Top Social Work Schools in Florida for Military Service Members, Vets, and Military Spouses

Florida’s sunny beaches, affordable cost-of-living, and tax benefits draw in retirees from every state and career background. So it’s unsurprising that many American military veterans end up retiring here, as well.

Florida is home to the third largest number of military veterans of any state in the country.

That’s even more the case since so many military personnel, particularly from the Navy and Air Force, rotate through Florida on temporary assignments as part of their training pipeline. Tyndall Air Force Base hosts the Air Force’s largest Agile Combat Support training site, and until recently hosted training for all F-22 pilots in the military. Naval Air Station Pensacola is known as the Cradle of Naval Aviation and hosts the Naval Education Training Command, two Marine Aviation Training Support Groups, and, oh, yeah, the Blue Angels.

This adds up to a significant number of military personnel rotating through the state in any given year. That creates challenges for active social workers here, with relocation and displacement issues for service members and their families. But it also exposes a lot of people to all that Florida has to offer… and it’s no surprise when they come back after discharge and decide to give back to the community by becoming social workers themselves.

When You Have Military Education Benefits, There’s some Things to Consider When Selecting a School for Your Social Work Degree

Social work is social work, and a solid CSWE-accredited program is guaranteed to have all the content and field experience you need to set you on the path to licensure as a clinical social worker in Florida. So why are the top social work schools for veterans not the same as the top social work schools for the state as a whole?

It all comes down to the specific benefits and background that veterans, active-duty service members, and their families bring to the table. With your unique experiences and resources, you have different requirements and different opportunities from other students of social work, both at the bachelor’s and Master of Social Work degree levels.

Veterans Need Schools Where Their Tuition Support Goes the Furthest

Not only veterans, but dependents and even active-duty service members each have a range of financial supports that are available to them. In some cases, as with scholarships, these are available no matter what school you attend. In other cases, like with the Yellow Ribbon Program, the school has to participate. That can make one social work school a far better deal for military-affiliated students than others.

A Non-Traditional Background of Service Can Require More Transitional Support

While you were out humping M240s up mountainsides, your future fellow students were out doing typical young American civilian stuff… working retail and fast-food jobs, volunteering for community groups, experimenting with alcohol and drugs. They may not have been cultivating responsibility, but they were getting familiar with the ups and downs of American society first-hand.

You’ll probably come in to your social work studies a bit older, a bit more worldly, but a bit more detached from American society. Some of those factors are advantages, some may be disadvantages, but they are certainly different, and you can use different kind of assistance adapting to your college classes. Schools that offer it will rank higher on your list than those that don’t.

Veterans Deal With Different Challenges Than Other Students

Veterans know something that all social workers dealing with military members should know: not everyone who has served has experienced trauma or needs psychological support. In fact, most vets had pretty normal jobs in the service and structured and positive experiences.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t have different needs than other students. From extra paperwork to handle financial aid to complications like getting military coursework accepted for credit, you have a whole range of issues that need specialized support. And for those who are dealing with PTSD or other emotional needs, top military-supportive schools make it easy to get help for that, too.

How We Selected the Top Social Work Schools for Veterans in Florida

So how did we narrow down exactly what social work schools in Florida come out on top for vets and military-affiliated students?

We started with CSWE accreditation. The Council on Social Work Education is the specialty accreditor that evaluates the ability of social work degrees to educate graduates to the standards demanded by the field. It’s a key piece of getting licensed in Florida and it’s an important part of making sure your education includes what employers expect.