Is Social Work Worth It?

[Social Scientist]

I'll make this quick. I have been reading these forums for a few years. I finished an MA degree last year and now I am working as a NYC Substitute teacher. I was able to get accepted to the Rutgers School of Social Work for the Master of Social Work program. They accepted 12 of my graduate credits.

The problem is that I live in New York City and I would have to pay out of state tuition which costs more than 1,000 dollars per credit. I still have 48 credits to go. I don't have any scholarship.

Should I attend Rutgers University. I have no idea where I would get the money and I don't want to take more than 50,000 in loans or should I APPLY to a school in New York like Lehman, Stony Brook school of social welfare or Tutoro School of social work? The tuition is much cheaper but, I also would not have those 12 credits.

But, at the same time I wouldn't have to travel all the way to NJ from Queens, NY.

What should I do? Or maybe I should give up the social work degree and try to do an MPA? Too many choices. I need to make a decision quickly because the deadline to apply for the schools is coming up.

Thank you all for your help!

[burgundykitten]

I'm sure the deadline is up for this, but you should check out Hunter - excellent social work program + one of the lowest tuitions (I believe - I didn't apply there, but I've read endless good things about it).

[mrod88]

50k + in student loans is not worth it for an MSW. An MSW is not a very high-paying profession. I would stick to in-state tuition. And def do your homework to the programs that are available in NY. I've heard great things about NYU's program but like I said, not worth a ridiculous amount of student loans. Maybe some stipends? scholarships? Might want to look into that.

Best of luck.