Social Work B.S.

About this Program

Social workers engage clients, organizations, and society to promote social justice, well-being, and respect for humankind. If this is the change you would like to see in the world, join the School of Social Work at Syracuse and its network of nearly 7,000 alumni who embrace the profession’s commitment to the values of human diversity and the dignity and worth of humankind. Our core mission centers around our shared commitment to enhance human thriving via:

• Advocating for social, economic, and environmental justice and challenging social inequities.
• Encouraging self-awareness.
• Embodying the practices of cultural competence and cultural humility.

Career opportunities for social workers have continued to increase and lead graduates with a Social Work B.S. (B.S.S.W.) degree into generalist-level work in a wide range of professional settings, including schools, healthcare systems, child welfare, substance abuse treatment, services for older adults, supportive housing, and federal, state, and local government services.

Description

The undergraduate professional social work program offers a 120 credit Bachelor of Science degree. The goals of this program, in order of priority, are as follows:

• To prepare undergraduate students for competent and effective generalist professional practice by developing the requisite social work knowledge, values, and skills, and
• To prepare undergraduate students for continuing professional education and/or graduate education.

The social work program is based on the concept of ecological systems, which maintains that the fundamental focus of social work practice is on the transactions of people and their environments, and on the constant state of reciprocity in which each shapes the other. Social work intervention aims to promote the progressive forces and minimize the regressive forces in those transactions. The curriculum incorporates instruction in five professional foundation areas: social welfare policy and services, human behavior in the social environment, research, social work practice, and field practicum. Instruction in these areas builds upon a carefully chosen and strong behavioral sciences, and the natural sciences taken within the College of Arts and Sciences.

The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.