Welcome to the Department of Social Work!

We offer two degree programs: one leading to a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and one leading to a Master of Social Work (MSW). The BSW program emphasizes knowledge development and skill building for generalist practice, which means practice in any setting with any population. The MSW program prepares students for clinical practice with special focus on service delivery in rural settings; our advanced standing program enables students with a recent BSW to complete the MSW in three semesters of full time study. Both programs include an extensive field internship experience whereby students work with actual clients in a social service setting under the supervision of an experienced social worker to develop necessary skills. Annually our BSW and MSW students donate over 30,000 hours to local social service agencies via their field internships and have a sizeable positive impact on the community. Example internship settings include [add details].

Social workers represent the largest mental health profession in the country (citation). We strive to promote social justice and inclusion, and work to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of society. Professional opportunities are nearly endless, and it is possible to meet many social workers and not find two who do the same thing! Social workers may help people who have experienced domestic violence to maintain safety, they may support people who are struggling with substance abuse to work toward and achieve sobriety, some may work to create nurturing environments for children exposed to abuse and neglect, others may facilitate individual and family adjustment to chronic illness or disability, and still others may link older adults to services that promote independence.

All of our faculty are experienced clinicians with practice knowledge for working with clients across the lifespan in a variety of service settings such as child welfare, school systems, community mental health, substance abuse treatment, hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care settings. Our graduates are sought after clinicians currently employed at various health and human service organizations including Hamilton Center, Inc., Department of Child Services, Gibault Children Services, Vigo County School System, Cummins Behavioral Health Systems, HARSHA Behavioral Center, Union Hospital, Raintree Systems, Visiting Nurse Association, Next Step Foundation, Inc, FSA Counseling Center, Good Samaritan Hospitals, and many more.

Explore our website to learn more about our programs and consider whether social work is your professional calling. Please make an appointment with our BSW Program Director or our MSW Program Director should you like to further discuss the social work profession and its fit for you.

Robin Bonifas, PhD, MSW, LICSW