GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a graduate/professional certificate in Social Work worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 1 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$82,838 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$82,838Median year-4 earnings
$15,566Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$82,838Typical earnings four years after completion
Not availableAverage earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
57thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
1College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Social Work
How much do Social Work graduate/professional certificate graduates earn?
The national median is $82,838 four years after completion across reportable graduate/professional certificate programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.
Does the college matter for Social Work?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $82,838 to $82,838 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Social Work?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 9 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $34,968
- Federal debt
- $11,018
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $40,761
- Federal debt
- $17,033
- Programs in the comparison
- 41
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $51,410
- Federal debt
- $26,475
- Programs in the comparison
- 463
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $60,275
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $62,611
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 283
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $103,777
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 6
First Professional Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $68,031
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $82,838
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,436
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$82,838National median$82,83875th percentile$82,838
1 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
1 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 1 shown
Search every reporting program →See the spread, not just the national number.
1Montclair State University$82,838Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →16%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Social and Community Service Managers$80,390 median wage209,330 jobs nationwide+7.2% projected growth through 2035 · 18,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$53,150–$132,260 typical wage rangeChild, Family, and School Social Workers$59,550 median wage392,550 jobs nationwide+4.4% projected growth through 2035 · 33,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$42,280–$95,530 typical wage rangeSocial Work Teachers, Postsecondary$77,570 median wage12,610 jobs nationwide+2.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$48,200–$126,790 typical wage rangeSocial Workers, All Other$71,900 median wage62,930 jobs nationwide+2.3% projected growth through 2035 · 5,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$43,620–$115,610 typical wage rangeHealthcare Social Workers$67,880 median wage187,630 jobs nationwide+8.5% projected growth through 2035 · 16,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$46,220–$100,360 typical wage rangeMental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$60,280 median wage132,810 jobs nationwide+10.3% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$39,740–$104,170 typical wage rangeMarriage and Family Therapists$66,940 median wage66,740 jobs nationwide+13.5% projected growth through 2035 · 6,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$44,650–$123,730 typical wage rangeProbation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$66,270 median wage89,390 jobs nationwide+3.0% projected growth through 2035 · 7,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$46,840–$107,790 typical wage rangeCounselors, All Other$50,860 median wage28,580 jobs nationwide+5.9% projected growth through 2035 · 4,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$36,240–$91,940 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.