Social Work at Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, AR · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
62
Optimistic
62
Base Case
59
Pessimistic
Earnings
$33,140/yr (-9% vs median)
AI Risk
Moderate (24% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (116,900 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Social Work graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $544K | $403K | $292K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 17.5x | 13.0x | 9.4x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 9.8x | 7.3x | 5.3x |
| Viable Career Paths | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 | 9 of 9 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 62 | 62 | 59 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$31,016
Out-of-state: $55,304
Median Debt at Graduation
$29,000
10.5 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$49,629
50% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Social Work graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 116,900 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social and community service managers | $78,240 | 18,600 | +6.4% | 39% |
| Social work teachers, postsecondary | $76,210 | 1,300 | +2.3% | 42% |
| Social workers, all other | $69,480 | 7,000 | +3.9% | 0% |
| Healthcare social workers | $68,090 | 18,400 | +7.7% | 34% |
| Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists | $64,520 | 7,900 | +2.6% | 39% |
| Marriage and family therapists | $63,780 | 7,700 | +12.6% | 11% |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | $60,060 | 13,500 | +9.7% | 27% |
| Child, family, and school social workers | $58,570 | 35,100 | +3.4% | 24% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Social Work at Arkansas State University?
This program scores 62/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 62 (optimistic) to 59 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Social Work career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Social Work graduates retain 9 of 9 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $292,397 (pessimistic) to $544,206 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Social Work graduates?
The career paths mapped to Social Work have roughly 116,900 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Social Work at Arkansas State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 13.0x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 9.4x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.