Social Work

Learn more about the Department of Social Work at Valpo online.

Assistant Professor C. Ban, MSW (BSW Program Director); B. Garling-Spychala, MSW, LCSW (Clinical Assistant Professor), N. Moy, MSW, LSW (Clinical Assistant Professor), Associate Professor M. Ringenberg, MSW, Ph.D. (MSW Program Director), Barbar Dahl, MSW, LCSW (Clinical Associate Professor), Professor Emeritus B. Crumpacker Niedner.

The Department of Social Work offers the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree and the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. As sought-after human service professionals, social workers seek to promote human and community well-being. According to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), “The purpose of the 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, racial, economic, and environmental justice; the creation of conditions that facilitate the realization of human rights; the elimination of poverty; and the enhancement of life for all people, locally and globally” (CSWE, 2022, Educational Policy Accreditation Standards, p. 14). Social Work is concerned with empowering people to develop capacities and strengths that will enhance social functioning. Our BSW graduates are prepared for generalist social work practice in a wide variety of settings. Alumni of our program are highly marketable and are employed in mental health services, schools, hospitals, elder care, churches, shelters, corrections, child welfare, public safety, government, policy, and other social service agencies. Our BSW graduates often pursue the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, which is offered at Valpo within five years of earning their BSW, and are eligible to apply for advanced standing in many MSW programs. Advanced standing typically offers students who have earned a BSW the opportunity to complete their graduate degree in one year, rather than the typical two years.

Students who are interested in social work but are not pursuing a BSW degree have the option to choose from three minors: The Foundations Minor (provides practical skills for students going into a service-oriented field), the Direct Practice Minor (provides training and a skill set for students working directly with clients, especially for psychology, nursing, communication, foreign language, education and theology students) and the Policy Practice Minor (provides advocacy skills training and enables students to practice in real settings, especially for students interested in leadership, advocacy, communications and public policy). Becoming a minor involves taking 15 credits from a pre-set list of courses found at the bottom of this section and on our website at: https://www.valpo.edu/socialwork/academics/minor-in-social-work/ . Students with a social work minor are encouraged to work with their academic advisor if a course substitution is needed. A form is available for this purpose on the Registrar webpage. Please note that 300 and 400-level social work classes are only offered once a year (SOCW 410 and SOCW 455 are only offered in the Fall, and SOCW 356 and SOCW 456 are only offered in the Spring), so students should work with their advisor or reach out to a social work professor if they have questions.

Accreditation

The Social Work, BSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The Council for Higher Education recognizes CSWE as the sole accrediting agency for baccalaureate- and masters-level social work education in the United States.

BSW Mission Statement

Valparaiso University BSW Social Work program educates culturally responsive, strengths-based, systems-focused generalist practitioners who seek truth, pursue research-informed practice, promote well-being and equity, value human rights, and act for social justice as they lead and serve at all levels of practice.

Valparaiso University’s mission as a community of learning dedicated to excellence and grounded in the Lutheran tradition of scholarship, freedom, and faith prepares students to lead and serve in both church and society. Our BSW mission statement grows out of the university mission in that we provide a rigorous and stimulating educational environment characterized by a dynamic interchange between faculty and students that promotes critical thinking, conscious use of self, and active engagement in the learning process. The BSW mission promotes the purpose of social work as a profession, as defined by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the BSW mission, university mission, and purpose of the profession undergird our program goals and curriculum.

The BSW program’s vision is to foster the creation of coherent and integrated educational learning experiences that utilize an active learner model, valuing different ways of knowing, aimed at preparing students for generalist social work practice that will:

address the whole person in the context of their environment;
be informed by an ecological/systems and strengths perspective;
be actively involved in advocacy, empowerment, and social change;
serve vulnerable and oppressed people;
implement culturally sensitive practice strategies; and
contribute meaningfully to society by valuing service, social, racial, environmental, and economic justice, the dignity and worth of each person, the importance of human relationships, and integrity and competence in all areas of generalist practice.

As a values-based profession, those who pursue an education and career in social work must be aware of and ascribe to the core values of the profession as outlined above.

