Social Work
Bloomsburg University's social work 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.
Our social work program is designed 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 the interface with the regional community.
Social Work Program Goals
The five social work program goals 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.
Department Chairperson
Chris Podeschi, Ph.D. | cpodesch@bloomu.edu
Social Work Program Director
Andy Dunlap, Ph.D., MSW | adunlap@bloomu.edu
Department Secretary
Gwen Stancavage | gstancav@bloomu.edu
Department of Sociology, Social Work,
and Criminal Justice
2105 McCormick Center
570-389-4237
Fax: 570-389-2019
The Husky Difference
Promoting wellness against COVID-19
I work in a long-term care facility as a life enrichment coordinator. My job is to promote the emotional and mental wellness of my residents through creative outlets. Which in a memory care unit means bringing joy to my residents whenever possible. Being in the human service field we expect to be able to help people. COVID-19 has brought the unthinkable to many of our lives, especially those on the front lines. At this critical time we can only lean on each other at a distance and hope for a better tomorrow.
A step toward law school
Molly Bitner approached her internship with state Rep. Joanna McClinton (D-139) in Harrisburg with a social work perspective and sights set on law school. And the recent Bloomsburg University graduate walked away not only a step closer to Elon Law but with a portfolio filled with a plethora of experiences and projects related to public policy and efforts to end prison gerrymandering.
Social work steps up amid COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic we’re thankfully still able to work and be paid however it is difficult to do our job from home as far as interacting and reaching out to our clients and families. These times are difficult but being able to assist and support families speaks to the nature of being a social worker through the hard and unforeseen times ahead, by working together with the state and other social workers we are able to better assist families and our community.
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:
- Demonstrate ethical and responsible behavior. (EPAS; 2.1.1)
- Engage diversity and difference practice. (EPAS; 2.1.2)
- Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic and Environmental Justice. (EPAS; 2.1.3)
- Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. (EPAS; 2.1.4)
- Engage in policy practice. (EPAS; 2.1.5)
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. . (EPAS; 2.1.6)
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. (EPAS; 2.1.7)
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. (EPAS; 2.1.8)
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. . (EPAS; 2.1.9)
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.
Out-of-state licensure and certification
Professional licensure laws and regulations vary from state to state and are subject to change without notice. If you are planning to pursue a professional credential in a state other than PA, it is highly recommended that you contact the appropriate state licensing agency to seek guidance and verify requirements. Currently the state of Pennsylvania does not offer licensure at the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) level, but our program is CSWE accredited and our graduates may sit for the national bachelor’s level license exam. In states that provide licensure for bachelor’s level social workers, a bachelor’s degree from a CSWE accredited program is one of the requirements for licensure. While our program meets this standard, we have not independently verified licensure requirements in all states. Visit our state authorization page for details.