The fact that LovieAnn Terrado pursued her master’s degree in social work online initially raised questions among some of her friends.
They would wonder, for example, whether a field that requires constant face-to-face interaction could really be taught successfully in a virtual environment, says the 37-year-old Kentucky resident, who graduated from Boston University in 2015.
Terrado quickly learned the answer to that question was yes. While she completed some coursework on her own schedule, she also regularly attended live classes through videoconferencing, part of which involved role-playing. One student may act as the social worker, another as an adolescent with a certain behavior type and a third as a concerned parent. They would hold a mock therapy session and then receive feedback from their instructor and classmates, Terrado says.
“You would need to apply what you learned about the different theories,” says Terrado. “How do you work with that family?”
[Explore tips to interact with students and instructors in online courses.]
Terrado isn’t alone, as many of today’s aspiring social workers — especially those with family and other obligations outside of classes — earn their master’s degrees online.
Because social workers regularly interact with individuals, families and groups to help them cope with issues, many of these online programs’ curriculums include in-person, supervised practicums and internships, experts say. There are often also real-time, virtual classes combined with group work and self-paced assignments, though the specifics vary.
How MSW online students are assessed may differ from course to course. At ASU Online, the online arm of Arizona State University, students complete everything from research papers to quizzes and exams to discussion boards and reflection activities, says Melanie Reyes, the school’s online social work program coordinator.
Online MSW students’ professional backgrounds also often vary, says Dana Grossman Leeman, associate dean for online and continuing education at the Simmons College School of Social Work in Massachusetts. She’s seen all types of adults enroll, from second-career changers to recent military veterans, and both those who did and didn’t study social work as undergraduates.
Given that range of specific career goals, some online social work degrees offer different tracks or concentrations. At BU’s School of Social Work, online master’s students can decide between a clinical social work major, focusing mainly on helping individuals in hospitals and child care settings, and one in macro social work, for careers that focus on broader social problems in communities.
Simmons only has a clinical social work track, though students can specialize in trauma, mental health and substance abuse, family, and health and aging. At schools such as the for-profit Capella University, online learners with a related bachelor’s may pursue an advanced standing program while others without social work experience may complete the foundational track. Capella’s online students also all attend multiday, on-campus residencies.
Generally, online MSW students complete their field requirement — a practicum or internship — near home, and the number of hours required typically vary. A common challenge for many is time management, especially if they continue working while earning their degree.
[Discover four time management tips for online students.]
When it comes to holding jobs, “We don’t recommend full time during that field experience, but many do,” says Brian Christenson, program director for online master’s in social work at Capella. “So it’s not something you can’t do.”
As long as what the student will learn is new, they may be able to secure a field placement at their current workplace, perhaps in a different department from where they are currently employed, he says.
In the BU program, students often work in community-based organizations, mental health programs, hospitals, veterans affairs facilities, county and state governments and local sheriff’s offices, says Kristina Whiton-O’Brien, the social work school’s assistant director of online advising and field education.
For online students in more sparsely populated areas of the U.S., finding a field placement — especially in the specific type of role they hope to pursue — can sometimes be challenging, Grossman Leeman says. Those students may need to travel farther, or accept that their site may not align perfectly with their goals.
[Learn how online degrees can help adults switch careers.]
“What we say to students is, ‘We can’t always match you to the agency that’s closest to what you’re specializing in,'” she says. What matters more, she says, is that students will hone their skills and apply them to real-world situations.
When choosing an online social work education, ensure that the program is accredited, and also that it’s authorized by the student’s state of residence, says Mena daSilva-Clark, BU’s assistant dean for off-campus and online social work programs.
If not, “that could be an issue for you in terms of getting licensed later on,” she says.
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What to Expect in Your Online Social Work Master’s Program originally appeared on usnews.com
