Professional social workers are predicted to experience and are the nation’s largest providers of mental health services.
Become a professionally responsible, developing generalist practitioner with the knowledge and skills necessary to intervene on behalf of diverse groups.
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ's social work program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Program Benefits
- Service learning opportunities are available locally and internationally with refugee families, adults, senior citizens, and children living in poverty.
- Personal attention and one-on-one advisement regarding coursework and career opportunities is a hallmark of this program.
- Student learning focuses on the development of social work competencies related to critical thinking, diversity and difference, use of research, policy practice, and advocacy for social, environmental, and economic justice.
- Through classes, field-based learning, research, and extracurricular activities, students are prepared for leadership in the community and the profession.
- Students participate in 420-hour internships where they work directly with social work clients in the community while learning from professionals.
- Well-qualified graduates are eligible to earn a master’s degree in social work within one year through advanced entry opportunities.
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ's Institute for Government and Non-Profit Innovation, Training, and Evaluation offers applied research opportunities to students. Faculty and students work collaboratively with local organizations to help build their capacity to respond to constantly evolving community needs. IGNITE services promote continuous improvement to programs, organizations, communities, and systems.
Career Outlook
Graduates can pursue work in various settings, including schools, health clinics, hospitals, courts, care facilities, government, and non-profit organizations. They can help diverse groups, including children, youth, adults, and seniors.
- Care coordinator
- Counselor
- Community organizer
- Educator
- Trainer
- Supervisor
- Program manager
- Administrator
- Researcher
- Policy advocate
Program Specifics
The carefully sequenced curriculum includes content on the following:
- Social work values and ethics
- Diversity, social, and economic justice
- Populations-at-risk
- Human behavior and the social environment
- Social welfare policy and services
- Social work research and practice
- Field practicum
Eight-five percent of recent BASW graduates were employed or accepted into graduate school before graduation.
100 percent of recent BASW graduates indicated they:
- Received the support they needed to succeed academically.
- Felt a sense of belonging and community in the program.
- Felt prepared to work with diverse populations and solve complex problems.
- Grew as a social work professional thanks to their field education experiences Would choose Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ if they had to start over again.
Social Work Majors gain real world experience by:
- Participating in a two semester internship (approximately 15 hours per week) in their senior year where they work directly with social work clients and/or in the community under professional supervision.
- Learning through various service learning opportunities including work with refugees and their families, people with disabilities, senior citizens, and children living in communities of poverty.
- Engaging with individuals in the social work field through professional development seminars, networking sessions, and participation in social work conferences and committees.
- Connecting with their classmates through the , a club that combines awareness raising, voluntarism, and leadership development activities.
Over the past several years, students have actively pursued a number of projects in and outside of the Buffalo area including:
- Hosting a dance party dedicated to the students of People,Inc.
- Walking to increase Breast Cancer awareness
- Collecting canned goods for the Food Bank
- Engaging in international service in the Dominican Republic
- Sending letters and supplies to military personnel overseas
Students have also been involved in the planning of the Social Work Department's Annual Humanitarian Fund Dinner to provide financial assistance to Social Work students who experience a crisis during their time in the program.