The Hispanic American experience is unique. As some of the original settlers of regions from the Southeast to the Northwest, Hispanic families are among the oldest lineages in the country. Yet the crosscurrents of history have often placed them further toward the margins than that lineage would warrant.
The broad definition of Hispanic also makes the community one of the hardest to categorize. While their ancestors have deep roots here, the term Hispanic itself only became common after the 1970s. The federal government (including the Census Bureau) uses standard definitions set by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
OMB defines “Hispanic or Latino” people as being of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other Spanish cultural origin, regardless of race.
~ United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget
But even today, many Hispanic people are more likely to look at their own heritage as being related primarily to national origin – Puerto Rican, Mexican, Nicaraguan…
While things like family, faith, and music may be cornerstones in all these communities, these things are far from identical across all of Central and South America. Culture itself is as different as the countries where these people claim ancestry, the cities they live in today, and the neighborhoods they bring to life.
Like every other kind and class of Americans, they go through hard times. They fall prey to drugs; they slip into poverty; they come home from wars with scars that are easy to see or ones that are more hidden.
And like other Americans, they deserve the strength and assistance of the nation’s social service network to support them through those difficulties.
Why the Future of American Social Work is Latino
Niche degrees in social work are nothing new. Population-specific concentrations aimed at youth, at helping people with substance abuse problems, or veterans are common. Each recognizes that there are certain common factors that join those individuals yet make them unique within social work practice.
America’s burgeoning Hispanic population is yet another of those groups. According to Census Bureau numbers, in 2021 the Hispanic or Latino community of over 62 million formed over 19 percent of the total population of the United States. That already significant number is growing—that’s a 23 percent increase in population over the 2010 Census.
The Census Bureau published population growth estimates in 2020 for all categories out to 2060. By that date, Hispanic people are expected to represent nearly a quarter of all Americans.
At the same time, according to data cited by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), that population experiences nearly twice the poverty rate of non-Hispanic white Americans. While their rates of mental illness are similar, only 36 percent of Hispanic people received treatment for mental conditions compared to more than half of non-Hispanic whites.
When a full quarter of your country is about to be part of an underserved group with significant health and wellness problems, it’s time for the social services community to take notice. And they are.
To flip those numbers around, universities offering social work degrees are starting to deliver studies with a focus on the Hispanic community.
They are available at the bachelor’s (BSW, or Bachelor of Social Work) and master’s (MSW, or Master of Social Work Levels). At some schools, certificate programs are being offered as well.
These don’t always look like other kinds of social work degree concentrations. But they could be an important tool in developing your expertise for working with both Hispanic people at large and specific patient populations within that community.
There aren’t a lot of these programs available just yet, but expect more soon. The Census Bureau may be underestimating—almost half their projected growth for the Hispanic population by 2060 had already occurred by the time they released the estimate.
A Social Work Degree is at the Root of Your Ability to Connect with and Serve Clients of Any Ethnicity
A social work degree is all about equipping you to connect with people who need you and getting them the help they need.
While providing assistance is often what people focus on, the connections are often the more challenging part of the job. It’s never as easy as just showing up and referring a client to a food bank or a free clinic. First, you must assess, identify needs, and make plans. You have to get the straight story and appreciate the whole context of their situation. Then, you have to hope that they believe in you enough to follow through with the assistance you offer.
And to get all that, you have to be able to communicate, earn trust, and build confidence.
That’s always a more difficult hill to climb when you come from a different cultural background than the people you are helping. And when language itself separates you, it’s a mountain.
Language Isn’t the Only Challenge Facing Social Workers Serving Hispanic Populations
Cultural competency was a practical necessity for social workers long before it became a buzzword. There’s just no other way to do the job than by being culturally sensitive and tuned-in to your client’s needs.
So, solving the language issue alone isn’t the key to getting better social services to Hispanic populations. Like other minority groups, they face a laundry list of system neglect that results in increased rates of:
- Poverty
- Low educational attainment
- Mental health concerns
- Substance abuse
- Poor health
- Violent encounters
To even begin to address these issues, social workers first must crack the code of engaging Hispanic populations.
