outreach program. Hinson built skills in program administration, community practice and advocacy in the MSW macro specialization at KU.

Alumni Stories

Careers in Social Work

Careers Resources