Social Work

College of Arts and Sciences

The Faculty of Social Sciences

The Social Work Program is housed within the Department of Sociology, Social Work & Criminal Justice

Stroud Hall, Room 101

570-422-3453

www.esu.edu/soc

About the Program

The Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice offers a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology; Bachelor of Science in Social Work; and Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with three minors in Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. It also jointly offers a Certificate in Crisis Intervention with the department of Psychology.

The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) Program includes providing students with the educational background necessary to become competent generalist social work practitioners and ensuring that BSSW graduates have the preparation essential to successfully pursue graduate study in social work.

The goals of the Program are to:

Prepare students for competent generalist social work practice that promotes human and community well-being, and embraces a person and environment construct through the program emphasis on the requisite knowledge, professional values and skills.
Serve as a resource to the community which is accomplished in several ways including:
1. Engaging in scientific inquiry with local and regional community partners that seeks to expand knowledge, improve service delivery, enhance quality of life, and advance human rights.
2. Contributing social work interns and program graduates to the community that are prepared to address the needs within it.
Prepare baccalaureate-level social workers for generalist practice that is committed to utilizing a strengths perspective.

East Stroudsburg University was granted Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Initial Accreditation of the Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) Program in June 2015. The program received CSWE Reaffirmation of its accreditation for eight years in June 2019.

This program is offered by the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice.

Is social worker a career path for me?

Career Potential

Social Worker in an array of social and human services delivery systems
Crisis Intervention Worker
Case Manager
Social Researcher
Community Organizer

Career Settings

Not for Profit Agencies
Public Agencies
Mental Health Agencies
Child Welfare Systems
Substance Abuse Treatment Programs
Health Care Delivery Systems
Homeless Assistance Agencies
Anti-poverty Programs
Residential Treatment Programs
Schools
Government
Community Relations

More detailed career information is available from the department.

Social Work B.S.

Formal admission into the program requires completion of SOSW 140 with a grade of “C” or higher; a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better; and, submission of the BSSW Program Admission Application Form with two letters of reference and a two-page personal statement.

Continuation in the program requires maintaining a 2.5 GPA in the social work major and receiving a minimum of a “C” in every required course. Students must also abide by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics; demonstrate accepted standards of conduct in the classroom and field education components of the program; and, demonstrate progress in attaining the Competencies as outlined by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 2015 EPAS.

Failure to maintain the requisite 2.5 in the program after two remediation attempts are made can result in termination from the major.

Successful completion of the program requires a 2.5 GPA in the social work major, a minimum of a "C" or higher in all required courses and an overall GPA of 2.0.

Please see the university requirements in this catalog.

Social Work Minor

24 credit hours

The 24-credit minor in Social Work emphasizes the knowledge and skills necessary for students to think critically and to develop beginning helping skills. The goal of the Social Work program is to provide students the educational background necessary for competent generalist social work practice in a range of human service settings and/or to pursue graduate study in social work or related disciplines. The Social Work minor not only complements the Sociology and Criminal Justice majors offered in the department, but also many other majors across various professional helping fields and disciplines in the behavioral, social and health sciences.

Crisis Intervention Certificate

This sub-baccalaureate certificate program is offered jointly by the Department of Psychology and the Department of Sociology, Social Work, & Criminal Justice.

Crisis Intervention is emergency psychosocial care aimed at assisting individuals in a crisis situation to restore equilibrium to their biopsychosocial functioning and to minimize the potential for psychological trauma.

Courses cover the skills necessary to assess and deescalate crisis.