BSW - Social Work

The mission of the Social Work program is to prepare students for generalist entry level social work practice and provide opportunities for students to become world changers by integrating their personal faith with their academic learning in order to maximize their service to their fellow human beings.

Upon completion of the Social Work program at Indiana Wesleyan University, students will be able to demonstrate the following core competencies within the framework of the generalist model of social work practice:

• Provide opportunities for the integration of Christian principles within the context of professional social work values and ethics.
• Identify as a professional Social Worker and conduct oneself accordingly.
• Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
• Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments
• Engage diversity and difference in practice
• Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
• Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
• Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
• Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and deliver effective social work services
• Respond to context that shapes practice.
• Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

The IWU Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); phone 703-638-8080.  Students wishing to continue graduate education may be eligible for advanced standing at many graduate schools of Social Work. Graduates of the Social Work program are eligible to become full members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and National Association of Christian Social Workers (NACSW).

Throughout the curriculum, theory and practice are integrated through a variety of educational experiences and agency settings. Students are required to become active within the community in a variety of capacities throughout the program. Students are required to complete approximately 15.5 hours of field work per week with a total of 400 hours over a 26 week period. According to CSWE the field placement is the signature pedagogy of Social Work program professional development.