A smiling female student drips a chemical into a vial.A smiling female student drips a chemical into a vial.

Social Work

Faculty

Twiss (chairperson), Barksdale, Boyle, Christopher, Jeffrey, Perry-Burney, Smiley, Thomas, Wass

Programs

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

Program Mission

The mission of the California University of Pennsylvania B.S.W. Program is to prepare committed, competent beginning social work practitioners to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Taking an ecological and problem-solving approach, our aim is to develop generalist social work practitioners who will competently:

  • engage their environments,
  • provide adequate opportunities and resources,
  • develop the profession’s knowledge base and
  • enhance the social functioning of all.

This foundation-level preparation is integrated with the University’s core values, rights and responsibilities and with the core values and ethical standards of the profession and provides the foundation for graduate education. As a publicly funded university in a rural and small town area, we are specifically committed to improving the quality of life in our surrounding region and in the broader global society through the development of professional leadership, service, research and continuing education.

Program Goals

The B.S.W. Program at Cal U has four goals. These goals provide direction for our curriculum and our research and service activities.

Goal 1: Provide the student with generalist knowledge, skills and core social work values for entry into beginning social work practice in a variety of agencies and human service settings.

Goal 2: Provide the student with knowledge and skills to address social welfare needs and issues relevant to complex global societies.

Goal 3: Develop leaders prepared to enhance the development of social welfare and the delivery of social services.

Goal 4: Enhance social welfare, the provision of social services and the social work profession through service, research and continuing education, including work on advanced degrees.

The Social Work Program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.

Careers

Graduates of the Social Work Program are eligible for membership in the National Association of Social Workers and, with a high enough GPA, for advanced standing in most accredited graduate social work programs. This degree provides career opportunities in a variety of human service settings, including government agencies, mental and/or behavioral health care facilities, hospitals and outpatient health care agencies, schools, drug and alcohol programs, prisons and other legal settings, family service agencies, etc. Social workers provide direct or indirect services on behalf of individuals, families, groups and communities.