La Raza, Hispanic, Chicano, Latino, Latinx… Breaking Down the Terms That Define a Population
You already read how the official government definition of Hispanic or Latino is set by the Office of Management and Budget.
But here’s the problem when you use a bunch of budget wonks to define race and ethnicity: people out in the real world often refuse to draw such neat and narrow lines around themselves.
Nowhere is that more common than in the proud and independent culture of Hispanic Americans.
Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, and other communities each have and celebrate their own linguistic traits and perspectives that make them unique.
Yet it’s also true that they have much in common, if only because outsiders may inadvertently group them together.
The term Hispanic was created not only by bureaucrats seeking to draw lines, but by community activists seeking data to boost resources for social services in their communities.
Latino can refer to anyone with ancestry drawn from Latin America. The term La Raza may include anyone from regions once part of the Spanish Empire and extends to mixed-race descendants of indigenous tribes or African slaves. Chicano is a one-time slur reclaimed by individuals of Mexican-American descent.
Then there is the hot-button Latinx, a term of murky origins that is becoming increasingly visible despite being almost universally rejected in Hispanic communities. A 2021 Gallup poll found that only 4 percent of Hispanic Americans use the term. Nonetheless, many colleges and publications have adopted it as a non-gendered English term of reference.
While they face disparities in care similar to other groups, both their size and the culture of the community create challenges for social workers. Addressing any of these issues at any level requires developing a special level of knowledge and expertise in aspects of Hispanic culture and community.
It’s a kind of competency that comes from the right kind of training. Social workers who plan to work with Hispanic populations need to get cozy with the concepts and concerns that make them unique.
Language and Communication Comes Down to More than Just Speaking Spanish
It’s true that language isn’t the only challenge for some social workers, but it’s a big one! And it’s the defining characteristic for this group.
The Census Bureau definition of Hispanic was originally coined to group diverse categories of Spanish-speaking Americans together. Although the wonder of the American melting pot has led to a country where roughly a third of Hispanic people live in households where only English is spoken at home, Spanish language competency is still a practical necessity for social workers to be effective among this population.
A 2015 Pew Research poll found that nearly 90 percent of American Hispanics don’t consider Spanish skills to be necessary to hold a Latino identity; on the other hand, 95 percent say it’s important for future generations to speak Spanish.
Many Hispanic clients face difficulties engaging with existing services and providers because services aren’t offered in their native language. Social workers need communication skills to bridge that gap, and also need to know how to access translation resources to connect clients to other services.
Hispanic Cultural Distinctions Both Create and Blur Boundaries
Culture is a broad term that can include shared values, concepts, arts, and traditions. It’s made up of a collective appreciation of certain foods, music, behaviors, and beliefs.
That makes culture an abstraction, and a fuzzy one, at that. Yet there is no denying its importance in social work. Attitudes toward receiving assistance, ways in which help is offered, and effectiveness of different interventions can all be affected by culture.
Although the Census may lump Hispanic and Latino peoples all together, the fact is that it’s an enormously diverse group. Although many are Spanish-speaking, their vernacular, vocabulary, and diction may be dramatically different.
The Vast Ethnocultural and Racial Diversity Among Hispanic and Latino Groups
Better than anyone, social workers are aware that every individual has their own story. Those unique aspects of history, personality, and interest mean you need to check assumptions at the door when dealing with people.
Yet there are reasons that populations are grouped together. Cultural fault-lines in America often follow the markers of race or ethnicity. The very concept of a degree focused on serving the Hispanic population assumes certain collective features among clients in that group.
But in the great melting pot, there are many individuals who don’t fall cleanly into any of those groups. The same Census Bureau projections that show a rapidly increasing Hispanic population also show something else interesting: among them, the group expected to grow the fastest is made up of people who identify as two or more races.
For Hispanic people, who have always been a diverse group, that makes the importance of assessing individual identity and preferences even more important. Assumptions can’t be made strictly on the basis of appearance, language use, or even region. Any individual can bring together a completely unique blend of Black, White, Latino, or Native American heritage within the Hispanic umbrella.
But culture goes far beyond language. There are also common roots in attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions. Various levels of assimilation can mean that Hispanic people don’t necessarily closely identify with either ancestral culture or common American culture. And the generational changes in those attitudes can create friction of their own.
