Online Bachelor of Social Work Degree (BSW)

While both types of degrees help prepare you for a career devoted to improving people’s lives, it’s helpful to look closer to find the ideal match for your interests and goals. If you want to connect individuals or families in need with resources and services that improve their circumstances and help them achieve social equity, you may choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in social work. If you’re more interested in studying the human mind and behaviors, a degree in psychology would be the best fit.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has designated March as Social Work Month, a national celebration that highlights the important contributions of social workers. Social work professionals make a meaningful impact on nearly every aspect of society as advocates for the vulnerable and underserved. Dr. Barbara Solomon, namesake of Walden University’s Barbara Solomon School of Social Work, exemplifies this tradition of service. A retired Walden University board member and respected leader in the field, Dr. Solomon is recognized by the NASW as a Social Work Pioneer and is an inductee in the California Social Work Hall of Distinction. Walden is proud to count Dr. Solomon as a member of our community and celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of our social work students and alumni.

Social workers help individuals, families, and groups solve and cope with problems that may arise from a range of highly stressful life situations, including poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, mental health conditions, chronic illnesses and disabilities, and abusive family situations. Professionals with a bachelor’s degree in social work are employed in a variety of settings—hospitals and healthcare facilities, schools, social services agencies, mental health clinics, and private and nonprofit organizations. They advocate for their clients and connect them with social services designed to help alleviate their challenges.

While social workers can fill a variety of roles, in general, social workers can be divided into two categories:

• Direct-service social workers identify government and community services that can improve their clients’ situations, such as applying for government aid, finding employment, removing children from abusive homes, and connecting with community resources like home meal delivery.
• Clinical social workers directly address the needs of their clients, many of whom may have emotional and behavioral problems or psychiatric conditions. As clinicians, social workers are trained to perform psychotherapy and even diagnose patients. They are often part of a collaborative team of psychiatrists and advanced-practice psychiatric nurses.

The difference between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in social work lies in their academic emphasis. A BA degree typically incorporates a broader liberal arts focus, allowing students to explore a diverse range of humanities disciplines alongside social work courses.

In contrast, a BS in social work provides a more structured, science-oriented curriculum that places greater emphasis on developing research and professional practice skills. It typically also has more intensive requirements for practice and fieldwork to prepare students to work directly with clients.

While both degrees prepare students for entry-level generalist practice roles, the BA gives students the flexibility to explore non-social work disciplines, while the BS is designed to prepare students specifically for a career in social work.

Walden’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) online degree programs are both accredited by the Council on Social Work Education's Commission on Accreditation (CSWE). CSWE accreditation means that a program prepares you to apply ethical principles and critical thinking to social work practice. Earning a degree from one of our CSWE-accredited programs also academically prepares you to sit for social work licensure exams.