People have at least two options when it comes to advanced social work diplomas. Students take up a Masters in Social Work in order to be able to tack on another credential to their resume when applying for jobs. Should the student desire a more theory and analysis-focused study, the doctorate awaits.
The masters-level course is designed to impart lessons on how to further the development of communities as well as individuals. A Masters of Social Work can be completed within two years. Master's courses are typically given a lot of attention by scholarship-granting funds and institutions.
A Master's in Social Work requires a lot of field experience from the student. Since social work actually does involve a lot of working with society, people in MSW courses shall find their lives to be rich with activities for the organizations for which they work. They are also expected to specialize in specific areas such as mental health, health care, aging, corrections, child welfare or employee assistance.
Among the specializations available would be public policy and the field of psychotherapy. Generally, most students end up working in public and non-profit organizations in order to instill values in social planning and social changes. Most of the people who go the joint degree route do so by adding a medical qualification to their resume.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the leading accrediting body of MSW degrees. The council's list of accredited schools all boast excellent social work courses that can be continued with doctoral courses. Some people actually accomplish all requirements of the program in a single year.
If your goal is to become a true expert in the theories and concepts as well as analytical models used for social work, you can seek out a doctorate program. There is no consensus on which is the better term: PhD or doctorate. They are one and the same, at the end of the day.
Generally, you are going to end up working in the educational or research sector if you take a PhD. Because this is a research-focused life, the center of your world is going to be in analytical papers and publications, and not in the people actually being written about in those same publications. Those with a serious interest in research work need to consider a doctorate program to get them to the positions they want.
A doctorate program will typically emphasize the learning methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis. There is a doctoral dissertation to consider, of course. You usually choose a topic that interests you, do extensive, probably year-long research on it, then compile that research into a single body of text.
A Doctorate in social work typically takes about 2-4 years to complete, excluding the time it takes to finish a Masters degree. While many professionals have their primary focus on teaching and collaboration on research with academic colleagues, many still continue their social work practice. It might be an option for those who cannot choose either one to work in both town and gown, so to speak.
In contrast to the masters in social work course, doctorates for the field are not accredited by the CSWE. Those short on funds shall have to reconsider a doctorate program application because it does not usually have any scholarship offers. The admissions requirements for doctorate students are tougher too, demanding more education and better experience.
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