School of Health Sciences & Education
Social Work, Bachelor of Science
Introduction
Earn an Impactful Social Work Degree from Saint Francis University
Majoring in social work means striving for social justice, fighting poverty, championing others on a journey toward healing, and living a life in service to a greater cause. The fully accredited social work program at Saint Francis University can provide the foundation that you need to transform your passion into a social service degree – and a meaningful career.
Offered: On-Campus
Accredited by the Council of Social Work Education.
More than 90% of our graduates meet advanced standing criteria for masters programs (allowing them to complete their MSW in a year or less).
Named a “Best Social Work Program in Pennsylvania” by SocialWorkDegree.org
The SFU Learning Experience
Social Work the Saint Francis Way
We challenge students to engage and intervene with the larger community and political concerns that can cause or alleviate human suffering among individuals, communities, and global societies. As a social work major, you can discover a career with meaning, action, diversity satisfaction and variety.
Discover your Career Path in Social Work
The careers that our graduates follow are as varied as our graduates themselves. From day one, our Social Work program is dedicated to equipping you with diverse curricular and field experiences. Plus, with an immersive 400-hour field experience during your senior year, you can discover the right path for you.
Here are some of the experiences that our students can take advantage of:
Research: Our students are routinely invited to attend national conferences, and often are able to present the research that they worked on with faculty. You may also have the opportunity to be monitors (and be paid) through our IM4Q Grant that supports research on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Phi Alpha Honor Society: Phi Alpha is the honorary social work society at SFU. New members are inducted at our annual banquet, and you can network with current students and alumni at multiple events throughout the year.
Pennsylvania National Association of Social Workers: Many Saint Francis students are active in the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which serves as the leading voice of the profession in the Commonwealth to enhance the value and respect of social workers, to influence public policy and to promote social justice.
Join the Club!
The social work club is one of the most active clubs on campus!
Hosting Take Back the Night, an empowerment week for victims of domestic violence, and child abuse every spring,
holiday programs to raise funds for local families and much more.
CURRICULUM & COURSES
What You’ll Learn in the Social Work Program
Students are encouraged to understand themselves as agents of positive change in the world, committed to justice, and equipped to defend the dignity and worth of all human beings.
As a social worker major, you will:
- Study the theory and practice of social work across the full range of social work settings, including social welfare policy and services, human behavior in the social environment, social work practice, human diversity, and social justice
- Gain the benefit of practicing advocacy, psychotherapy and counseling skills within the smaller classes at Saint Francis.
- Have the opportunity to join the social work club and host Take Back the Night, an empowerment week for victims of domestic violence, rape, and child abuse every spring.
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Degree Paths
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Learning Objectives
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Accreditation
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On-Campus:
Degree Path Description Course Catalog Plan of Study Social Work, B.S.
Master the knowledge base for entry into generalist social work practice at the beginning professional level
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With a degree in social work, you’ll be able to:
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Use empirically based, cutting-edge methods and approaches to enhance social work practice and policies in an ever-evolving, local-to-global social context
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Develop engagement, assessment and evaluative practice skills and use them in work with individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations and government systems in micro-to-macro settings
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Respond to expressed human needs individually and in work with systems and governments to shape associated policy
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Accreditation
The Bachelor of Social Work degree is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The program first received accreditation in 1974. Bachelor of Social Work graduates from accredited programs are now eligible for licensing in Pennsylvania, and those with a Master of Social Work degree are licensable in all 50 states.
Accreditation
LAST COMPLETED ON 8/5/21
Form AS 4(B): A form required for Reaffirmation, Candidacy, and ongoing compliance per AS 4.0.3.
Submitting Form AS 4 for Reaffirmation Self-Study & Candidacy Benchmarks
This form is used to assist the COA in the evaluation of the program’s compliance with the accreditation standard below:
4.0.3: The program uses Form AS 4(B) and/or Form AS 4(M) to report its most recent assessment outcomes for each program option to constituents and the public on its website and routinely up-dates (minimally every 2 years) its findings.
All programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (COA) are required to measure and report student learning outcomes. All students are assessed using a minimum of two measures on their mastery of the nine competencies that comprise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) and any additional competencies programs may choose to add. These holistic competencies reflect the dimensions (knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive & affective processes) of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their professional training.
Programs determine a percentage-based benchmark for each competency and determine an outcome-measure benchmark (minimum score) for each measure. The competency benchmark (which can differ for each competency) represents the minimum percent of students the program expects to have achieved the outcome measure benchmarks in both/all measures for each of the nine competencies. The program then determines the percentage of students that attained each outcome measure (e.g., minimum score or higher), and aggregates the percentages for both/all measures together to obtain the percentage of students demonstrating competence inclusive of two (2) or more measures. The result of aggregating both/all outcome measure percentages provides the percentage of students achieving the competency benchmark. An aggregated percentage at or above the competency benchmark is considered achievement of that competency. If the program has more than one program option, the program must report data for each program option, and also an aggregate of all program options combined to determine an overall percentage of students across all program options achieving the competency benchmark.
