If you are a veteran who is looking to start a new career after completing your service – or an active duty service member thinking about your future – a career as a military social worker can be a perfect next chapter.
Veterans who become social workers can be tremendous sources of support to other veterans and military members who are struggling, offering hard-won wisdom and compassion drawn from their own experiences.
This can be a meaningful and motivating way to run with your own experiences of life in the military, providing the opportunity to uplift those in need as well as keeping you connected to the military and veterans community.
Find the Social Work Role That Suits Your Skills and Interests
Military social work jobs can involve a range of responsibilities, depending on your license and the organization where you work. Many who work in the field of military social work are employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), though there are also numerous nonprofit organizations offering supportive services specifically to military members, veterans, and their families.
Key duties of social workers for military members and veterans can include:
- Providing direct counseling to people struggling with emotional and psychological issues, in some cases related to their time in the service
- Acting as case workers connecting people in need to vital resources such as food, housing, and employment
- Planning outreach and education initiatives to support the military community as a whole
These are just a few of the many job descriptions that can accompany a career in military social work.
California Offers Abundant Opportunities to Pursue Social Work Degrees
If you’re a veteran wondering how to become a social worker in the military, good news: the steps are quite simple. To take on the full responsibilities of a social worker, you will need to obtain a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and the license relevant to your intended career path.
Those who wish to become social workers in California are fortunate to have a wide range of excellent MSW programs to choose from, with options all over the state. These include on-campus, hybrid, and fully online programs, giving prospective students a maximum of flexibility to choose the path that most suits their goals and needs.
To pursue an MSW, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree of any type. If you don’t yet hold a bachelor’s degree but know that you want to become a social worker, you can expedite your path to licensure by obtaining a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree, which will qualify you for accelerated master’s programs (known as Advanced Standing MSWs). This is the fastest way to launch the social work career path you’re looking for.
Help Shape the Future of Social Work for Veterans and Service Members
As an incoming social worker, you will be a witness to – and participant in – many advancements in social work practice with the military. This can be an exciting and engaging aspect of the social work profession, and has long been part of the job: the history of military social work is one of evolution and reinvention as new methodologies and areas of research have emerged.
One of the most important new developments in social work in the military has been the arrival of telehealth. Virtual counseling sessions and digital mental health platforms have greatly expanded military members’ access to care services, proving particularly useful for those who are stationed overseas. It is now possible to provide counseling and therapy entirely remotely, ensuring that military members with pressing mental health needs are able to receive support no matter where they are. Telehealth has also greatly expedited organizational processes within social work organizations, allowing practitioners to focus more thoroughly on client care.
Another important development in military social work has been an increased focus on trauma-informed care, which is likely to be covered in your MSW program as well as your field internship, especially if you work at a military or veterans’ organization. This approach to psychology gives particular attention to the impact of trauma on military members and their families, helping these individuals and families cope with the intense experiences that are unique to the occupation. In fact, in recent years this has given rise to Embedded Behavioral Health (EBH) programs, which place mental and behavioral health care teams within military units to make care as convenient, accessible, and destigmatized as possible.
These reflect just a few of the important new evolutions of social work practice within the military. By joining this field, you’ll be able to help guide the practice to be as responsive, efficient, and impactful as it possibly can be.
Military Benefits Can Help You Realize Your Career Goals
As you prepare your applications for social work degree programs, it’s critical to also look closely into the veterans benefits that can help you fund your education. These can include federal programs such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, as well as school-sponsored programs like the Yellow Ribbon Program, which can be particularly useful for graduate students. Available resources can also include programs offered by the state of California’s CalVets program, which offers a college fee waiver that both military members and their families can qualify for.
You have earned your military benefits through your many years of service, so be sure to take it upon yourself to make the most of them.
It’s not always easy to determine exactly which benefits you will qualify for or how much aid you will receive, which is part of why it’s so important to begin this research process early, ensuring that you are planning for your education with a maximum of care.
Index of Programs (in alphabetical order)
The following programs have been selected as the top military-friendly social work programs in the state of California. The following factors contributed to their selection as “military-friendly”:
- Convenience to military bases (in the case of on-campus programs). This means schools located within a maximum of one hour’s driving distance from school.
