Best Online Associate in Social Work

Earning a degree in the traditional, on-campus format can be tough, but earning a degree online provides plenty of flexibility, even for the busiest students. Individuals earning online degrees in social work prepare for careers helping others in a variety of settings, all on their own schedule. This article ranks the best online associate in social work degree programs available today.

Human services and social work are closely related fields, and many people often confuse the two. Social work professionals tend to focus on solving problems at the individual level, through things like therapy, counseling, and connecting clients with resources and services. Human services professionals tend to focus on the bigger picture, planning and organizing programs, organizing community services, and performing administrative roles. Both help populations of people in related yet different ways, and the fields compliment each other.

Moreover, associate degrees in social work are not particularly common; many students earn an associate degree in human services before transferring into a bachelor’s in social work degree program.

Like most associate degree programs, associate in social work can be completed in 18-24 months and typically require around 60 hours of required and elective coursework.

Earning an associate in social work degree sets you on the path to pursue a variety of careers in the field or purse an advanced degree in social work. In fact,most students interested in social work don’t stop with an associate degree; they continue their education, earning a bachelor’s or master’s in social work. The following information, sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflects the median annual earnings of individuals in these positions.