The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is offered exclusively at
Penn State Greater Allegheny.
Overview
The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at Penn State Greater Allegheny prepares graduates to work effectively with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and diverse community populations. Grounded in diversity, ethical practice, field education, technology, and theory, BSW graduates will perform as professional, generalist social work practitioners in various entry-level settings. The BSW degree is perfect for students interested in working in the private and public sectors to provide social services for diverse people and communities. Students will learn to critically engage in social problems by understanding the cultural, economic, environmental, and historical conditions individuals and groups face. Upon earning the BSW, students will be prepared to promote individual, family, and community well-being as a result of classroom and clinical experiences in community-based organizations, health care, government, and schools.
This Major Prepares You For:
The BSW degree prepares generalist practitioners to enhance human well-being and eliminate social injustices through advocacy, cultural humility, global citizenship, scholarship, and service. The BSW program aims to address social problems and systems that affect diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through collaborative partnerships, ethical practice, scientific inquiry, social empowerment, and theoretical application.
Such generalist practice settings at the BSW level include:
- Case management
- Activism
- Advocacy
- Hospice and palliative care
- Residential and transitional care
- Child welfare
- Criminal justice
- Adoption and foster care
- Substance abuse and intervention
- School social work
- Domestic violence
- Research
- Public policy
- Restorative justice
- LGBTQ+
- International social work
- Health care
- Individuals with disabilities
- Philanthropy
- Workforce development
- Community organizing
As a BSW student at Penn State Greater Allegheny, you can:
- Prepare for professional licensure in social work at the bachelor's level
- Receive a high-quality social work education at a world-renowned university with over 700,000 living alumni
- Collaborate with faculty on research projects and journal articles for publication
- Engage in student organizations to refine your leadership and organizing skills
- Learn more about diverse populations and cultures from around the world
- Participate in a variety of diverse community service, internship, and service-learning opportunities
- Access one of the largest university library systems in the nation
- Prepare for graduate education in social work and other related fields
- Receive hands-on technical support in and outside of the classroom
- Receive individualized academic advising and mentoring from experienced, licensed social work faculty who work in the field
Coming Soon....
Chemical Dependency Prevention and Counseling certificate/certification program offered through the DLC in partnership with Penn State Abington.
Our goal is to launch this partnership in the 2023 Fall Semester. Upon completing the certificate with a BSW degree and two years of full-time work experience, Greater Allegheny graduates will be eligible to sit for the state certification exam to work as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) in Pennsylvania.
The BSW program is currently seeking accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education.
The Pennsylvania State University is currently in Pre-Candidacy for Accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation. Pre-Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation indicates that it has submitted an application to be reviewed for Candidacy and had its Benchmark I approved in draft form to move forward with Candidacy review within one year. A program that has attained Pre-Candidacy has not yet been reviewed by the Commission on Accreditation or been verified to be in compliance with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.
Students who enter programs in Pre-Candidacy that attain Candidacy in the academic year in which they begin their program of study will be retroactively recognized as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program attains Initial Accreditation. The Candidacy Process is typically a three-year process and there is no guarantee that a program in Pre-Candidacy will eventually attain Candidacy or Initial Accreditation. Candidacy by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation applies to all locations and delivery methods of an accredited program. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
For more information about social work accreditation, you may contact Accreditation.
A message from Dr. Christopher Robinson about prominent historical social work leader Dr. Dorothy Irene Height
Dr. Christopher Robinson, BSW Program Director and Assistant Professor of Social Work at Greater Allegheny share the successes and achievements of one of Mon Valley's own prominent figures in Social Work - Dr. Dorothy Irene Height.
The official course requirements for this degree can be viewed in the online Undergraduate Bulletin under the suggested academic plan.
