Social Work Degrees in Rhode Island – RI

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: August, 25 2010

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Rhode Island has strict educational and training requirements for social work in order to ensure that social workers have the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with the complicated situations and challenging problems that they must face on a daily basis. Therefore, exploring the options for social work degrees in Rhode Island is the first thing you’ll need to do before you can begin working towards a fulfilling career as a social worker.

A bachelor’s degree in social work can qualify you to work in some entry-level jobs—for example, as a caseworker or mental health assistant—but to practice clinical social work or take on a supervisory role, you’ll need a master’s degree or higher.

Since Rhode Island is a small state, only one school offers a master’s degree in social work. To expand your options, you might want to explore online and distance-learning programs that offer more flexibility and a broader range of courses.

All programs in social work, regardless of level or location, focus on a few core areas and allow for some specialization in your area of interest. For example, you will probably take courses in areas like psychology, sociology, human behavior and environment, research methods, social policy, and multiculturalism. These courses, in addition to your clinical training, will help prepare you to work with culturally diverse people on a wide range of sensitive issues.

Continuing education programs, which are required for renewal of your Rhode Island license, require at least thirty continuing education hours, including coursework in cross-cultural practice and professional ethics.