Top 12 Free Online Courses With Certificates Social Work

online social work programs and courses, Free Online Certificate Programs and Courses

This article is about the paid and free online courses with certificates in social work, if you are a person who derives joy by going out of your way to help others in the challenging part of their lives, then this article is surely for you.

Here, you will learn how you can enroll in certificate programs online and earn an accredited certificate or points in social work. Most of these online social work certificate programs are free to enroll in and will help you in your professional career development as a social worker, or help you go from beginner to professional.

Social work is one of the fastest-growing professions in the world right now, thus social workers are one of the on-demand professionals. Considering this development, a social work certificate is one of the most valuable certificates.

These social work programs are aimed at helping people improve their knowledge of mental health, substance abuse and addiction, disability, abuse, and other social work skills, it also empowers them with online certificates which they can obtain through a self-paced study.

All programs listed here are available in English unless specified, some of them are also available in other languages, including French, German, Russian, Italian, German, etc.

This list of social work certificate programs online includes ExpertTracks, MasterTracks, Specializations, and professional certificate programs in social work.

I recommend you check the advantages and disadvantages of online education before you go ahead to read this article.

What is Social Work?

Social work is a terminology used to refer to a group of professions that involve giving service to people in need, in short, social work is a complementary system of values, theory, and practice.

Social work can also be defined as any type of work that encourages social change and development, and the empowerment of communities and individuals. It also involves the understanding of human behavior, interactions, culture, and development.

What Do Social Workers Do?

Social workers help individuals through the challenging part and circumstances of their lives: physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial problems, family crises, mental instability, addiction, substance abuse, etc.

Social workers can work in schools, private residences, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, etc, they can also work as chancellors or assistant nurses.

Are Social Work Certificate Programs Online Worth It?

There are many reasons why you should study social work certificate programs online: they teach you the real value of things, social workers are provided with great opportunities,  improves the day-to-day relationships with other people, you will meet like-minded people, and discover your abilities, etc.

Which Course is Best for Social Work?

The best course for social work is Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), it is the best because students who study the course have a great chance of getting employed. You can get a Bachelor’s degree in social in a traditional school, you can obtain it through any of the many available social work certificate programs online.

Do You Need A Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work to Get A Master’s Degree in Social Work?

No, you do not need a bachelor’s degree in social work before you can get a master’s degree in social work, if you want a master’s degree in social work, all you need is a valid bachelor’s degree in any course.

What Type of Social Workers Earn the Highest Salary?

  • Healthcare social workers: $63,140
  • Child, family, and school social worker: $46,270
  • Mental health and substance abuse social workers: $44,840

Highest Paying Social Work Jobs

  • Director of corporate social responsibility: $93,450
  • Professor of social work: $85,919
  • Veteran’s affairs social worker: $71,454
  • Employee assistance program counselor: $70,895
  • Executive director of a non-profit organization (NPO): $65,260
  • Social science researcher: $64,561
  • Director of development of an NPO: $62,879
  • Housing and community development director: $61,955
  • LCSW with Spanish language skills: $60,250
  • Medical discharge planner: $59,631

Top 12 Free Online Course With Certificates Social Work

  • Social Work: practice, policy, and research
  • Global leadership and human resource management
  • Social welfare policy for social services
  • Good with words: speaking and presenting
  • Computational social science
  • Strategy and finance for social business
  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Sustainability and development
  • Behavioural Science: influencing behavior and designing decisions
  • Teacher social and emotional learning
  • Value-based care
  • Introduction to psychology

Social Work: Practice, Policy, and Research

Social Work: Practice, Policy, and Research is one of the social work certificate programs online. The is composed of six courses and is a MasterTrack certificate program with credits that can be used in the pursuance of a Master’s degree in Social Work.

This program is aimed at teaching people the social working skills needed for the empowerment of individuals, friends, families, organizations, etc.