Social workers must learn the unique combination of cultural traits and values in their region and among their target population.
The Traditional Hispanic Focus on Family Offers Obstacles and Opportunities
One of the unique cultural elements in many Hispanic groups is the importance of la familia. Strong family values are a core to Hispanic communities. Etiquette, respect, hierarchy, and tradition are embedded within them.
This creates situations where common social work practice, and even privacy laws, run afoul of the expectations and needs of Hispanic clients. Social workers may need to engage in more group counseling efforts. They will certainly need a solid understanding of the unspoken influences of family on client psychology.
But they can also learn to use these values as an advantage. There are few motivations as compelling as an angry abuela to keep clients on track, assuming you can get her on your side.
Exploring the Role of Family in the Hispanic Health Paradox
Hispanic populations face greater health and socioeconomic risk factors than non-Hispanic whites and are less likely to receive prompt and effective treatment for injury and disease.
Among other groups where this is true, it leads to higher rates of death and lower quality of life.
But there’s a curious but well-established phenomena known in healthcare and social work circles as the Hispanic Health Paradox. Despite all the disadvantages, Hispanic patients have greater survival rates and improved medical outcomes for many conditions.
No one knows for sure why this is, but many researchers attribute it to the increased focus on family and social supports within the Hispanic community. Having someone around to make sure you take your pills, get to medical appointments, and provide care and support is a value any social worker will recognize. It may be a quality that is built into the Hispanic American experience.
Yet changing patterns in family groups and relationships are also a threat to the traditions and stability of Hispanic communities. They are marrying at older ages, having fewer children, and divorcing more frequently. Social workers must be equipped to evaluate and respond to disruptions in these patterns.
Many Hispanic People Face the Ongoing Question of Immigration Status
Although two-thirds of Latinos living in the U.S. are natives, it’s a community both heavily influenced by and significantly composed of immigrants. The immigration debate and the realities of population migration weigh heavily on the practice of social work in this community.
Many of the most vulnerable members of this population group are transmigrants… individuals who are not necessarily intending to settle permanently in the country, but who move around for economic or political purposes. Distinctions, and even acrimony, between these and traditional migrants are important fault-lines for social workers to be aware of.
Whether facing concerns over immigration status or even just the perception of immigration status, social workers must be sensitive to the challenges of clients who have to worry about citizenship and residency more than the average person.
Healthcare and Mental Wellness Disparities Within the Hispanic Community
Combinations of the above considerations also often lead Hispanic clients to face more significant health and mental health treatment challenges. Problems in communication and lack of trust in existing care systems can mean serious conditions go undiagnosed and untreated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Hispanic/Latino populations experience elevated rates of HIV, STD, and tuberculosis infections. At the same time, the Census Bureau found that the Hispanic community has the highest uninsured rate of any ethnic or racial group in the country, leaving them without resources to receive care for those conditions. That’s on top of language barriers and cultural reluctance to seek outside assistance.
Considering how all these factors come together in the social services context, that means demand for social workers who not only have strong language skills, but the cultural context to use them appropriately and accurately. And it points to the diversity within the population and the importance of approaching everyone on their own terms.
These are exactly the kind of skills you can expect to learn with a social work degree that focuses on serving Hispanic populations.
How Social Workers Trained with a Hispanic and Latino Focus Aid These Communities
So, the social work community is looking at a large and growing population with high needs and big communications challenges. What exactly do social services dedicated to working with Hispanic and Latino communities look like?
The very diversity of the population can create a kind of paralysis when it comes to providing services. The plain truth of the matter is that no two Hispanic communities may be alike. A wealthy Cuban-American enclave in South Florida may be facing a crisis in elder care as family structures are disrupted; a migrant community of Mexican-American farm laborers may need assistance with basic preventative care and nutritional assistance.
Just as social workers drill down to the individual needs of specific clients at some point, they have to become comfortable identifying issues that are particular to the local Hispanic community.
At the same time, there are certainly broad issues of access and assistance that are important to the Hispanic community as a whole.
Social work degrees offer a broad perspective on the issues as well as the skills to help address them at every level.
