Individuals who earn a Bachelor of Social Work, offered through the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, are prepared to provide social services to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Professional practice is guided by the values of service, social and economic justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, and integrity and competence in practice. Some of the purposes of social work are the enhancement of human well-being; alleviation of poverty and other forms of social injustice; enhancement of social functioning and relationships of peoples in a variety of settings; and to understand and implement policies and services that meet basic human needs of diverse cultures.

Career Opportunities

• Family and children’s services including protective services and intense services to families
• Substance abuse prevention and treatment
• Case management with mentally ill or developmentally disabled individuals in community mental health centers
• Casework in juvenile justice settings
• Probation case work within a legal setting
• Community work to develop and provide programs to help elderly remain independent
• Working with children and adolescents in residential treatment programs
• Social work in nursing homes

More information on social work as a profession is available online on the National Association of Social Workers website at www.naswdc.org or the National Association of Christians in Social Work website at www.nacsw.org.

Program Strengths and Emphases

The social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) which ensures students, employers, and graduate social work programs that our graduates have received an education that meets CSWE’s rigorous standards. Our students receive an excellent education that includes the knowledge, skills, and values needed to practice as a generalist social worker, to become licensed in the state of Michigan as a BSW, and to attend graduate school. We have over a 95 percent acceptance rate for alumni who apply to MSW programs and they report that they felt they were well prepared for graduate study.

Our alumni have been accepted into MSW programs at Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, Washington University/St. Louis, Jane Addams School of Social Work - University of Illinois/Chicago, Indiana University/Purdue – Indianapolis, and Loyola University/Chicago.

Admission to the social work program

Our accreditation standards require that we engage in gatekeeping to ensure that individuals who graduate with a BSW degree have the maturity, values, knowledge and skills needed to be competent professionals who can intervene in people’s lives to facilitate change and not do harm. Students will make formal application to the social work program after completing the first course. Students will be notified of acceptance after successful completion of the second course. The criteria for acceptance are:

• Completion of Module 1: SWK 281 with a 2.5 or better (unless you have a conditional acceptance to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies based on a GPA lower than 2.5, which then requires a minimum of 3.0).
• Must pass Module 2 with a 2.0 (C) or better (unless you have a conditional acceptance to the School of Graduate and Professional Studiesbased on a GPA lower than 2.5, which then requires a minimum of 3.0).
• Timely submission of application materials.
• References from three individuals
• Signing a statement that you have read the NASW Code of Ethics and agree to abide by this code of ethics while engaging in social work activities.
• Written personal statement completed as an assignment in Module 1 and possibly a personal interview with a social work faculty member.