Career profile for Social Work Professor

What does a Social Work Professor do?

Social Work Professors teach courses in social work.

In addition, Social Work Professors includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What kind of tasks does a Social Work Professor perform regularly?

Social Work Professors are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, or handouts.
Compile, administer, and grade examinations or assign this work to others.
Supervise students' laboratory and field work.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as anatomy, therapeutic recreation, and conditioning theory.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations.
Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, giving presentations at conferences, and serving on committees in professional associations.
Advise students on academic and vocational curricula, and on career issues.
Collaborate with colleagues and community agencies to address teaching and research issues.
Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and performance pieces.
Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
Mentor new faculty members.
Participate in campus and community events.
Act as advisers to student organizations.

The above responsibilities are specific to Social Work Professors. More generally, Social Work Professors are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge		Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work		Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Working with Computers		Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others		Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Working with Computers

Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others

Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

What is a Social Work Professor salary?

The median salary for a Social Work Professor is $71,570, and the average salary is $78,110. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Social Work Professor salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Social Work Professors earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Social Work Professors earn less than $35,670 per year, 25% earn less than $53,820, 75% earn less than $95,880, and 90% earn less than $129,560.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Social Work Professors is expected to change by 9.0%, and there should be roughly 1,700 open positions for Social Work Professors every year.

Median annual salary: $71,570
Typical salary range: $35,670 - $129,560
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 9.0%

What personality traits are common among Social Work Professors?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Social Work Professor are usually higher in their Social, Investigative, and Artistic interests.

Social Work Professors typically have very strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Also, Social Work Professors typically have strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Lastly, Social Work Professors typically have moderate Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Social Work Professor tend to value Relationships, Achievement, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Social Work Professors very strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Social Work Professors strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Lastly, Social Work Professors strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Social Work Professors must consistently demonstrate qualities such as integrity, independence, and initiative.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Social Work Professors, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Independence		Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Concern for Others		Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Analytical Thinking		Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Independence

Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Concern for Others

Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Analytical Thinking

Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

What education and training do Social Work Professors need?

Many Social Work Professors have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Social Work Professors may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Social Work Professors

0.6% did not complete high school or secondary school
1.4% completed high school or secondary school
2.0% completed some college coursework
1.8% earned a Associate's degree
14.6% earned a Bachelor's degree
32.1% earned a Master's degree
47.4% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Social Work Professors

Social Work Professors may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as education and training, sociology and anthropology, or therapy and counseling knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Social Work Professors might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Education and Training		Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Sociology and Anthropology		Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Therapy and Counseling		Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Psychology		Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Sociology and Anthropology

Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

Therapy and Counseling

Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Psychology

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Important Abilities needed by Social Work Professors

Social Work Professors must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Social Work Professors need abilities such as oral expression, speech clarity, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Social Work Professors, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Clarity		The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Clarity

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Critical Skills needed by Social Work Professors

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Social Work Professors frequently use skills like instructing, speaking, and learning strategies to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Social Work Professors, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Instructing		Teaching others how to do something.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Learning Strategies		Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Reading Comprehension		Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Instructing

Teaching others how to do something.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Social Work Professor

Social Work Professor

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