Social Work

About the social work major

The School of Social Work prepares you to be an effective and knowledgeable professional social worker, who is ready for practice in the twenty-first century. As a social worker, you'll assist with alleviating poverty, oppression, and discrimination. You'll enhance the quality of life for all people, particularly Indiana citizens, and the advancement of social, political, and economic conditions through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

Within the context of a diverse, multicultural, urbanized, global society, we prepare you to shape solutions to a wide range of interpersonal and social problems. In addition to top-notch faculty and classroom experiences, the B.S.W. program offers an extensive internship opportunity where students work in agencies, learn from veteran social workers, and discover what they would like to do upon graduation.

Skills and abilities the major develops: problem solving, critical thinking, relationship building, and research (IU School of Social Work, 2019).

Engaged learning experiences

Regardless of your major or future career, engaged learning is vital to your present and future. It makes you more marketable for jobs and professional schools upon graduation, it enables you to build deeper connections with faculty and staff in your field of study, and it makes your learning personal by connecting your interests and values with the curriculum from your classes. Check out the three ideas below for places to get started, or learn more at IU Indianapolis’s Institute for Engaged Learning website.

Career services

Our career services offers a variety of tools to assist students at every stage of their career path. Services are available to both students and alumni.

Student Outreach Clinic

The School of Social Work Student Outreach Clinic is a student-led free clinic where social work students provide social services to patients on the near eastside of Indianapolis.

Social Workers for Social Justice

Social Workers for Social Justice equips social work degree-seeking students for social work practice rooted in social justice.

Opportunities after graduation

Employment of social workers is projected to grow 7% from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations. About 67,300 openings for social workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as retirement (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024).

According to the IUPUI (now called IU Indianapolis) First Destination Survey in 2023, the average starting salary reported for School of Social Work graduates was $40,421, and the median was $40,000.

The national median annual salary for social workers was $58,380 in 2023 (Occupational Outlook Handbook).

(This section is intended for informational purposes, not prediction of actual salary.)

Social work graduates often pursue advanced degrees in the following areas:

Counseling
Education
Guidance counseling
Law
Organizational leadership
Public health
Social work

Quick facts

Sample coursework

Child and adolescent psychology
Community behavior and practice
Field experience
History of social welfare policy
Introduction to social work
Social work research
Understanding diversity

Possible careers

Adoption welfare
Case manager or coordinator
Counselor*
Grant writer
Nonprofit program coordinator
Policy maker
Researcher

*This career requires additional training or education.

Where could I work?

Aspire Indiana
Centerstone
Community Health Network
Eskenazi Health
Indiana Department of Child Services
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Complementing interests

SSocial

EEnterprising

CConventional

Get your interest code

Where to get more information

IU School of Social Work

National Association of Social Workers

BSW Student Association

Arts, Humanities, and Human Services Cluster

This major is part of the Arts, Humanities, and Human Services (AHHS) cluster. The AHHS cluster is the academic home of University College students pursuing majors in art and design, education, general studies, journalism, liberal arts, and social work. The AHHS cluster partners with students on their academic advising and career plans to guide them into their degree-granting schools.

Learn about the AHHS cluster

Learn about other clusters

Meet with an advisor or career consultant

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