Of course, the traditional, on-the-ground clinical social work role is in high demand in Hispanic communities—particularly when offered by individuals with the right language and cultural skills. Clinical social services offer direct counseling and assistance such as:
- Educational support
- Healthcare connections and referrals
- Domestic violence and child support
- Food and nutrition counseling and assistance
- Mental health services
- Housing resources
These are the same sort of services that any social work system provides. But for Hispanic clients, they often require different structure and emphasis. For example, providing translation services is key for many medical visits. Addressing housing challenges has to take into account large and tight-knit family groups. And issues of perception and respect may come into play when arranging mental health or supplemental food assistance.
Hispanic Communities Are Served by All Three Levels of Social Work – Micro, Macro, and Mezzo
Social workers have a broad tradition of engaging with equity and justice issues across the spectrum. That’s just as true in dealing with Hispanic populations. The community needs strong support from top to bottom in the social services world.
Like any profession, specializations evolve to deal with specific problems, developing the specific skills necessary at each of those levels. The expectations and process of lobbying a federal legislator are a lot different than pounding the pavement looking for a runaway kid.
Lobbying, policy development, and general advocacy work is often called macro-level social work. It involves taking the 50,000-foot view and understanding funding, budget processes, and political movements.
Direct clinical social work that delivers services to people in need is called micro-level social work. It requires a talent for assessing, connecting, and assisting individuals and families. Many of the specialties typically associated with social work — children and families, substance abuse, and so on — are available within micro-level practice.
Sometimes a third level, mezzo-level social work, is also identified. This is the intermediate practice of program development and institutional services. These are often back-office jobs without direct client contact, or ones that primarily involve administrative tasks. They can accomplish a lot, though, even if it’s not the same sort of personally tailored services.
A Social Work Degree Focused on the Hispanic Community Can Lead to a Wide Range of Jobs
There are plenty of jobs out there in the Hispanic community for the most traditional kind of social workers. Clinical social workers with cultural and linguistic expertise in dealing with Hispanic and Latino groups are always in-demand.
According to a 2020 survey by the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers, only around 14 percent of new Master of Social Work degree graduates between 2017 and 2019 were Hispanic/Latino. That’s well below their share of the population. Even if every single one of them were to specialize in serving the Hispanic community — which is not the case — it’s clear that more would be needed.
Social workers have never restricted their focus exclusively to dealing with clients at the micro level, though. You can’t show up for work in the morning and see the levels of inequity, injustice, and neglect that cascade through the system without wanting to give the whole thing a good shake. As a result, there are many social workers who are engaged in activism at the policy level.
By focusing on shifting policy and programs to better fit Hispanic cultures, social services policy advocates can make treatment easier for social workers on down the line.
Even such basic accommodations as requiring bilingual delivery of key social services has a huge impact. For example, the UCLA Spanish Speaking Psychosocial Clinic, established in part by MSW (Master of Social Work) graduate Armando Morales in 1977, has been instrumental both in providing direct services to Spanish speakers and offering a venue for offering bilingual clinical training to providers. Something as simple as offering integrated clinical services, which reduces the need to navigate multiple offices and referrals, can be big for Hispanic clients.
Degree Programs Are a Must for Licensure as a Social Worker
Every state licenses practicing social workers, and all of them require a degree in the field to earn that license. Those will be master’s degrees, although for some social work roles in some states a BSW (Bachelor of Social Work) is accepted.
An MSW is the minimum requirement in every state to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
While your degree program will have started you off with some valuable practical experiences, licensure will require much more. On top of whatever hours you’ve clocked in your bachelor’s and master’s programs, you’ll need 3,000 hours or more of post-graduate field work.
This isn’t required to be conducted in any particular community, but it’s a good idea if you follow through by finding placements in areas where Hispanic people live and work.
You will also be required to pass a test administered by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to validate your background competency.
Finally, you’ll have to undergo a criminal background check and file the necessary licensing applications in your state.
Macro-level social work doesn’t usually require licensure. Even without an LCSW, you are free to lobby politicians and operate non-profits offering general social services in most states.
Mezzo social work may or may not require licensure depending on the state in which you operate. Check with local licensing agencies to be sure.
