2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

School of Social Work, Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BSW) Program

The School of Social Work mission informs the programs and values of the School of Social Work Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. programs. To support the advancement of social work education at every stage in a social worker's professional career, accredited courses are offered for undergraduate and graduate students on campus and online, in addition to continuing education programs. School of Social Work faculty regularly publish and present research findings at conferences across the U.S. and around world.

School of Social Work Mission

To prepare social workers—through instruction in integrated social work theory, research, methods, and practice—to identify, dismantle, and resist all forms of social inequality and oppression, particularly issues of racism and its impact on social work practice. We are deeply committed to training social workers to think critically and intervene against cultural, social, political, and economic practices that do not advance human rights, justice, or the dignity and worth of every human being.

Bachelor of Arts in Social Work

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program at Sacred Heart University boasts a rigorous Generalist Practice courses grounded in the liberal arts and embracing equity, inclusion, and belonging in both explicit and implicit curricula. Founded in the 1980s, the BSW is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The plan of study immerses students in the theory and practice of social work across the full variety of social work settings and introduces practice roles from casework to community advocacy and organizing to politics and campaigning. The BSW is an inter-professional, global program, incorporating prerequisites and related studies in psychology, sociology, government, and statistics, and teaching engagement, assessment, and intervention skills in campus classrooms and in such far distant places as Ireland. Noted by the CSWE for our vanguard dedication to comprehensive practice integration, the BSW program prepares students to think critically, advance human rights, and defend the dignity and worth of every human being.

In addition to the Bachelor of Arts Social Work (BSW), the BSW Program also offers a minor in social work. For more information about both programs and to declare a social work major or minor, please contact the BSW Program Director.

Faculty & Staff