Work with individuals, families, groups to advance justice and equity for all.
Social workers engage clients, organizations, and society to promote social justice, well-being, and respect for humankind. If this is the change you would like to see in the world, join the School of Social Work at Syracuse and its network of nearly 7,000 alumni who embrace the profession’s commitment to the values of human diversity and the dignity and worth of humankind.
The Syracuse Advantage
- Our core mission centers around a shared commitment to enhance human thriving via:
- Advocating for social, economic, and environmental justice and challenging social inequities.
- Encouraging self-awareness.
- Embodying the practices of cultural competence and cultural humility.
- The program prepares graduates for competent and effective generalist professional practice by developing the requisite social work knowledge, values, and skills, and to prepare undergraduate students for continuing professional education and/or graduate education.
- The curriculum incorporates instruction in professional foundation areas; carefully chosen and strong behavioral sciencesl and natural sciences taken within the College of Arts and Sciences.
The B.S.S.W. is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Social work is a civic-minded profession guided by foundational principles of justice, dignity, and the intrinsic value of every individual. The accreditation standards set by CSWE are firmly rooted in these principles, collaborating with skilled educators and community allies to cultivate excellence in social work research, policy, theory, and practice.
Hands-on Learning
- The final year of the program includes a two-semester, 500-hour practicum in a human services agency that gives students supervision, work experience, leadership, and training in a theory-to-practice model. Students get broad exposure to different social work responsibilities and functions.
- Social Workers United (SWU), a student organization, aims to connect graduate and undergraduate students with faculty and staff to better serve the school, students, and community through advocacy and civic engagement. [ASD: add SWU information to the Student Organizations page and link]
- Immersive experiences including study abroad (like Social Work and Family in Santiago, Chile) and the Barbara Richman Mirken New York City Social Work Immersion Trip. [ASD: add to the experiential learning section and link]
Living Our Mission
We embrace the social work profession’s commitment to the dignity and worth of humankind. Acknowledging that all individuals, families, and communities face challenges, the mission of the Syracuse University School of Social Work is to address human need and promote social and economic justice in a diverse and rapidly changing world through the strengthening of services, interventions, and policies.
Program Requirements
Social Work majors combines professional practice and scientific foundations for a minimum of 120 credits. Students engage in learning centered around human behavior; advocacy; social, economic, and environmental justice; diversity; and policy studies. First year classes include:
- Social Work Practice Skills Laboratory
- Introduction to Biological Anthropology
- Peoples and Cultures of the World
- [ASD: need more accurate list]
Students can also choose to add additional focus specializations through carefully tailored coursework and experiential learning in Military Culture and Mental Health Practice; Social Work and the Human-Animal Bond; or Law and Social Work.
More information can be found in the Syracuse University Course Catalog.
Outcomes
Graduates are in agency and communitys settings including:
- Mental health, managed health, and healthcare service programs
- Schools, adoption agencies, and other youth services
- Public policy and court systems
- Direct service with individuals or families through counseling offices
- Further graduate studies with the Master of Social Work, M.S.W.