Social Work Salaries Offer Access to the Middle-Class
You don’t get into social services in any role, at any level, to get rich. But on top of making a big difference in Hispanic communities, you will be able to make a living wage.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks salary levels for virtually every occupational category. For 2021, they found that the average social worker made $50,390 per year.
Your specialization and region can have a lot to do with your salary, however. BLS also keeps books on a variety of common areas of practice for social workers:
- Social workers, all other – $61,190
- Healthcare social workers – $60,840
- Child, family, and school social workers – $49,150
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers – $49,130
Social workers in the top ten percent of the profession can earn more than $82,840.
Because Hispanic communities are often concentrated in certain regions, you can get a good idea of what your salary may look like where the focus is most in-demand, too. In fact, out of the top five states with the highest employment levels for social workers, three have state populations levels that are more than 25 percent Hispanic already:
- California – $69,530
- Florida – $55,990
- Texas – $68,500
What To Look for in a Social Work Degree Designed for Serving Hispanic and Latino Populations
Social work degrees that include a focus in serving Hispanic populations won’t put any limits or restrictions on your career. No matter what kind of social work position you want to get into, a degree of this sort will help you get there. And that population is only getting larger. They will continue to have needs across the range of social services.
Both BSW and MSW programs deliver training in methods of assessment, diagnosis, and treatments. They cover historical developments in social work and modern policy practices.
They also teach you techniques for making connections with clients and with communities. Cultural competency training is standard in the field. But in some cases, that kind of general awareness of diversity just isn’t enough. And that’s why these degrees deliver the specific knowledge and skills you need to serve the growing Hispanic population.
What Is the Difference Between a Regular Social Work Degree and One Geared to Serve the Hispanic Population?
Because that population is large and diverse itself, these programs don’t always structure their training as a particular concentration or specialization. In some ways, it’s like studying social work in another country. If you’re studying social work in France, the emphasis will be on social work skills and needs for this population, not on the cultural significance of their cuisine and how to pronounce œ. The culture is just baked into the coursework.
So Hispanic-focused social work degrees usually offer the same range of different social work specialties as any MSW or BSW program. Or, if they do offer a concentration option for Hispanic populations, they may allow you to take an additional focus within it, such as substance abuse or child and family practice.
The difference is that each of them are taught with the linguistic and cultural skills needed to deliver those services within the Hispanic population. Those skills come built-in as part of the standard classes and experiential field work. It comes through the lived experience of professors and through direct interaction with Hispanic and Latino clients.
In some cases, the training is more formal, however. Some schools offer a Certificate in Social Work with Latinos that you can earn alongside your degree. Others may have a concentration in bicultural/bilingual clinical social work. These can come with classes that are expressly designed to up the cultural context around Hispanic communities.
Neither approach is better or worse. Each fills a role in social work education today that is much needed to help a growing segment of the population.
The Right Degree Level for Your Hispanic-Focused Social Work Studies
This kind of Hispanic-focused social work degree can be found at both the bachelor’s and the master’s level. Despite relatively few such offerings today, there are still many important choices to make depending on your career goals.
- (BSW) – A four-year program that combines practical, theoretical, and experiential social work study with a broad base of liberal arts classes to improve communication, critical thinking, and general knowledge.
- (MSW) – A two-year graduate degree that offers advanced training in social work skills, with extensive research, practicum, and concentration work.
As you learned above, becoming a practicing Licensed Clinical Social Worker will require you to advance at least to the master’s level. Should you pursue a Hispanic-focused degree for both your bachelor’s and your master’s?
Doing so will give you an even stronger grounding in working with this population. Your field experiences and coursework will be more in-depth and more advanced. But you will also leave opportunities to branch out and expand your knowledge on the table. So, you could decide to diversify in a different sort of specialization at either level, or soak up what you can from a Hispanic-focused program at the other.
But if that seems easy, consider whether you might eventually pursue a doctoral degree in the field. A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) or DSW (Doctor of Social Work) will build on your master’s studies… but also allow you to gain new specializations. So, does it then make sense to take Hispanic-focused programs at both the bachelor’s and master’s level and count on your doctorate to build other social work skills?
These aren’t decisions that you’ll make while you are reading this. But they are factors you will need to think about seriously as you plan the academic foundation for your social work career.
What Will It Cost to Earn a Social Work Degree Aimed at Hispanic Populations?
