What is your concentration?

[jamient]

Hi,

I'm planning to apply to grad school next year for a MSW, but I'm still deciding between the Mental Health concentration or the Family/Child concentration. So I'm just curious what are you planning to concentrate in or what are you concentrating in if you're already in Grad school?

Thanks.

[urbanengine]

I'm planning to concentrate in Mental Health! I applied to UCLA and USC's MSW programs for this fall. I am still awaiting decisions. Good luck!

[creativesocialworker]

Hi,

I'm planning to apply to grad school next year for a MSW, but I'm still deciding between the Mental Health concentration or the Family/Child concentration. So I'm just curious what are you planning to concentrate in or what are you concentrating in if you're already in Grad school?

Thanks.

Hii. I just got into UCLA's MSW program and wondered the same thing when applying to schools. Some schools don't have you choose a concentration until your second year and others have you choose right away. Do you have a career goal in mind yet?

As I understand it for UCLA, you select your "track" the first year, micro or macro (you wold be micro), and then you can choose your concentration and optional sub-concentrations the next year.

[jamient]

Hii. I just got into UCLA's MSW program and wondered the same thing when applying to schools. Some schools don't have you choose a concentration until your second year and others have you choose right away. Do you have a career goal in mind yet?

As I understand it for UCLA, you select your "track" the first year, micro or macro (you wold be micro), and then you can choose your concentration and optional sub-concentrations the next year.

Honestly I'm more interested in the family/child Title IV-E program, but I"m worried about job prospects with the State of California's never ending budget crisis. I emailed UC Berkeley's Title IV-E coordinator and she admitted that 2008 graduates had trouble getting jobs but it's been slowly improving. Obviously you don't go into Social Work to make a ton of money, but I don't want to go into debt and then not be able to get a decent job.

I feel like Mental Health has more job opportunities, practically in hospital settings or with the VA, but my heart is more towards child welfare, so I'm still debating. My first choice is Berkeley which requires you to declare your concentration when applying, but maybe I should look into UCLA. Thanks!

[creativesocialworker]

Honestly I'm more interested in the family/child Title IV-E program, but I"m worried about job prospects with the State of California's never ending budget crisis. I emailed UC Berkeley's Title IV-E coordinator and she admitted that 2008 graduates had trouble getting jobs but it's been slowly improving. Obviously you don't go into Social Work to make a ton of money, but I don't want to go into debt and then not be able to get a decent job.

I feel like Mental Health has more job opportunities, practically in hospital settings or with the VA, but my heart is more towards child welfare, so I'm still debating. My first choice is Berkeley which requires you to declare your concentration when applying, but maybe I should look into UCLA. Thanks!

From what I understand, the concentration you choose wont drastically limit your career options. I know someone who concentrated in children/families and worked with foster children and then decided to work in a mental health clinic and then became a school social worker and then opened a private practice. The concentration will just mean you have more experience in one area so it would be easier to get a related job. There is usually a mental health component with child welfare placements so you can focus on that aspect during interviews or on resumes if you apply for a mental health job.

One thing I like about UCLA (USC and many other schools do this too) is that for the first year they put you in a field placement site that you don't have much experience with and that isn't associated with the concentration you think you want. I want to concentrate in families/children (schools sub concentration) but since I am also interested in mental health I am hoping to get a mental health placement my first year.

[jamient]

From what I understand, the concentration you choose wont drastically limit your career options. I know someone who concentrated in children/families and worked with foster children and then decided to work in a mental health clinic and then became a school social worker and then opened a private practice. The concentration will just mean you have more experience in one area so it would be easier to get a related job. There is usually a mental health component with child welfare placements so you can focus on that aspect during interviews or on resumes if you apply for a mental health job.

One thing I like about UCLA (USC and many other schools do this too) is that for the first year they put you in a field placement site that you don't have much experience with and that isn't associated with the concentration you think you want. I want to concentrate in families/children (schools sub concentration) but since I am also interested in mental health I am hoping to get a mental health placement my first year.

See that's exactly what I've been trying to figure out--how much importance your concentration really has. I'm leaning more and more towards the Title IV. Thanks for the insight!