Are you a military spouse looking for an engaging and steady career path that you can fit into the rest of your life? Becoming a military social worker could be the perfect path for you.
Obtaining a Master of Social Work degree can be a convenient pathway for military spouses that allows them to build expertise and pursue rewarding long-term careers.
With an MSW, there are a variety of roles you can play, communities you can engage with, and causes that you can support, making this a deeply fulfilling career path for those who wish to make a difference.
Becoming a Social Worker Will Let You Put Your Experience Toward Helping Others
Though they are not military members themselves, military spouses are up close to the realities of life in the armed forces, which come with a unique set of concerns and challenges. For this reason, becoming a social worker for military and veterans organizations can be an excellent pathway for military spouses, allowing them to put their own firsthand knowledge toward providing support to active duty military members, veterans, and their families.
Becoming a military social worker can be tremendously meaningful for those who wish to channel their own difficult experiences into uplifting those in similar situations.
There is a wide range of civilian social worker jobs in the military, from providing direct counseling to people with emotional and psychological needs to helping individuals and families access resources like housing, food, and employment. If you wish to make a tangible difference in the lives of others, this is a great way to do so.
The Under-Examined Needs of Military Spouses
When those who are far from military life imagine the difficulties of being a military spouse, they likely first think of the emotional stress of having a loved one in the armed forces. This is certainly a significant challenge for any military spouse, but it is not the only one: an equal source of strain (of a completely different type) is the unemployment crisis for military spouses.
A 2024 report by the Department of Labor explains that 81% of military families experience at least one Permanent Change of Station (PCS), causing them to upend their lives by relocating to live near or on a new military base. Compounded with the difficulty of finding childcare (67% of military spouses report a lack of options), this leaves a troublingly high number of military spouses unemployed, amounting to a startling 21% unemployment rate. (This is a national-level report that does not provide specific numbers on Illinois unemployment for military spouses.)
Indeed, these issues have a ripple effect on career development for military spouses: moving regularly makes it difficult to hold jobs and in turn, level up professionally, and being saddled with childcare is another obvious interference with work life. Finding a workable career path therefore means accounting for the possibility of moving and the need to work from home. Fortunately, the rise of remote education and work opportunities creates new possibilities that military spouses can take advantage of.
Online Degree Programs Are Creating a Wealth of New Opportunities for Military Spouses
For military spouses who have struggled with unemployment, the arrival of distance education is a golden arrow, allowing for career development that can fit in with the rest of their lives, regardless of where they move or if they are obliged to stay at home with their children.
There’s no overstating the benefits of online degree programs for military spouses: these programs make it possible to build careers that previously were impossible.
Military spouses who have struggled as a result of their circumstances now have reason for optimism, as many new pathways have opened up for them to pursue fulfilling and remunerative professional lives. This is making it possible for even military spouses who have had to move repeatedly to pursue advanced degrees (such as a Master of Social Work) and the thriving careers that can come with them.
Military Benefits Can Support Military Spouses Too
If you thought military benefits only applied to your spouse in the armed forces, great news: you yourself can make use of many of the benefits available for service members.
Many benefits available to active duty military members and veterans can be transferred to their spouses, easing access to professional and educational opportunities.
This is in acknowledgment of the many sacrifices military spouses make to support their partners and in turn, military efforts in general.
As a military spouse, you’re urged to do your research on available resources for military families at the federal and state level. You also are urged to make use of the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program offered by the Department of Defense, which is designed to help military spouses maximize the benefits and opportunities available to them. This can include, for example, tracking down military spouse master’s degree scholarships, or helping military spouses navigate the benefit-transfer process. These resources can significantly reduce the cost of your education, making them a must for anyone wishing to pursue a master’s degree.
Index of Programs (in alphabetical order)
Below is a guide to the best online degree programs for military spouses in Illinois. These primarily focus on MSW programs but also feature several bachelor’s degree for military spouse options as well. The criteria for selecting these schools was as follows:
Aurora University
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Aurora
Nearby military bases: N/A
Website
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Dual degree: MSW/MBA
Dual degree: MSW/MPH
Program delivery: On-campus, online, hybrid
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $37,080
MSW specializations:
- Addiction
- Child Welfare
- School Social Work
- Forensics
- Gerontology
- Health Care
- Leadership Administration
- Military and Veterans’ Social Work
Chamberlain University
Location: N/A
Nearby military bases: N/A
Website
Master of Social Work
Program delivery: Online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $41,700
MSW specializations:
- Medical Social Work
- Crisis and Response Interventions
- Trauma
Dominican University
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: River Forest
Website
Nearby military bases: Naval Station Great Lakes, US Army Cadet Command 3rd Brigade
Master of Social Work
Dual Degree MSW/MBA
Dual Degree MSW/Library and Information Sciences
Dual Degree MSW/MA in Mediation and Conflict Resolution
Program delivery: On-campus, online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $51,000
MSW specializations:
- Aging, Adulthood, and Gerontology
- Children, Youth and Family
- Global Social Work Practice for Immigrants and Refugees
- Health and Well-Being
- Military
- School Social Work
Erikson Institute
Location: Chicago
Website
Nearby military bases: Naval Station Great Lakes, US Army Cadet Command 3rd Brigade
Master of Social Work
Advanced Standing Master of Social Work
Program delivery: On-campus, online (part-time only)
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $61,800
MSW specializations:
- Children, Adolescents, and Adults
- Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health
Loyola University Chicago
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Aurora
Website
Nearby military bases: Naval Station Great Lakes, US Army Cadet Command 3rd Brigade
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Advanced Standing Master of Social Work
Master of Social Work (English/Spanish bilingual program)
Dual Degree MSW/MJ of Children’s Law and Policy
Dual Degree MSW/Juris Doctor (Law)
Dual Degree MSW/MPH
Dual Degree MSW/MA in Social Justice
Dual Degree MSW/MA in Women’s Studies
PhD. of Social Work
Program delivery: On-campus, online (part-time only)
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $51,205
MSW specializations:
- Micro Practice
- Leadership, Mezzo, and Macro Practice
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Carbondale
Nearby military bases: N/A
Website
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Dual MSW/JD degree
Program delivery: On-campus, online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $27,600
MSW specializations:
- Health/Mental Health
- Child, Youth, and Families
University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Champaign
Nearby military bases: N/A
Website
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Program delivery: On-campus, online (part-time only)
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $35,144
MSW specializations:
- Leadership and Social Change
- Advanced Clinical Practice
University of St. Francis
Yellow Ribbon School
Location: Joliet
Nearby military bases: N/A
Website
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Social Work
Program delivery: On-campus, online
Estimated cost of tuition (per year): $37,138
MSW specializations:
- Advanced Generalist
- School Social Work