You won’t face any additional costs for these specialized degrees. But that doesn’t mean that they will be cheap.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) tracks the average costs for college tuition and fees at schools across the country. For undergraduate programs, the typical annual cost comes to $17,251. That adds up to more than $69,000 in tuition and fees alone for the average BSW degree.
Costs at the master’s level are even higher. For each year you spend in an MSW degree program, you can expect to pay an average of $19,749.
Of course, averages are just that—with a little investigation, you’ll find plenty of options both above and below. A public four-year university, for instance, will cost only $12,394 per year.
And because social work is an in-demand field with high education standards, but doesn’t offer huge salaries to match, you’ll also frequently find generous scholarships and other ways to help fund your education. That can be particularly true when you are studying in a focused area like degrees aimed at serving Hispanic populations.
What to Expect from the Curriculum in a Hispanic-Focused Social Work Degree Program
Because there isn’t a specific set of concentration course requirements in most of these programs, the curriculum echoes the same classes you’ll find in any BSW or MSW degree. That means coursework in:
- Psychology
- Psychopathology
- Social Welfare Policy and Programs
- Human Behavior and Social Psychology
- Research
- Field Education
- Social Work Practice
But what you will find is that many of those courses come with a special focus on Hispanic populations. For example, coursework in dealing with gerontological social work may be specific to social work practice with Hispanic elders. It will go into the unique aspects of historical and cultural experience that shape them, and teach methods for assessment, evaluation, and intervention that work best in that population.
Similarly, you’re likely to get a Hispanic focus on social engagement, studying the structure and importance of family and peer groups. You’ll look at U.S. social welfare systems and policy through the lens of assistance and impact on the Hispanic community. And when you go into the field to practice, you’ll primarily be working with Hispanic populations.
Some, but not all, of these programs include or encourage Spanish language learning courses. In other cases, particularly at the master’s level, you’ll be expected to bring that competency to the table on your own.
Selecting Electives to Build Your Own Unique Specialty in a Hispanic-Focused Social Work Program
Electives, particularly at the bachelor’s level, can really round out your cultural competency as it relates to working with Hispanic populations. Most universities that offer these programs have a strong slate of social and culturally relevant classes, such as:
- Latinx Politics
- Human Trafficking
- Migration and Assimilation
- Crime and Punishment
- Diversity
- Women and Gender Migration
- Introduction to Latinx Theology
Elective coursework may not be required but can add valuable perspective and skill to your social work training.
At the master’s level, of course, you have the great gift of participating in the design of your final project. That means you can focus it on any specific social work issue affecting the Hispanic community and build your research and study to support that path.
Getting Hands-on Experience Working with Hispanic Populations
Direct field experience working with and among the Hispanic population is a must to get the full value from your degree program. While every social work program bakes in a healthy amount of fieldwork, programs that deliver value in Hispanic-oriented education ensure that it happens through placements within those communities.
This fieldwork will help cement the theoretical understanding you develop of both Latino culture and core social work practices.
Thanks to the supervised experience you’ll get under the guidance of mentors, you’ll have the kind of direct interactions with clients you need to be able to serve the Hispanic population with skill and confidence.
At the bachelor’s level, there isn’t a lot of consistency in field experience requirements. Degrees that hold specialty accreditation must have at least 400 hours, but requirements and opportunities can vary. This makes it vital to pick the right school for your BSW studies. You want to be sure that fieldwork is available and can be performed in Hispanic-facing services.
At the master’s level, there’s more of a standard for experiential training. CSWE, the specialty accreditor for MSW programs, requires at least 900 hours. More is typical. Further, this experience is tailored to your specialty and interests while working with a population in your concentration area.
How a Final Project Puts the Finishing Touches on Your Advanced Social Work Degree
When earning an MSW degree, all your studies will be tied together by a final capstone project or thesis paper.
A thesis is the traditional final portion of master’s studies. It’s a scholarly paper based on your own research, expressing original ideas that should enhance the social work field by contributing new solutions. You develop the concept and write the paper with guidance from your advisors. When it’s done, you defend it in front of a committee of faculty and professionals.
But that type of academic work isn’t necessarily the best preparation for field work. So many clinical social work programs instead offer a capstone project option.
