• A social worker can help those in need gain access to aid.black and white image by UBE from Fotolia.com
  
  Social workers help people through stressful times. A social worker can be employed in various professional environments from hospitals to non-profits to schools. They meet their clients in their own environments and help them get access to the help they need. In most states, the term social worker is a legal term, coming with the stipulation of holding state licensure.
  
  

Getting Your Bachelor's

• There are 466 accredited Bachelor of Social Work degree programs in the country, according to educationportal.com. Choosing the right one will help make the process of becoming a social worker easier. Classes in psychology and sociology as well as those focused on social work will be the bulk of the curriculum. Foreign language, criminology and broad-spectrum social science courses will also be helpful. All of the accredited programs require at least 400 hours of field work that appear on a transcript as a 12-credit course divided into several semesters. With a bachelor's degree in social work, positions in hospitals, child support enforcement, work placement agencies and clinics will become available. These jobs are predominantly in an office, seeing clients who come to an agency or organization for assistance.
  
  

Master's Degree

• There are 199 accredited Master of Social Work programs, according to educationportal.com. Courses typically cover social welfare, policy, ethics and research. The master's program requires 900 hours of internship or field work. If a social worker wants any position of authority or to take on their own cases, a postgraduate degree is essential. Those residing in small towns or where the need is great may not need to pursue further education, but a higher degree will almost always assure precedence. With a master's degree, a social worker will be able to work for the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Health, and other organizations whose primary focus is field work.
  
  

Field Work

• Once out of school, a social worker requires a license to work in the community. Such licensure will be obtained by completion of a state-proctored examination. Depending on the state, the exam will either be taken directly out of school or after a time period of field work. Licensure may require as many as 3,000 hours of independent work under the direct supervision of a licensed clinical social worker.
  
  

Licensing

• After the requirement has been met for licensure in their state, an applicant may then take the exam to become a certified social worker. All states require state licensure, and some require social workers to be nationally licensed as well.