Social Work

Social workers protect children and support families in need of assistance. Attaining a deeper knowledge of the legal system can help you better advocate for your clients’ rights. An MLS can especially help social work professionals who work in areas involving criminal justice or welfare.

Careers in social work that you can pursue with a Master of Legal Studies degree include:

Social Worker & Protective Services Officer

Much of the work that social workers and protective service officers do is affected and regulated by the law. An MLS offers you the proper legal foundation to ensure success as you serve high-need areas and look to protect some of the most vulnerable people in your community. Throughout the program, you will analyze concepts of the criminal process and learn about institutional features, challenges, and critiques of the processes through which suspects are apprehended, tried, and punished.

  • The mean annual wage for healthcare social workers was $59,300 in May 2019.1
  • The mean annual wage for protective service workers was $53,210 in May 2019.2
  • The job outlook for social workers is projected to grow 11 percent from 2018 to 2028.3

MLS courses relevant to jobs in the social work field

Prepare for the Next Phase of Your Career

Learn more about how an MLS can help you be a better advocate in the field of social work. Explore the online Master of Legal Studies program at American University Washington College of Law today.

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The included data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is not directly associated with American University’s online MLS degree. It also does not take into account unpredictable changes to job outlook due to the economy.

  • Salary statistics are the mean annual wage found by the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics survey.
  • Job outlook statistics are the projected employment change from 2018 to 2028. For reference, the average growth rate for all occupations in 5 percent.

1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Healthcare Social Workers, Accessed June 2020arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference
2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Miscellaneous First-Line Supervisors, Protective Service Workers, Accessed June 2020arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference
3 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social Workers Outlook, Accessed June 2020arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference