MSW Programs in Arizona

Schools of Social Work in Arizona and the fields where Social Workers are needed

Arizona, the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, is located in the southwestern region of the United States. Arizona is known as one of the Four Corner states because a person can stand in four states at the same time. It also shares an international border with Mexico (1).

Arizona is the sixth largest and the fourteenth most populous state in the nation (2). The capital city and the most populous city in Arizona is Phoenix, with a population of almost 1.5 million residents (3).

Arizona’s southern half has desert climate with hot summers and mild winters, while the northern half has moderate summers and snowfall winters. The northern half of the state includes forests, the Colorado Plateau, mountain ranges, and deep canyons. With about one-quarter of the state created as Native American Reservations, Arizona has the largest percentage of land designated as Native American land of all the states. Besides the Grand Canyon, some of the many natural wonders of Arizona include Saguaro National Park, Chiricahua National Monument and the Colorado River (4).

A Unique State Facing Unique Pressures

Arizona faces several unique pressures, including high rates of immigration and poverty. Native Americans constitute approximately 5.3 percent of the population, which is five times the national average (5). While the Bureau of Indian Affairs handles many issues on reservations, issues such as housing, food security and access to health care remain critical issues in this state (6).

Latinos constitute 30.2 percent of the population, which is a little less than twice the national average. Although the number of children who are foreign born or live with a foreign born parent has declined slightly from 30 to 28 percent, it is still higher than the national average (7). Bilingual social workers in the state have the opportunity to earn substantially higher wages because the need for social workers who can serve this population is high.

Arizona has a higher-than-average number of kids entering foster care each year (6.6 per thousand, which is double the national average). The state has a high number of undocumented, unaccompanied minors crossing from Honduras and other Central/South American countries, which contributes to this number (8).

A CDC survey of youths and substance abuse ranked Arizona as the state with the highest percentages of incidences of youths binge drinking and using illicit drugs sold at school (9) and second highest percentages of incidences of teens who drank alcohol at all, used marijuana before age 13 and used cocaine (10). The number of people admitted to a substance abuse treatment facility has doubled in ten years, from 14,120 in 2001 to 28,739 in 2010 (11).

Arizona has also been ranked as the best state in the country to live if you need disability services. (12) Social workers who practice child and family social work, substance abuse and mental health and those who are interested in issues related to immigration, minorities and Native Americans may find Arizona offers interesting work opportunities.

Studying Social Work in Arizona

Would you like to study social work in Arizona? If you want to get your MSW, you will find excellent opportunities at Arizona State University. According to the 2014 US News & World Report school rankings, ASU’s School of Social Work ranks number 44 in the country (13).

While at ASU, you can get involved in initiatives like the Southwest Collaborative on Immigration, Inequality and Poverty (14), Native American community projects, Latino community projects or the Office of Gerentological Social Initiatives (15).

Before you take your first job as a social worker, you’ll want to look into state loan repayment programs (SLRP) and the National Health Service Corps loan forgiveness program (NHSC). If you find work in a “Health Professional Shortage Area” (HPSA) and apply to one of these two programs, you may be eligible for loan forgiveness for up to $20,000 a year for up to two years.

Working as a Social Worker in Arizona

According to statistics reported by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the outlook for job growth in the field of social work between 2010 and 2020 in Arizona is promising. Child, family and school social work jobs are expected to increase by 10.7 percent, healthcare social work jobs by 29.9 percent and mental health and substance abuse social work jobs by 22.7 percent (16) (17) (18).

As of 2013, the median salary for a child, family or school social worker is $39,020. Healthcare social workers earn a median salary of $52,250. Mental health and substance abuse social workers are paid a median salary of $33,490 (19). However, location can make a significant difference on pay. For example, the median salary for a healthcare social worker in the Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale area is $52,500, as opposed to $46,320 in the Prescott area (20).

Licensure and Professional Development Resources

• National Association of Social Workers, Arizona Chapter
• Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners
• School Social Work Association of Arizona

Schools of Social Work in Arizona offering MSW Programs

• Arizona State University (MSW Program)
• Northern Arizona University (MSW Program)

Sources Cited

1. Arizona Facts and Trivia, 2014. 50 States.com. http://www.50states.com/facts/arizona.htm#.U79ALY1dXgI
2. United States, 2012. World Atlas Travel. http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/populations/usapopl.htm
3. USA: Arizona, 2014. City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Arizona.html
4. Arizona Facts and Trivia, 2014. 50 States.com. http://www.50states.com/facts/arizona.htm#.U79ALY1dXgI
5. State and County QuickFacts, 2014. United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04000.html
6. Behavioral Health, 2014. Arizona Health Survey. http://www.arizonahealthsurvey.org/category/behavioral_health/
7. State and County QuickFacts, 2014. United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04000.html
8. Child Welfare Outcomes Report Data, 2012. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. http://cwoutcomes.acf.hhs.gov/data/overview
9. “Arizona Worst of Close in CDC Measures of Teen Substance Abuse,” 2013. Cronkite News. http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2013/05/arizona-at-or-near-bottom-in-cdc-measures-of-teen-substance-abuse/
10. “Arizona Worst of Close in CDC Measures of Teen Substance Abuse,” 2013. Cronkite News. http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2013/05/arizona-at-or-near-bottom-in-cdc-measures-of-teen-substance-abuse/
11. State Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services, 2001 – 2011. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/DASIS/TEDS2011St_Web.pdf
12. States Get Ranked on Disability Services, 2013. Disability Scoop. http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/05/02/states-ranked-disability/17855/
13. Graduate School Search, Social Work Programs, 2014. US News and World Report. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/search?spp=10&program=top-social-work-schools&name=&zip=Arizona&program_rank=Any&sort=&sortdir=
14. Southwest Collaborative on Immigration, Inequality and Poverty, 2014. Arizona State University. http://ssw.asu.edu/research/sciip
15. ASU Community Initiatives, 2014. Arizona State University. http://ssw.asu.edu/
16. America’s Career InfoNet – Career Profile, 2014. Career One Stop. http://www.careerinfonet.org/occ_rep.asp?optstatus=001000000&soccode=211021&id=1&nodeid=2&stfips=04&search=Go#SectionOp3
17. America’s Career InfoNet – Career Profile, 2014. Career One Stop. http://www.careerinfonet.org/occ_rep.asp?optstatus=001000000&soccode=211022&id=1&nodeid=2&stfips=04&search=Go#SectionOp3
18. America’s Career InfoNet – Career Profile, 2014. Career One Stop. http://www.careerinfonet.org/occ_rep.asp?optstatus=001000000&soccode=211023&id=1&nodeid=2&stfips=04&search=Go#SectionOp3
19. Statewide Statistics for Arizona, 2013. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
20. Statewide Statistics for Arizona, 2013. Bureau of Labor Statistics.