B.S.W in USA after a degree in psychology?

Hey everyone,

I am getting my psychology undergrad degree this year from the UK. However, I am hoping to go into Social work in the future, and not here in the UK but in the USA. Does someone know if there is a 'shortcut' to get BSW if I already have Bachelor's degree in psy? Or is it still the same route, 4 years for BSW and Masters afterwards? All information appreciated,thanks :)

If you already have a bachelor's degree, BSWs typically take two years. Mind you, I live in Canada, but I do know from American friends that they didn't spend any longer than two years on their undergrad degrees, provided they had already done previous BAs.

Did you know that with a BA in psych you can theoretically also do a two-year MSW? That would open up far more doors for you, and especially in the US, qualify you for jobs that are much better paid. I have both a BSW and a MSW, and I'm very happy to have done my undergrad in social work, but I will be the first to tell you that opportunities were extremely limited at the bachelor's level.

I'm also curious to know why you'd want to practice social work in the States. I ask this because the UK has far better opportunities in the profession, does not have the same licensing challenges as in the States, and the human services/social care field appears to be more respected in terms of pay and scope of practice.

Thanks for your reply, it was very helpful.

Doing a two-year MSW sounds promising, I will look at that more in detail and try to find additional information. I will have my BA in psychology in a year and I planning to get Masters right afterwards since it does open up more doors.

I would like to work in the States simply because I prefer the US over the UK. I'm originally from Finland but I'm doing my degree in the UK. Thus it would be a bit more complicated in terms of getting a studying/working visa. But I'm sure everything will get sorted, it is just a matter of getting access to right information and people :)