Capstones still involve research and originality, but usually have a more practical angle. You will still write up your work, but the presentation is shorter and less formal. Instead, you may bring your new skills to direct projects. That could be implementing new Spanish language services with local groups, or putting together a collaborative after-school program for Latino youth. Your own inspiration and drive will be key, and that’s also what will be on display to future employers.
Finding Schools That Offer Hispanic-Focused Social Work Degrees
Like other types of social work studies, you’ll quickly find that different schools offer different competencies in social work degrees geared toward serving Hispanic populations. Because these degrees don’t necessarily come with a formal specialization, it can make it even harder to sort out the best options for your career goals.
On top of the Hispanic population focus, of course, you also still want a degree that incorporates all the important core lessons that social workers need to absorb. And you’ll want to look for all the typical factors that separate a decent education from a great one:
- Excellent and engaged instructors
- Superb academic advising and assistance services
- Active counseling and career help
- Copious resources for research and study
But there are certain elements a school should offer you to show that they are really serious about teaching Hispanic-focused social work skills.
Social Work Degrees Offered in Areas with Large Hispanic Populations Are Often Geared to Their Service
Like other kinds of specialization in social work, you’ll find that training and experiential learning opportunities are shaped by the community in which you are learning. So even in online degree programs, the region in which you are studying can have a lot to do with how much focus there is on working with the Hispanic population.
Universities that offer Hispanic-focused social work degrees are more likely to be located near largely Hispanic communities.
It’s common, in fact, for universities located in areas that are heavily Hispanic to deliver more Hispanic-focused training without necessarily advertising the fact. After all, when a big chunk of your patient population is Spanish-speaking and culturally aligned, your professors and practicum placements are going to bring that expertise with them. But it’s also true that most schools offering concentrations in this field tend to be located in such areas.
Online Social Work Degrees Can Connect You with Hispanic-Centered Programs No Matter Where You Live
If location is so important, you may be wondering if online degree programs are a good idea for Hispanic-focused social work degrees.
The answer is that they can be even more valuable for this kind of experience. Because online programs are both flexible and remote, they offer a way for you to tap into experienced instructors and focused expertise from anywhere in the country.
While there are relatively few degrees focused on Hispanic population social work, there’s no shortage of communities that need that kind of expertise. Pocket communities that are heavily Latino exist in every state.
So, you can take all your required coursework at a college that brings you the dedicated skills you need, while engaging in your practical experience in the very area where you plan to practice.
A Commitment to Spanish Language Learning Is a Good Sign
While it’s not necessary for you to learn social work skills and concepts in Spanish, it can certainly be an advantage. A handful of schools offer bilingual studies or concentration options in clinical social work practice for Spanish speakers. While the coursework and concepts will be the same core elements that any English-only social work program will teach, you’ll be able to hone your understanding in the language you’ll be using in the field.
If you’re pursuing a BSW and aren’t already a fluent Spanish speaker, then a school that has a strong and respected Spanish department is a huge asset in your progression.
Specialty Accreditation is a Must for All Social Work Degrees
Last, but not least, you’ll absolutely need to pick a school that holds CSWE (Council on Social Work Education) specialty accreditation.
CSWE is the only specialty accreditor evaluating social work programs in the United States. Their standards are the ones that matter to licensing agencies and employers.
As of 2023, only 362 master’s-level programs in social work in the United States had been awarded CSWE accreditation.
A program with CSWE accreditation is guaranteed to cover the 9 core competencies that every social worker is expected to master. Just as importantly, they have been evaluated as having the resources, the instructors, and the field experiences to give you the training you need to be successful in social work.
With the right school and social work degree locked in, the rest of your career will be entirely in your hands. It’s common for social workers to advance and expand their skills over time. You’ll see new needs in the Hispanic community and develop a better understanding of how to fill them. And you may come up with new insights that benefit not only your clients but the practice of social work as a whole.
The demand for experts with that kind of training and skill will only be increasing. And with the extra cultural competency you can gain in a social work degree focused on Hispanic populations, you can rest assured you’ll have plenty of opportunities ahead to help communities in your own way.
2021 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Social Workers reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed July 2023.
