MSW Programs in Illinois | Earn a Masters of Social Work in IL - Human Services Edu (2023)

Located in the great lakes region of the Midwest, Illinois is host to one of the greatest cities on earth, Chicago. Regardless of whether you want to be a licensed social worker in Chicago or a school social worker in Aurora, having at top shelf education will be the best way for you to prepare for the workforce. Over the past decade changing economic realities have caused workers to become a much better trained and educated group as a whole. The best way to respond to this new economic reality is by making sure you have a resume that is competitive and stands out from the crowd. If you are considering a career in social work in Illinois you will want to strongly consider a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from a school like the University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Adams School of Social Work. The MSW is highly sought after in the human services sector and especially in the social work sub-sector where it is the key to unlock many of the higher paying careers.

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For those who want to attain a social work license in Illinois, a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree will be a critical first step. Once you have your MSW you will be eligible to become a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) depending on experience. The exact breakdown of licensure requirements can be found in our Illinois Social Work licensure here. You will also want to familiarize yourself with the laws and rules on licensure which are available on Illinois IDFPR website.

If you are interested in excellent pay and a variety of career paths in various occupations within Human Services, one of the best choices you can make is to earn your Master of Social Work degree (MSW). With an MSW degree you will have the flexibility to work throughout Illinois in a variety of contexts. For example, some are drawn towards using their organizational and leadership skills to the fullest in a management position as a Social Work Administrator in a city like Aurora. Other people enjoy Social Work in the context of helping children and for them becoming a School Social Worker or a Child Welfare Case Manager in a city such as Rockford might be an ideal fit. For those who prefer to help people with disabilities the option is available to become an Aging and Disabilities Case Manager facilitating government benefits as part of the Illinois Department of Human Services agency in Chicago. There is a vast array of potential careers and organizations that will be options for you to choose from as a Social Worker in Illinois once you have earned your Master of Social Work degree (MSW).

Once you have determined that getting an MSW is a critical step towards realizing your career goals, you will want to begin the process of finding a school in Illinois that is a perfect fit for your unique situation. A great way to bring your educational goals into focus is by determining what career you want to have after graduation. For example, This will help bring clarity to your decision making process by letting you focus on schools that have programs that will best prepare you for your dream job. Many elements of the various Illinois MSW curriculums available will be similar from school to school. It is worth keeping in mind that some schools offer specially tailored programs to help prepare people for specific specialties. An example of this is the Community Health and Urban Development degree concentration through the University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Adams School of Social Work. By looking at the specific elements of various programs you will also learn what is available which will help you to better understand what you are looking for in a program.

Once you have your MSW diploma you will find that a whole host of employment options have become available to you. You also will have a competitive edge if you apply for jobs that don’t strictly require a Master’s degree. Having a MSW degree will ensure that you have plenty of career options throughout your life. By taking the time to research and find a career that is a good fit, you will be able to refine your search for the ideal education. For example, you might find a career as a Hospice Social Worker for Cadence Health in Carol Stream to be an enticing one. Here at humanservicesedu.org we have built a resource that can help you research this decision. Below you will find a fairly short list of some of the many positions you will qualified for with an Illinois MSW. For more in-depth research consult our section on job descriptions:

There are many important elements to evaluate as you work towards a final decision on the ideal MSW program for you. One of the choices to make is in determining whether an online program (more on this below) or a traditional physical campus is more to your liking. You will want to consider your learning style, need for flexibility, living situation preferences and finances as you make this decision. If you decide that for example, a physical campus in a small city such as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign located in Urbana (Pop. 41,250) is a better fit for your personal situation than say the University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Adams School of Social Work in Chicago (Pop. 2.7 million) you will be able to immediately eliminate any program where the school is located in an area you do not wish to live. After choosing a campus type, you can shift your focus to comparing and contrasting the key elements of the schools and programs you are considering:

Of the many aspects of a program you will need to compare and contrast, undoubtedly the most important is the curriculum. It is of paramount importance that you find a program that closely matches your desired career goals. Many MSW programs will have elements of their curriculum which are similar to one another; however some Illinois MSW programs have been designed with a specific occupational outcome in mind such as University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Adams School of Social Work degree concentration in School Social Work. You will want to make sure that you either take a generalized curriculum or if possible find a program that is tailor made to your personal career goals.

Your personal finances and educational background will come into play as you evaluate whether the admissions requirements and financial costs of the program mesh with your personal situation. For example, Dominican University has a flat rate of $1,974 per 3 hour course regardless of whether you are a resident or non-resident of Illinois which is fairly rare among schools. This does not include fees, books or room and boards which all have to be taken into consideration. You will want to research several schools to find out what a good tuition is for your situation.

There are many pros and cons to both online programs and traditional “brick and mortar” campuses. Among the advantages an online program has is that many online programs offer significant financial advantages over their traditional counterparts. This can be particularly important to students who are on a tighter budget. Another advantage offered by many online programs is the relative flexibility and modular nature of the program. With flexible class schedules and program completion rates, online programs generally allow for a much greater degree of student customization. This can be particularly beneficial to certain “non-traditional” students such as: students who work full time for financial reasons, parents of young children, adults returning to academia after a long break and other students who see flexibility as critical to their education. For some, the ability to take classes from their office or the comfort of their own home in Illinois is a very compelling attribute of an online program. You will have to weigh and measure the differences between online programs and traditional campuses to determine which one is the best fit for your personal educational needs.