Undergraduate Catalog: Social Work

Mission Statement | Goals | Degree Requirements | Program Requirements | Accreditation | Admission | Retention | Transfer Students | Special Features

Michael H. Freund, M.S.W., L.S.W., C.M.F.C., Program Director
Kielty Turner, M.A., L.C.S.W., D.S.W., Field Coordinator
Joseph Donohue, M.S.W., L.S.W.
*Lea Dougherty, M.S.W., L.S.W.
*Part-time

Mission Statement

The Bachelor of Social Work Program at Marywood University is a professional degree program which prepares students for beginning, entry level professional practice. The program provides educational experiences designed to assure the acquisition of knowledge, values, ethics, and skills necessary to be a generalist practitioner.

The BSW Program develops practitioners who are committed to social and economic justice, and are able to take action with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed populations. The program prepares students for responsible leadership and service in meeting human needs. As part of its mission, the program seeks to enhance social work education and practice as well as contribute to community well being.

Goals

The student who majors in Social Work will:

1. acquire the knowledge, values, ethics, and skills necessary for beginning professional generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities;
2. attain a firm grounding in the essential and instrumental values of the profession: the rights of clients; the conscious, ethical, and professional use of self in providing helping services; respect for the unique characteristics of diverse populations, and the humanizing of social institutions;
3. integrate the ideals of social justice and be able to take action with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed populations;
4. develop a commitment to a process of ongoing professional growth and development;
5. contribute to community well being through field experiences and Caritas Club, the BSW student organization.

Social work in contemporary society is a dynamic and challenging profession, rich in a tradition of helping individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities in many ways, ranging from direct service to policy formulation.

The principal goal of the Bachelor of Social Work Program is to prepare students for beginning professional generalist social work practice. The Social Work curriculum which consists of liberal arts, social­behavioral science, and professional social work courses, provides the student with an educational experience designed to assure the acquisition of knowledge, values, ethics, and skills necessary for entering into social work practice at the beginning level. The student is prepared as a gener­alist social work practitioner who is able to help various size client systems -- indi­viduals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

The Bachelor of Social Work Program is administered through and located in the Marywood University School of Social Work and Administrative Studies.

Degree Requirements

	Major	Core	Electives	To Graduate
Social Work	54	43-46	27-30	127

Program Requirements

Specific Liberal Arts requirements for Social Work majors:

BIOL 130	Principles of Anatomy and Physiology	3
HIST 105	Ethnicity and Diversity in the Modern World	3
MATH 216	Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences	3
PSY 211	General Psychology	3

Major (54 credits)

SW 145	Foundations of Social Work	3
SW 150	Introductory Social Work Field Experience	1
SW 230	Analysis of Social Welfare Policy	3
SW 250	Contemporary Social Work Practice	3
SW 310	Social Work Research I	3
SW 311	Social Work Research II	3
SW 345	Junior Field Experience	1
SW 350	Human Behavior and the Social Environment	3
SW 401	Social Work with Neighborhoods, Communities, and Organizations: Theory and Practice	3
SW 402	Social Work with Groups: Theory and Practice	3
SW 403	Social Work with Individuals and Families: Theory and Practice	3
SW XXX	Social Work Restricted Elective	3
SW 490	Field Instruction	9
SW 491	Integrative Seminar	3
SW 495	Senior Seminar	1
SOC 214	Social Problems	3
PSY 251	Developmental Psychology	3
PS 210	American Government and Politics	3

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Admission

Formal admission to the Bachelor of Social Work Program occurs at the end of sophomore year. Students make formal application to the program at this time.
Admission to the program is based upon:

1. attainment of a QPA of 2.33 in SW 145, Foundations of Social Work and SW 250, Contemporary Social Work Practice;
2. attainment of an S (satisfactory) grade in SW 150, Introductory Social Work Field Experience;
3. attainment of a cumulative QPA of 2.00 or better;
4. adherence to standards of conduct as contained in the NASW Code of Ethics;
5. recommendation by SW program faculty.

Retention

Throughout the course of their professional studies, students are expected to maintain a minimum overall quality point average of 2.00, a minimum quality point average of 2.33 in the major, and give evidence of continued skill development and adherence to standards of conduct as contained in the NASW Code of Ethics.

Transfer Students

Students who transfer to the BSW Program have an interview with the program director. The BSW Program and its policies and requirements are discussed. Evaluation of the student’s curriculum and equivalent transfer credits occurs.

Special Features

Social Work majors participate in all aspects of the BSW Program and in extracurricular community service through Caritas Club, the Social Work student organization. BSW majors who meet the nationally established criteria are invited to membership in Alpha Delta Mu, National Social Work Honor Society, in their junior or senior year, through its resident chapter on campus. In addition, qualified BSW graduates may, upon acceptance by the Marywood School of Social Work, receive advanced standing in the Master of Social Work Degree Program. A student can thus complete the BSW and MSW (Master of Social Work) in five years.

Social Work Courses