Fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, Anna Maria College's Bachelor of Arts in Social Work Program prepares students for a variety of careers in public and private social work settings, for social work licensure, and for further study, often in a Master’s of Social Work Program.  The Program assists students as they prepare for professional practice by expanding their social work knowledge base, by teaching changing technologies, and by addressing increasingly complex human and social concerns. Following professional tradition, the Program prepares baccalaureate-level students for generalist practice by utilizing program activities, course work, and field experiences that use a strength based, person-in-environment frame of reference.  These learning opportunities focus on the promotion of human well-being by strengthening the opportunities, resources, and capacities people have and by creating policies and services to correct conditions that limit human quality of life. Emphasis is placed upon values derived from the Catholic tradition, including the value of the human person, the common good of humanity, moral and ethical growth, responsible action in unjust situations, as well as effective work in family and community systems.  Additionally, the program addresses specific overarching issues, such as spirituality, economic and social justice, ethics and discrimination.

The program has a strong field placement component, with students completing a 40-hour internship during the second semester of their junior year and a 425-hour field placement during their senior year.  In addition, students in their freshman and sophomore years complete 40 and 80 hours of volunteer work respectively, as a means of exposing them to diverse and vulnerable populations and introducing them to the field and social work world view.  The integration of these knowledge elements, values, and skills are the foundation for competent and effective professional social work practice.

Students may begin their social work major in the first semester. However, students are not formally admitted to the social work program until the completion of a review process at the end of the sophomore year.

In addition to general requirements, students take the following specific courses:
Introduction to Sociology
Principles of Economics
Social Welfare as a Social Institution
Racial and Cultural Minorities
Social Welfare Policies
Interventive Methods I
Growth and Behavior and Social Environment I
Growth and Behavior and Social Environment II
Marriage and the Family
Research Methods in Social Work
Interventive Methods II
Field Work and Seminar (two semesters)
Interventive Methods III
Interventive Methods IV
Senior Seminar

For more information, please contact:
Denise Hildreth, M.S.W., LICSW
Program Director
(508) 849-3242
dhildreth@annamaria.edu