- Remote learning options. Many (though not all) of these programs offer hybrid or fully online options, which can be especially convenient for those who live far from campuses or have outside responsibilities.
- Participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program. When this is the case, it will be listed alongside other program information in the guide below.
The schools on this list offer a mix of BSW (or BASW) and MSW programs, but not all schools offer both, so it’s imperative to look closely at these listings to be sure you’re applying to schools that meet your needs. The same goes for concentration pathways within MSW programs: not every school offers every concentration, so be sure to think about the area of social work where you’d like to focus your career.
Azusa Pacific University
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Azusa
Website
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Advanced Standing Master of Social Work
Program delivery format(s): On-campus
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $47,700
MSW Specializations:
- Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families
- Community Leadership and Program Administration
Nearby military bases: Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos
California Baptist University
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Riverside
Website
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Program delivery format(s): On-campus, online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $47,280
MSW Specializations:
- Advanced Generalist
Nearby military bases: March Air Reserve Base
Loma Linda University
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Loma Linda
Website
Master of Social Work
Program delivery format(s): On-campus, online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $79,320
MSW Specializations:
- Advanced Generalist
- Advanced Clinical
Nearby military bases: March Air Reserve Base
National University
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: San Diego
Website
Master of Social Work
Advanced Standing Master of Social Work
Program delivery format(s): Online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $47,290
MSW Specializations:
- Advanced Generalist
Nearby military bases: Imperial Beach, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Naval Base Point Loma, Naval Base San Diego, Silver Strand Training Complex
University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA)
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Los Angeles
Website
Master of Social Work
Dual degree: MSW/Asian American Studies
Dual degree: MSW/JD
Dual degree: MSW/Master of Public Policy
Dual degree: MSW/MPH
Program delivery format(s): On-campus
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $36,272
MSW Specializations:
- Child and Family Well-being
- Health and Mental Health Across the Lifespan
- Social and Economic Justice
Nearby military bases: Los Angeles Air Force Base
UMass Global
Location: Irvine
Website
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Advanced Standing Master of Social Work
Program delivery format(s): Online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $12,672
MSW Specializations:
- Advanced Generalist
Nearby military bases: Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos
University of Southern California
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Los Angeles
Website
Master of Social Work
Program delivery format(s): On-campus, online, hybrid
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $89,760
MSW Specializations:
- Adult Mental Health and Wellness
- Children, Youth, and Families
- Social Change and Innovation
- School and Educational Settings
- Military Populations and Settings
Nearby military bases: Los Angeles Air Force Base
University of the Pacific
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Sacramento
Website
Master of Social Work
Advanced Standing Master of Social Work
Program delivery format(s): Hybrid
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $56,375
MSW Specializations:
- Healthcare
Nearby military bases: March Air Reserve Base
FAQs
Is field work required in all social work programs? Can I complete it online?
Field work, also known as your practicum experience, is indeed required in all MSW programs, as it provides indispensable career training that will build the skills you use in your day-to-day work. For this reason, it is also required that you complete it in-person at a social work organization of your choice, even if your MSW program is otherwise entirely delivered online.
My chosen school doesn’t offer a concentration in military social work. Will I still be able to work with veterans and service members?
Yes. There are not too many schools that offer concentration pathways focused on military or veterans social work, but many other general concentration pathways (such as clinical social work or mental health social work) that can overlap with military-related roles. You can also build up your specialization in military social work by completing your field internship at the VA or other organizations that work with veterans, gaining targeted career training before you even graduate.
What is the average military social worker salary in California?
Though there is no accredited report specifically providing military social work salary data, one can look to the Bureau of Labor Statistics overall data for California-based social workers to get a rough sense. According to the BLS, the average salary for social workers in California ranges from $69,340 to $93,200, depending on the type of service they provide. One can estimate that on average, military social work pay hovers within this range.
Can I transfer my military benefits to my spouse?
In some cases, yes. There are some military spouse education benefits in California and at the federal level, and in some cases they require a military service member to transfer their own benefits. It’s a good idea to learn more about the unique situation of military spouses to form an appropriate plan of action.
2024 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed December 2024.