Home > Departments > Social Work > Social Work, BSW

Social Work, BSW

At a glance

  • Strong preparation for career and graduate studies
  • Emphasis on experiential learning with student-selected internship placement
  • Only BSW program in the State of Delaware
  • Nationally ranked by US News and World Report
  • Opportunities for faculty-student collaboration,
  • Graduates will be eligible for advanced standing, shortening the path to an MSW
  • We work with community college students who have associate degrees that are similar to social work through our connected degree program.
  • Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for their license, if needed, as required by their home states

The Baccalaureate Social Work Program was granted full accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in 1982. It reaffirmed its accredited status in 1990 and 1998. Currently, the BSW Program’s Reaffirmation of Accredited status continues through 2020.

The curriculum of the Bachelor of Social Work Program is designed to fulfill the program’s Mission, which is to prepare baccalaureate students for entry-level generalist practice in the profession. Upon graduating from the BSW program at Delaware State University, students are prepared to demonstrate the knowledge, values, and skills integrated in the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) competencies and behaviors when working in diverse practice settings with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The BSW curriculum is grounded in the Department of Social Work’s five underpinnings.

Applicants seeking admission to Delaware State University are expected to follow the general admission procedures. Formal admission into the Baccalaureate Social Work Program (BSW) is decided at the departmental level. The following admissions criteria must be completed: successful completion of two years of undergraduate study with a GPA of 2.50 or higher on a 4.00 scale; a grade of “C” or better in all social work courses and co-requisites; Introduction to Psychology; Introduction to Sociology; Microcomputer Applications; a completed application form; and an interview. The Baccalaureate Social Work curriculum is structured to offer a well-integrated program in the liberal arts, socio-behavioral sciences, scientific-analytical study, and professional content courses. The foundation content areas include: Social Welfare Policies and Programs, Human Behavior and Social Environment, Social Work Practice, Research, and Field Practicum. Students must complete General Education requirements as defined by the University, social work co-requisites and social work courses, including twelve (12) credit hours of field practicum for a total of 122 credit hours as presented in the attached curriculum.

Students receive individual advisement from the social work faculty from initial contact through graduation. All care is taken to ensure that the student’s career goals and objectives are in congruence with the objectives of the social work program and the profession. No credit is given for prior field of life experiences. Students are encouraged to participate in departmental and University student organizations and in affiliated professional organizations.

The Baccalaureate Social Work Program at Delaware State University prepares individuals to become professional social workers. The social work profession values integrity, service, human relationships, dignity and worth of the person, and justice. We are a nationally accredited program through the Council of Social Work Education.

The curriculum for the Baccalaureate in Social Work is designed to fulfill the program’s mission to prepare students for entry-level generalist practice. Upon graduating from the BSW program at Delaware State University, students are prepared to demonstrate the knowledge, values and skills integrated in the nine (9) core competencies (Ethics, Diversity, Justice, Research, Policy, Engagement, Assessment, Intervention and Evaluation) and all 41 practice behaviors when working in diverse practice settings with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The BSW curriculum is grounded in the Department of Social Work’s five underpinnings.

Applicants seeking admission to Delaware State University are expected to follow the general admission procedures. Formal admission into the Baccalaureate Social Work Program (BSW) is decided at the departmental level. Criteria are found in the handbook and the undergraduate course catalog: https://www.desu.edu/academics/course-catalogs. Students take all the necessary coursework to sit for any undergraduate license in the country, prepare themselves for entry-level social work positions, and are eligible for advanced standing in MSW programs that offer an advanced standing program. Coursework is found in the Course Curriculum below.

The full-time social work faculty provides academic and career advisement. All care is taken to ensure that the student’s career goals and objectives are in congruence with the objectives of the social work program and the profession.

The BSW Program Goals

  1. To prepare students to practice as entry-level generalist social workers using the person in environment framework as well as graduate-level education in social work.
  2. To graduate students who employ empowerment-oriented and strengths-based frameworks to promote human and social wellbeing for social work practice within the context of a diverse (Black) perspective for global social work practice and the changing demographics of the country.
  3. To graduate students who engage in practice informed research and research-informed practice to generate data that will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  4. To prepare students to use critical thinking in order to employ a range of prevention and intervention methods to the service delivery of the diverse clients they serve.
  5. To prepare students who understand the contexts that shape practice, Delaware’s rural populations, and who possess ethical principles with a level of awareness and sensitivity, that will enable them to practice with culturally diverse populations on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
  6. To graduate students who advocate for human rights and social-economic justice with a commitment to engaging in activities aimed at ensuring that the basic needs of all people are met, locally, nationally and globally.

Required Courses

VIEW course curriculumView The course descriptions