Social workers are people who want their lives to make a difference. Social work is a profession devoted to helping people function the best way possible in their environment. It can mean working directly with clients or working to improve social conditions and promote social change through advocacy.
Social work is distinguished from other helping professions because of the focus on people in their environment. Social workers deal not only with how clients experience a situation, but also what their clients can do about it. Social workers can work side-by-side with their clients in a strength based approach, or through direct counseling, where social workers help clients identify their concerns, consider effective solutions, and find reliable resources to resolve the issues and prevent future concerns.
Lindenwood University offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work that is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education through February of 2013. Students earning the degree are eligible for advanced standing, course requirement reductions, in accredited graduate social work programs and may also take the licensure examination in locaions where that is available or required. This program can be completed on a full-time basis in four years. Part-time programming is also an option. The uniqueness of the LU Social Work Program comes in small interactive classes with individual mentoring taught by social workers with considerable practice experience. The Social Work program is designed to prepare graduates for generalist social work practice by training graduates for entry-level positions. Coursework also prepares students with the groundwork to pursue and succeed in an MSW graduate program. Classes focus on social work values and ethics, social and economic justice, cultural diversity, critical thinking and communication skills, populations at risk and practice at the individual, group, family, organizational, and community levels.
It takes a minimum of 128 credit hours to complete an undergraduate degree from Lindenwood University in Social Work.
At least 43 of these hours are of more concentrated and focused course work in Social Work and interrelated fields including psychology, sociology, economics and political science.
The Lindenwood University Social Work Program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.
Practice skills are enhanced by active involvement in social work agencies by working directly with people in need, a 400-hour field practicum and community service projects through the Social Work Student Alliance, the campus social work student organization.
Graduates of the LU Social Work program have become employed as child abuse/neglect investigators, school social workers, family support workers, aging specialists, foster care workers, crisis intervention workers for mentally ill adults, international adoption workers, counselors for troubled teens, job counselors for the developmentally disabled, housing advocates, alcohol and drug treatment counselors, community support workers, early childhood home visitors, domestic violence shelter coordinators, probation and parole officers, and refugee services specialists for the military. This wide array of job placements demonstrates the flexibility of work settings that a degree in Social Work offers. Those graduates who have been admitted to graduate programs in Social Work report being prepared for the rigors of the MSW curriculum and expectations.
Do you want to help people change their lives? Consider Social Work at LU
For more information, contact:
Mike Jacobsen, LCSW, PhD. Phone:636-949-4391 or email him at
mjacobsen@lindenwood.edu
Learn more about social work at these helpful sites:
National Association of Social Workers - www.naswdc.org
National Association of Social Workers-Missouri Chapter - www.nasw-mo.org
The New Social Worker - www.socialworker.com
Occupational Outlook Handbook - www.bls.gov/oco/
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