The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. The BSW program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.
The Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW) program is a mission, vision, and values based program that can prepare you for an impactful and rewarding career as a generalist social work practitioner.
Dr. Christopher Robinson, BSW Program Director and Assistant Professor of Social Work at Greater Allegheny shares the duties, mission and vision of a social worker
BSW Program Mission
To prepare generalist practitioners to enhance human well-being and eliminate social injustices through advocacy, cultural humility, global citizenship, scholarship, and service.
The BSW program intends 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.
BSW Program Vision
To cultivate a competency-based, diverse, student-centered, technologically advanced learning environment that empowers generalist practitioners to advance human well-being through competent, culturally sensitive, anti-discriminatory, and anti-racist social work practice.
BSW Program Values
- Advocacy – Championing the rights of others through social, economic, environmental, and political forms of direct intervention and human empowerment.
- Diversity – Embracing cultural humility and fostering an environment of equity and inclusion that promotes dignity, respect, and the advancement of social justice and human rights.
- Global Citizenship – Possessing an enhanced awareness of one’s local and international environments while recognizing the collective responsibility to act and participate in developing a just and sustainable society.
- Research – Engaging in producing scholarly work to acquire new or improved appreciation, insight, knowledge, and understanding within social work.
- Service – Serving and empowering individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through exemplary servant leadership, public service, and quality programming for the betterment of society.
BSW Program Goals
- To provide a culturally sensitive, professional social work education that prepares generalist practitioners to engage in the empowerment of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- To prepare generalist practitioners to apply ethics, evidence-based knowledge, theory, and professional best practices in diverse communities and social work settings.
- To prepare generalist practitioners to identify and engage in professional social work practice focused on human well-being, alleviating poverty, and social injustices.