This is the best social work certificate program online because it is fully online and was developed by the best university for social work studies in the world.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: University of Michigan
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: MasterTrack
  • Program duration: 4-6 months
  • Study schedule: estimated 3-5 hours per week
  • Program fee: $2,000, payable in four installments

Global Leadership and Human Resource Management

Global Leadership and Human Resource Management is one of the social work certificate programs online, They program is a four-course MasterTrack program with credits that count towards a master’s degree in social work.

This program is aimed at helping people become leaders who have the capabilities to face problems that surface in their workplace, it equips them with the necessary skills needed to survive in the ever-changing work environment.

Tutors of the program utilize live interaction webinars to teach students, the students are also required to solve real problems to test themselves. This is one of the in-demand social work certificate programs online.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: Macquarie University
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: MasterTrack
  • Program duration: four months
  • Study schedule: estimated 4-5 hours per week
  • Program fee: $4,900

Social Welfare Policy for Social Services

Social Welfare Policy for Social Services is one of the free social work certificate programs online, this program is made up of five courses and is ideal for social workers, health practitioners, educators, etc.

Social policymaking is of the most important aspects of every government; the success of any people or community depends greatly on their social policies. This program teaches people how policies are made for maximum chances of success.

In this program, you will learn how population affects social policies, family support, care of the elderly, etc, you will also learn how social policies affect healthcare workers, social workers, police, etc.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: Columbia University
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: Specialization
  • Program duration: six months
  • Study schedule: estimated three hours per week
  • Program fee: it’s free

Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting

Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting is also one of the social work certificate programs online, the program is made up of four courses and it is also free.

This program is aimed at teaching people how to effectively connect with their audience using speeches and presentations. This program also helps people to improve their relationships with others, on a personal level.

In this program, people will learn how to make engaging and compelling speeches and presentations. The skill of effective communication is an in-demand skill, thereby making this program one of the best free social work certificate programs online.

Through this program, students will learn how to people and to the public with unwavering confidence, and they will also learn how to deal with stage fright.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: University of Michigan
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: Specialization
  • Program duration: four months
  • Study schedule: estimated three hours per week
  • Program fee: it’s free

Computational Social Science

Computational Social Science is also on the list of free social work certificate programs online, you may express surprise coming across this program, but yes; computerization is taking over the world as everything is going digital.

This is a five-course specialization program.

Today, digital tools are used to better understand human behavior and learn how to influence them, numerous agencies, companies, and organizations make use of these tools. This program teaches how to use computer simulations to analyze business environments and make the best decisions.

In the program, people will also learn how to make use of big data, how to create, examine, and understand social network simulations using machine learning, and data scraped off the web.

Have you ever searched something on google and then found its ads on Facebook? Have you talked about shopping with your phone beside you only to go online and find ads about the items you mentioned? All of these features are made possible by the collection of digital data, hence it is important you enroll in this program among all other social work certificate programs online.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: University of California, Davis
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: Specialization
  • Program duration: six months
  • Study schedule: estimated three hours per week
  • Program fee: it’s free

Strategy and Finance for Social Business

Strategy and Finance for Social Business is also on the list of free social work certificate programs online, it is a five-course certificate program aimed at giving people headstarts in their career social entrepreneurship careers.

People who enroll in this program will learn the best strategies involved in Social Entrepreneurship, they will also learn how successfully finance social businesses.

This program is meant for beginners, entrepreneurs, and professionals who own or manage social businesses. This program will provide this category of people with the resources needed to manage and grow social businesses.

If you are into social businesses, see Top 12 business management courses online.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: Yunus Social Business Fund Bengaluru
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: Specialization
  • Program duration: eight months
  • Study schedule: estimated figve hours per week
  • Program fee: it’s free

Social Entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurship is one of the free social work certificate programs online, this six-course program is aimed at teaching people how to identify opportunities in social problems and turn them into social businesses.

People who take this course should be able to identify opportunities in social problems, turn the opportunities into enterprises and successfully manage them to become big businesses.

In this certificate program, people will learn how to make an impact on their society using social businesses, they will also learn how to create sustainable and profitable social businesses.

