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Social Work
- Hybrid (online and face-to-face) and online program delivery
- Low student to faculty ratio 1:15
- Internship experience with a wide variety of choices
- Bachelor of Social Work students may apply for Advanced Standing at CSWE approved Master of Social Work
- Practical application of knowledge toward life skills
- Fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
Welcome to the Division of Social Work at Thomas University! We are glad you are here visiting our website and hope you will find this information helpful. If you don’t find what you are looking for, be sure and e-mail us at bmilford@thomasu.edu and we will be happy to do whatever we can for you. We are a growing program here at Thomas University and are committed to developing skilled social workers who will go out and change the world! We hope you will consider joining us in doing this important work. This website will introduce you to our faculty, program and requirements. You will also find all the forms you need in order to submit an application to our program.
Great Questions to Ask About Social Work at Thomas University
Why should I seek a degree in social work?
You don’t need to look very far to see the need for social workers in our world. There are so many vital needs that social workers help to address: child abuse and neglect, family counseling, psychotherapy, legislative advocacy, community organizing, school social work, drug rehabilitation, group counseling, sexual assault issues, cultural diversity training, foster care, adoption, hospitals, hospice, children, teens, families, the elderly… wherever there is a population in need – social workers are there.
Why should I seek a degree in social work from Thomas University?
Thomas University offers a degree program in social work that guarantees you a low student/faculty ratio in your classes and a flexible class schedule designed to accommodate the needs of full time students and full time professionals. Our faculty is experienced in supporting first generation students, working parents and other interested groups in obtaining their BSW degree. And Thomas University participates in the 4-E Child Welfare Training Grant which provides full tuition scholarships for students (especially currently employed DFCS workers) interested in working in child welfare (more on this below). Our Division of Social Work's program curriculum is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) which means you are receiving a social work degree that is as rigorous as any accreditted program in the country.
What characteristics do you look for in a student who is interested in the BSW program at Thomas?
That’s a great question. The most important characteristic is that you are interested in helping people and you are open to learning about new ways to do that. To accomplish this, you will need to take risks and be flexible. You will need to risk trying new things (like how to interview people) and be open to receiving feedback about how you can improve your skills. You need to be a good student who is able to critically examine research so you can discern the best ways to help people. You need to be comfortable with computers as many of our program elements are on-line (cable or DSL preferred over dial-up) and require lots of on-line time. You need to be a person who is willing to work hard on developing your communication skills – both written and verbal – as that is the most important quality cited by employers about valued employees. Most importantly, you need to be a responsible and ethical professional who realizes that your behavior not only affects yourself but those you serve.
What does accreditation do for a social work program?
Accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education enables professionals and other schools to know that you have achieved a certain standard of excellence in your social work education. Accreditation also enables graduating BSW students to be considered for “advanced standing” in a Masters of Social Work (MSW) program. This may allow the student to skip courses in their Master’s degree studies and obtain an MSW in a full calendar year (summer, fall, spring). However, please note that accreditation does not guarantee a student advance standing – MSW programs decide that on a case by case basis. Thomas University’s Social Work Program was fully accreditted by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in February, 2009, until the year 2013. Our accreditation status is retroactive back to our program's admission into candidacy in the academic year of 2005-2006. A CSWE accredition is considered a "gold standard" of social work education entailing the achievement of numerous benchmarks and achievements.
What makes social work different than other helping professions?
All of the helping professions seek to assist persons using a knowledge base of expertise developed by researchers. In social work, we use the “generalist” perspective which means use whatever information, technology or resource that is ethical, effective and available to help the client. Social work utilizes a “person in environment” or “ecosystems” approach which maintains that in order to help someone, you must also deal with the situation that they are in that helped to cause their problem.
Are there jobs in social work?
Yes! Social workers are in increasing demand because of the variety of skills and workplaces in which they can function (see our handout below). The Department of Labor predicts that the social work profession, as part of the wide array of health related professions, will be a growth area for employement over the next ten years. Click here to see the incredible number of job areas that social work degrees are valued in --- Jobs in Social Work.
