School of Social Work
Faculty
Lia Palmiter, M.S.W., Ph.D., Program Director
Lea Dougherty, M.S.W.,L.S.W.
Mary Endrusick, M.S.W., L.S.W.
Amy Clark, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Megan Boettcher, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
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 ensure the acquisition of knowledge, values, ethics, and skills necessary to be a generalist practitioner with diverse populations.
The BSW Program develops practitioners who are committed to social and economic justice, who take action with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed populations. In accord with the Marywood University mission, the BSW Program prepares students for responsible leadership and service in meeting human needs through the application of professional social work values and ethics. As part of its mission, the program seeks to develop practitioners who engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research, contributing to community well-being in northeastern Pennsylvania and in broader national and global communities.
Goals
The Bachelor of Social Work Program prepares students to:
- Acquire the knowledge and skills for beginning professional generalist social work practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Apply the core ethical values of the Social Work profession in providing helping services.
- Demonstrate leadership addressing social and economic justice through action with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed populations.
- Contribute to the well-being of northeastern Pennsylvania, national and global communities through service and scholarship in a process of on-going professional growth and development
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.
According to the Employment Projections Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected growth of the social work profession expects to be 11.5 percent between 2014 and 2024. The principal goal of the Bachelor of Social Work Program is to help students develop critical analysis and creative problem-solving skills to prepare them for beginning professional generalist social work practice.
The Social Work curriculum, which consists of liberal arts, social-behavioral science, and professional social work courses, provides the student with an educational experience designed to ensure the acquisition of knowledge, values, ethics, and skills necessary for entering into social work practice at the entry 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.
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Social Work Program has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1974.
Admission
Students start taking classes in the social work major in their freshman year and formal admission to the program takes place at the end of the sophomore year.
Admission to the program is based upon:
- Attainment of a QPA of 2.33 in SW 145, Foundations of Social Work, and SW 250, Contemporary Social Work Practice;
- Attainment of an S (satisfactory) grade in SW 150, Introductory Social Work Field Experience;
- Attainment of a cumulative QPA of 2.00 or better;
- Adherence to standards of conduct as contained in the NASW Code of Ethics.
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
Qualified BSW candidates and BSW graduates may apply to the Marywood School of Social Work and receive advanced standing in the Master of Social Work Degree Program. Thus, a student can complete both the BSW and the MSW (Master of Social Work) in five years. BSW graduates can also apply to other MSW programs who accept advanced standing credits.
Social Work majors in their senior year participate in an intensive direct service social work experience in which they assume the social work role in a community agency under the supervision of a professional social worker. Senior field instruction is a “block” placement of 450 hours in which the student spends four days per week in the Agency.
Social work majors participate in all aspects of the BSW Program and in extracurricular community service through service opportunities, travel abroad, student-faculty meetings, and participation in the Caritas Club, the Bachelor of Social Work student organization. BSW majors who meet the nationally established criteria are invited to membership in Alpha Delta Mu, which is the National Social Work Honor Society, in their junior or senior year, through its resident chapter on campus.