Department Overview

The Department of Social Work at Western Connecticut State University provides a generalist baccalaureate social work education, which meets or exceeds the Council on Social Work Education Standards of Accreditation and is in keeping with the CSWE Curriculum Policy Statement. Click here for information on the history of the department. The Department prepares entry level social workers with the knowledge and skills to provide services which promote and strengthen the well being of individuals, families, groups, and communities, and which are consistent with the values and ethics of the profession. The Department operates in the context of a broad liberal arts education, in keeping with the mission of the University. It serves as an accessible, responsive, and creative intellectual resource to the WCSU and regional communities.

Social work helps to bring about positive social change. Graduates of the program are able to practice in a wide variety of public and private agencies providing direct and indirect services to diverse populations.

Overview

The Department of Social Work provides a competency-based generalist baccalaureate social work education which meets or exceeds the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Standards of Accreditation and whose curriculum is in keeping with CSWE’s educational policy and standards. The degree awarded by Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) is a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, recognized nationally as a BSW (bachelor degree in social work, accredited).

Graduates and students may be eligible for advanced standing in graduate schools for a master’s degree in social work, and students may be eligible for student membership in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and nomination to Phi Alpha Honor Society.

Mission

The Department of Social Work at Western Connecticut State University prepares highly competent generalist social workers to practice as professionals and leaders in a manner consistent with the purposes and values of the profession. The Department builds upon a liberal arts education by creating opportunities for internships, research, and experiential learning that ignite a desire for life-long learning. The Department engages students in education and training of the social work process, preparing them to employ practice that enhances the quality of life for people in the community while balancing the person-in-environment framework and a global perspective. The program highlights respect for difference, the value of the relationship as a vehicle for change, the pursuit of social and economic justice, and equitable human rights.

Goals To achieve this, the Department prepares students to:

• Promote individual, family, and community well-being, human rights, and social, economic, and environmental justice.
• Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior as informed by the values, principles, and standards as outlined in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
• Understand the importance of diversity and intersectionality in shaping life experiences on the micro, mezzo, macro level and challenge systemic mechanisms of oppression and discrimination.
• Integrate research-based practice and use practice to inform scholarship.
• View social welfare policy with a critical lens and enact policy and advocacy initiatives on a local, national, and global scale.
• Utilize the social work process of engaging, assessing, intervening, and evaluating individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.