The courses in the program include Identifying Social Entrepreneurship Opportunities, Social Business Model and Planning for Social Innovation, and Unleashing the Impact of your Social Enterprise, it is one of the popular social work certificate programs online.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: Copenhagen Business School
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: Specialization
  • Program duration: four months
  • Study schedule: estimated four hours per week
  • Program fee: it’s free

Sustainability and Development

Sustainability and Development is a six-course program and one of the social work certificate programs online. This program was created with the purpose of teaching people how to solve problems faced in the development of sustainable solutions to the problems in the world.

People who enroll in this program will learn how to solve the challenges facing the development of sustainable social businesses through the implementation of novel ideas.

In this program, people will also learn how the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, and how they correlate with the current global problems.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: University of Michigan
  • Learning platform: Coursera.
  • Type of program: MasterTrack
  • Program duration: 4-6 months
  • Study schedule: estimated 6-8 hours per week
  • Program fee: $2,100, payable in four installments

Behavioural Science: Influencing Behaviour and Designing Decisions

Behavioural Science: Influencing Behaviour and Designing Decisions is one of the social work certificate programs online, it is a three-course program designed with the aim of teaching people the skills needed to initiate positive change in the behavior of colleagues, patients, employees, and customers.

People who take this program are expected to learn how to utilize professional behavioral research to make effective changes, they will also be able to understand human behavior.

In this program, you will get to learn the nine key concepts that can be applied to make a significant impact on the behavioral pattern of humans. This program will also provide you with the skills needed to calm and control aggressive people and even aggressive animals.

This program also contains topics in social psychology, it is one of the best social work certificate programs online in the area of behavioral science and social psychology.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: Future Learn
  • Learning platform: Future Learn
  • Type of program: ExpertTrack
  • Program duration: ten weeks
  • Study schedule: estimated two hours per week
  • Program fee: $97.5

Teacher Social and Emotional Learning

Teacher Social and Emotional Learning is one of the free social work certificate programs online, this program was specifically created for teachers. But it is also relevant to social workers, especially those who care for mentally ill patients.

If you are a teacher, then read this article on online professional development courses for teachers. The Teacher Social and Emotional Learning program is made up of five courses and was developed with the aim of teaching teachers how they can effectively create emotional connections with their students.

Social and emotional learning programs have grown popular in recent years because of the importance of the skills they teach. The program ensures students’ and teachers’ well-being.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: University of Colorado
  • Learning patform: Coursera
  • Type of program: Specialization
  • Program duration: six months
  • Study schedule: estimated the hours per week
  • Program fee: it’s free

Value-based Care

Value-based Care is one of the social work certificate programs online, it is made up of seven courses and is made for social workers in the healthcare sector.

If you are a social worker in the healthcare sector, then take a look at some online certificate courses for doctors which are relevant to you.

In this program, social workers will learn the basic principles of value-based care and how to implement them in the provision of quality care for patients. They will also learn many skills, including healthcare, population health, public health, patient care, and health education.

The program is self-paced and contains projects for students who enroll in it, it’s one of the free social work certificate programs online.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: University of Houston
  • Learning platform: Coursera
  • Type of program: Specialization
  • Program duration: six months
  • Study schedule: estimated two hours per week
  • Program fee: it’s free

Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology is one of the free online courses with certificates in social work, it is a six-course program that aims at helping people understand psychology.

This program explains: how human behavior is affected by the human mind, the fundamentals of psychology, and the history and development of psychology.

In this program, you will learn the major differences between psychology and philosophy, you will also learn the scientific principles of philosophy and how you can put them into practice.

This program covers many topics, including Cognitive Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Behavioral Psychology. The program was developed by one of the best universities in the world for Psychological studies: Monash University. This program is one of the best social work certificate programs online for psychological studies.

The following are some important details about the course:

  • Institution: Monash University
  • Learning platform: Future Learn
  • Type of program: ExpertTrack
  • Program duration: three months
  • Study schedule: estimated six hours per week
  • Program fee: $117

Conclusion

This article will be updated regularly to keep you up to date with online certificate programs in social work. Subscribe to our web push and or email notification to keep updated or add this site to your home screen.

Recommended Articles