The social work major is built upon a strong liberal arts base as provided by the University’s core curriculum and social science foundation courses. Course work in the major is designed to prepare students for entry-level practice in a wide variety of social work settings. Students develop a broad knowledge base that includes the study of professional ethics, diverse populations, social policy, human development and social relations, and the functioning of organizations and institutions. Students learn practice skills such as interviewing and record-keeping.

They learn to carry out the social work process of assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, and termination with client systems of varying sizes. Major courses are taken in a sequence that culminates with a full-time block placement in a local agency in the last semester of the senior year. The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Graduates are eligible to apply to become Licensed Social Workers (LSW) in the state of Ohio and in other states that license BSW-level social workers. Social workers serve client systems ranging in age from children to elderly adults in many different settings, such as mental health, children’s services, and services to the elderly. Graduates also work as social workers in host settings such as hospitals, correctional facilities, and schools.