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Clinical/Medical Social Work

A program that prepares individuals for the specialized professional practice of social work, in collaboration with other health care professionals, in hospitals and other health care facilities and organizations. Includes instruction in social work, psychiatric case work, clinical interviewing techniques, therapeutic intervention strategies, patient testing and evaluation, patient and family counseling, social rehabilitation, patient care planning, record-keeping, and support services liaison.

Types of Degrees Clinical/Medical Social Work Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Clinical/Medical Social Work have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	29
Associate’s Degree	127
Bachelor’s Degree	137
Master’s Degree	2,994
Doctor’s Degree	9

What Clinical/Medical Social Work Majors Need to Know

Programs in Clinical/Medical Social Work emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Clinical/Medical Social Work graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Clinical/Medical Social Work emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Clinical/Medical Social Work program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Clinical/Medical Social Work careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Clinical/Medical Social Work graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Clinical/Medical Social Work professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Clinical/Medical Social Work graduates include:

• Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Professor
• College Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Social Work Professor
• Social Work Assistant Professor
• Social Work Associate Professor
• Social Work Faculty Member
• Faculty Member
• Clinical Professor
• Associate Professor
• Field Education Coordinator
• Health Social Work Professor
• Field Instructor

What Can You Do With a Clinical/Medical Social Work Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Clinical/Medical Social Work commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary	7.7%	$65,510	$54,069–$76,951
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	5.8%	$58,560	$48,702–$68,419
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors	3.3%	$52,157	$41,936–$62,378

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Clinical/Medical Social Work graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	52.3%
Doctoral degree	30.8%
Bachelor’s degree	5.2%
First professional degree	4.2%
Post-master’s certificate	3.7%
Post-doctoral training	2.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Clinical/Medical Social Work?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.4% of Clinical/Medical Social Work degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,882	87.4%
Men	414	12.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Clinical/Medical Social Work graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,763	53.5%
Asian	58	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	734	22.3%
Black or African American	500	15.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	35	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	7	0.2%
Two or More Races	118	3.6%
Race Unknown	52	1.6%
International Students	29	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical/Medical Social Work Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Clinical/Medical Social Work graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$46,066
4 years	$46,824
5 years	$52,641

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,641 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Clinical/Medical Social Work Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Clinical/Medical Social Work. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	0
Bachelor’s	2	1
Master’s	4	8
Doctoral (Research)	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Clinical/Medical Social Work Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Clinical/Medical Social Work graduates earn a median of $46,824 four years after completion — roughly 23% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Mental Health Counseling/Counselor	10,855
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling	6,135
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	4,476
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other	3,545
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	2,601
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,298
Genetic Counseling/Counselor	378
Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling	187
Trauma Counseling	161
Medical Family Therapy/Therapist	6
Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy	5

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.