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Department of Social Work

College of Health & Human Services

Prepare for a rewarding career helping individuals and organizations improve quality of life and achieve their full potential in society with a social work degree from Indiana State.

What is Social Work?

We offer two-degree programs: one leading to a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and one leading to a Master of Social Work (MSW). The BSW program emphasizes knowledge development and skill building for generalist practice, which means practice in any setting with any population. The MSW program prepares students for clinical practice with special focus on service delivery in rural settings; our advanced standing program enables students with a recent BSW to complete the MSW in three semesters of full time study. Both programs include an extensive field internship experience whereby students work with actual clients in a social service setting under the supervision of an experienced social worker to develop necessary skills. Annually our BSW and MSW students donate over 30,000 hours to local social service agencies via their field internships and have a sizeable positive impact on the community. Example internship settings include [add details].

Social workers represent the largest mental health profession in the country (citation). We strive to promote social justice and inclusion, and work to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of society. Professional opportunities are nearly endless, and it is possible to meet many social workers and not find two who do the same thing! Social workers may help people who have experienced domestic violence to maintain safety, they may support people who are struggling with substance abuse to work toward and achieve sobriety, some may work to create nurturing environments for children exposed to abuse and neglect, others may facilitate individual and family adjustment to chronic illness or disability, and still others may link older adults to services that promote independence.

All of our faculty are experienced clinicians with practice knowledge for working with clients across the lifespan in a variety of service settings such as child welfare, school systems, community mental health, substance abuse treatment, hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care settings. Our graduates are sought after clinicians currently employed at various health and human service organizations including Hamilton Center, Inc., Department of Child Services, Gibault Children Services, Vigo County School System, Cummins Behavioral Health Systems, HARSHA Behavioral Center, Union Hospital, Raintree Systems, Visiting Nurse Association, Next Step Foundation, Inc, FSA Counseling Center, Good Samaritan Hospitals, and many more.

Explore our website to learn more about our programs and consider whether social work is your professional calling. Please make an appointment with our BSW Program Director or our MSW Program Director should you like to further discuss the social work profession and it’s fit for you.

Robin Bonifas, PhD, MSW, LICSW

Our Mission and Goals

The Council on Social Work Education describes the purpose of social work profession “is to promote human and community well-being. Guided by a person-in-environment framework, a global perspective, respect for human diversity, and knowledge based on scientific inquiry, the purpose of social work is actualized through its quest for social and economic justice, the prevention of conditions that limit human rights, the elimination of poverty, and the enhancement of the quality of life for all persons, locally and globally.”

Council on Social Work Education. (2015). Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards for Baccalaureate and Master’s Social Work Programs. Author. Available at https://www.cswe.org/getmedia/23a35a39-78c7-453f-b805-b67f1dca2ee5/2015-epas-and-glossary.pdf 

The Department of Social Work strives for distinction in its mission to educate committed and competent generalist professionals who have integrated the knowledge, values, and skill base of the social work profession, are able to provide direct services to diverse populations, and are prepared to work with client systems of various sizes and types. Students are educated to recognize social work as a discipline with a broad mandate and to accept that they have a dual responsibility to work with designated clients as well as to work toward a society that reflects economic and social justice.

Signature pedagogy represents the central form of instruction and learning in which a profession socializes its students to perform the role of practitioner. Professionals have pedagogical norms with which they connect and integrate theory and practice. In social work, the signature pedagogy is field education. The intent of field education is to connect the theoretical and conceptual contribution of the classroom with the practical world of the practice setting. It is a basic precept of social work education that the two interrelated components of curriculum—classroom and field—are of equal importance within the curriculum, and each contributes to the development of the requisite competencies of professional practice. Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated based on criteria by which students demonstrate the achievement of program competencies.

(Council on Social Work Education, Educational Policies and Standards 2008)

RHIC Simulation Center

Students in programs from the College of Health and Human Services at Indiana State University enjoy a wide variety of simulations activities that have been integrated into their curricula.  In addition, students are afforded the opportunity of learning through interprofessional teams. Students are often placed into simulated situations where they are learning from, with, and about other disciplines, which is incredibly important as they will often be working side by side with professionals across the healthcare spectrum after graduation.

The RHIC was the first simulation center in the state of Indiana to become accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree provides a foundation in the skills and knowledge necessary to practice social work or work in related fields such as social services and social welfare. Graduates gain a strong understanding of social work principles, code of ethics, case management, client advocacy, and critical awareness of social justice issues. It’s a pivotal step for those aspiring to make a difference by helping underserved and historically under-resourced populations.

Social Work Degree (BSW) | Indiana State University

A master’s in social work (MSW) is a graduate degree that prepares students for advanced social work practice. It opens doors to highly impactful career opportunities and specializations, including mental health case managers, child welfare specialists, and substance abuse counselors. MSW programs typically take about two years to complete and prepare students for state licensure, which is necessary for clinical and generalist practice. If you have a bachelor’s degree in social work or another field, an MSW offers a gateway to becoming a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), allowing you to provide advanced clinical services, one-on-one psychotherapy, and pursue management-level positions. These programs focus on specialization areas such as child welfare, family practice, grief counseling, and substance abuse, and often include supervised fieldwork to gain practical experience.

Social Work (MSW) | Indiana State University

Course Accreditation

The BSW program is Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education

The MSW program is Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education

Council on Social Work Education