Posting Form AS 4 for Ongoing Compliance with AS 4.0.3
Per the requirement of CSWE COA’s recognizing body, the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and accreditation standard 4.0.3, programs must post this form publicly on its website and routinely up-date (minimally every 2 years) its findings. Upon request, programs must provide CSWE with the weblink to the published form on the program’s website where it is accessible to the public. Data presented on the form must be collected within 2 years of today’s date at all times.
Summary of the Program’s Assessment Plan | Generalist Practice
All students are assessed using a minimum of two measures on their mastery of the nine competencies that comprise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education and any additional competencies programs may choose to add. Summarize the program’s competency-based assessment plan. Programs may add/delete rows to accurately reflect the number measures included in the data presented.
Assessment Measure #1: Field Evaluation
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Dimension(s) assessed: |
All competencies |
| When/where students are assessed: |
Field, internship sites, Fall of senior year |
| Who assessed student competence |
Field instructor and field coordinator |
| Outcome Measure Benchmark (minimum score indicative of achievement) for Competencies 1-9: | 90% |
| Competency Benchmark (percent of students the program expects to have achieved the minimum scores, inclusive of all measures) for Competencies 1-9: | 100% |
Assessment Measure #2: Senior Exit Interview and Evaluation
| Dimension(s) assessed: | Student, self-evaluation of knowledge skills and values, competency areas | ||
| When/where students are assessed: |
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| Who assessed student competence: | Student Self Assessed then faculty reviewed. | ||
| Outcome Measure Benchmark (minimum score indicative of achievement) for Competencies 1-9: |
70% or higher Likert scale 1-5 3.5 = 70% |
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| Competency Benchmark (percent of students the program expects to have achieved the minimum scores, inclusive of all measures) for Competencies 1-9: | 100% |
SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY BACCULAUREATE SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES AS4 (B)
Assessment Data Collected during the Academic Year (2020-2021)
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COMPETENCY |
COMPETENCY BENCHMARK (%) |
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK |
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Aggregate of Students from All Program Options |
Program Option #1 (identify location/delivery method) n = 7 |
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| Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior | 90% | 93% | 94% |
| Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice | 90% | 93% | 93% |
| Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice | 90% | 100% | 94% |
| Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice | 90% | 93% | 93% |
| Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice | 90% | 93% | 94% |
| Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 90% | 100% | 94% |
| Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 90% | 93% | 94% |
| Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 90% | 93% | 94% |
| Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 90% | 100% | 95% |
Experienced faculty who love to teach
Our social work faculty are dedicated to preparing our students with the competency, practice skills, ethics and knowledge base for entry into generalist social work practice at the beginning professional level.
Program Chair: Dr. Suzanne Black, sblack@francis.edu, 814.472.3091
Career Outlook in Social Work
100% of our graduating class was either employed or enrolled in graduate school within the first 9 months after graduation.
Our Social Work graduates have secured positions in:
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Mental Health (Case Manager, Therapist)
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Medical Social worker (Hospice, Aging Services, Hospital)
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Child Welfare (Foster Care, Adoption, Child Protective Services)
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Human Rights Initiatives (Refugee, Immigration, United Nations)
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Community Organizing, advocacy, and development
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Social Work and Saint Francis University
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What can I do with a social work degree?
There are opportunities for employment in such areas as individual, family and group treatment, community organization, child welfare, public welfare, hospital and home nursing, social services, mental health and mental retardation programs, as well as programs for the elderly, drug and alcohol programs, community action programs, primary and secondary schools, correctional facilities, early intervention, crisis intervention and many more.
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Is there an opportunity to do field work?
Yes! In the social work program, we recognize that the career paths our graduates follow are as varied as they are with an immersive 400-hour field experience during your senior year, you can discover the right path for you.
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Am I able to study abroad?
We encourage our students of social work to study abroad! The experience helps students to gain new social work insight within a different environment while learning about new practices and understandings of other cultures. Many social work students choose to earn credits through a 3-week, field specific summer program in Taiwan.
There are opportunities for employment in such areas as individual, family and group treatment, community organization, child welfare, public welfare, hospital and home nursing, social services, mental health and mental retardation programs, as well as programs for the elderly, drug and alcohol programs, community action programs, primary and secondary schools, correctional facilities, early intervention, crisis intervention and many more.
Yes! In the social work program, we recognize that the career paths our graduates follow are as varied as they are with an immersive 400-hour field experience during your senior year, you can discover the right path for you.
We encourage our students of social work to study abroad! The experience helps students to gain new social work insight within a different environment while learning about new practices and understandings of other cultures. Many social work students choose to earn credits through a 3-week, field specific summer program in Taiwan.