BSW Mission and Goals

BSW Program Mission

The mission of the BSW program is to educate students to become generalist social workers. The program mission derives from and incorporates the School of Social Work mission. Generalist social work is grounded in the liberal arts, the person-in-environment framework, and competency-based education (CSWE, 2022). Generalist social workers use a range of prevention and intervention methods in social work practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (CSWE, 2022). Generalist social workers identify with the profession and apply ethical principles and critical thinking in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice (CSWE, 2022). Generalist social workers recognize, support, and build on the strengths and resilience of people. They are strengths-based, and advocate for human rights and social and economic justice (CSWE, 2022). They incorporate an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective in support of respect for all people and the quest for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice (CSWE, 2022). They engage in research-informed practice and are proactive in responding to the impact of context on practice.

BSW Program Goals

Graduates of the BSW program will be prepared to:

1. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities. 

2. Model ethical and professional behavior in social work practice.

3. Apply a practice framework that engages diversity and difference while advancing human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.

4. Critique practice-informed research and research-informed practice.

5. Analyze policy practice.