The mission of the Social Work Program is to prepare students for beginning professional generalist social work practice in a wide range of settings, and with a diverse population through education, research, and service with special appreciation for the peoples and institutions of West Virginia, Appalachia, and other rural areas. The program has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1974. The accreditation applies to beginning level generalist social work practice. Upon completion of the requirements for the Bachelor of Social Work degree, the National Association of Social Workers will accept graduates as regular members of the Association. Additionally, graduates will be allowed to sit for the Social Work Licensure Exam.
Graduates of the four-year program will be prepared for:
- Beginning level professional generalist social work practice;
- Graduate social work education.
A basic arts and sciences education is essential to professional social work education. There is no foreign language requirement. All courses require letter grades except SOWK 4601 /SOWK 4602 , Field Instruction, which is a pass-fail evaluation due to the nature of field experience. There are no provisions for awarding academic credit for life experience or previous work experience in lieu of the field placement requirement or to fulfill any of the foundation course requirements.
Beginning with the introductory class, there are opportunities for field experience in many of the required social work courses.
