Social Work

The Bachelors Degree in the Social Work (BSW) Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the national organization responsible for insuring that Social Work Programs across the country are preparing the most skilled social workers possible.

CSWE is recognized as the sole accrediting body for social work education in this country. Full accreditation standards and explanation of reaffirmation requirements can be downloaded online.

Social Work Mission

The mission of the Social Work Program at Bloomsburg University is to prepare students for baccalaureate level generalist social work practice with liberal arts foundation and a focus on critical thinking. Opportunities are provided for the student to gain social work knowledge, values, ethics, and skills to work with client systems of all types and sizes.

An emphasis is placed on an appreciation for human diversity and a strong commitment to social and economic justice. Students are prepared through courses to engage in the social change process through interface with the regional community.

Program Goals

The five Social Work Program goals derived from the mission statement are to:

• Provide a rigorous curriculum that integrates social work values and ethics and serves as the foundation for generalist social work practice with clients, client systems and social programs in multicultural environments.
• Promote civic engagement and a commitment to advocacy to support human rights and social and economic justice.
• Prepare students with an understanding of human development and behavior in the social environment that focuses on both human diversity variables and the interrelationships of individuals, family, groups, organizations, and communities for assessment of strengths and needs in practice situations.
• Provide field education that enhances the student's ability to develop critical thinking and that integrates theory and practice with specific attention to awareness of diversity, research-informed practice, practice-informed research, self-reflection and life-long learning.
• Provide opportunities for professional development and continued education in the social work profession or related discipline.

Program Competencies

The program's curriculum is designed to prepare graduates for generalist practice through the mastery of core competencies, those measurable practice behaviors that are comprised of knowledge, values, and skills. The ten core competencies insure that students will:

1. Identify as a professional social worker and will conduct themselves accordingly.
2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
3. Apply critical thinking skills to inform and communicate professional judgments.
4. Engage diversity and difference in practice.
5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
6. Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
8. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
9. Respond to contexts that shape practice.
10. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

Social Work Curriculum

The curriculum in the social work program at Bloomsburg University includes both a focus on course content and the academic environment. Our program aims to align course work with the evolving changes within our society while supporting the standards of our accrediting organization, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). We accomplish these goals by clearly defining both the explicit and implicit curriculum that exists within our program and then by evaluating the success of each through program evaluation.

The explicit curriculum consists of the program's formal educational structure and includes the courses required and their content. The implicit curriculum consists of the educational environment in which the explicit curriculum is offered and learning occurs. Implicit curriculum includes admission policies and procedures, academic advisement, retention and termination policies, student involvement, commitment to culturally competent practices, faculty scholarship and community collaboration.

The program prides itself on giving equal merit to the implicit curriculum as it provides the context within which students are able to achieve professional competence and character as generalist social work practitioners. The program evaluation process for the curriculum can be found on our Program Evaluation link.