Purpose

The purpose of the Social Work, BSW program is to educate and prepare students for ethical, effective, and culturally competent generalist social work practice for service in the world. The program uses a competency-based educational model and outcome performance approach to curriculum and co-curricular design to meet this purpose.

Admission Policies and Procedures for Majors and Minors

Students who wish to major or minor in social work must declare this intention either on the Admission application or by submitting a Curriculum Change form, available online. Additionally, students who submit a Curriculum Change form must also complete the BSW program’s admission process, outlined below.

University-Level Process

First-year students who enter the university with a declared social work major or minor need to take no further action at the university level. Students who wish to add a major or minor in social work and transfer from either another department or an exploratory major must complete the proper Curriculum Change form, available on the Registrar webpage to declare their intent for a social work major or minor. Students who intend to major in social work should submit this form no later than September 1st of their junior year.

Students who wish to major in social work and transfer from either another department or an exploratory major must complete the proper university-level paperwork to declare a social work major and submit it to the Office of the Registrar no later than May 1st of their sophomore year.

Students who wish to minor in social work must complete the proper university-level paperwork and submit it to the Office of the Register. Social work minors should complete university-level paperwork before the Spring of their senior year.

BSW Program-Level Admission Process for Majors

Both students who enter the university with social work as a declared major and students who change majors must complete the admission process for the BSW program no later than September 30th of their junior year. To have the process completed by this date, it should be initiated as soon as possible after entering the university or declaring the social work major via the Curriculum Change form.

Requirements for formal program admission include:

A strong desire to serve while promoting human and community well-being.
A cumulative overall university grade point average of 2.000.
A cumulative grade point average of 2.500 in Social Work classes.
Completion of all electronic forms included in the emailed admission materials, which must exhibit college-level writing skills. (Forms will be emailed to students after the program receives notice that a student has submitted their intent to major via the Curriculum Change form.) Should any piece of writing submitted with the admission application not meet faculty expectations for quality, it will be returned to the applicant for re-writing.
A formal interview with a member or members of the social work faculty.

In some circumstances, a student may be admitted to the department with a cumulative grade point average lower than 2.000 and/or a social work grade point average lower than 2.500 or if a student has a behavioral concern. In such circumstances, a student would be admitted to the program on conditional major status and encouraged to raise their overall grade point average to 2.000 and/or their social work program grade point average to 2.500 or work on the behavioral concern to remain a social work major. For the full program’s policies, please see the Social Work Handbook, available on the BSW program webpage.

Program-Level Process for Minors

To meaningfully integrate minors into the social work community, minors are asked to submit a picture for our minor’s board. The social work minor is not accredited, and therefore, minors are not required to meet the same academic, behavioral, or professional standards for majors listed in requirements 1-3 above.

Academic and Behavioral Progression Standards

In order to remain a social work major and progress through the program, there are academic and behavioral standards. Academically, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 and a social work program grade point average of 2.500. Should a student’s grade point average fall below these requirements, she/he will be placed on conditional major status and will be allowed up to December of the junior year to raise the grade point average to the required standards. Failure to reach the required grade point average at any time after this time frame on conditional major status will result in dismissal from the major.

Should a social work major earn an F in a course in the social work major or not earn a C+ in a practice course, the student may be allowed to retake the course one time to earn a passing grade if they are still part of the major. Failure to earn a passing grade the second time taking a course will result in dismissal from the major. Please note that not all courses are offered every semester, so retaking a course could delay a student’s graduation.

The BSW is more than a major, it is a professional degree, so students must also meet professional, ethical, and behavioral standards including, but not limited to, complying with the NASW Code of Ethics, adherence to the Honor Code, ability to work with faculty and peers professionally, ability to create a safe physical and emotional environment for clients. The professional requirements are outlined further in the behavior standards for Practicum Progressions Standards below and the Social Work Handbook, available on the BSW program webpage.

Practicum Education in Social Work

Practicum education (also called field education) sets Valpo’s BSW graduates apart, as this experience fosters the integration of empirical and practice-based knowledge and promotes the development of professional competence. The practicum component is systematically designed around program educational competencies and is supervised and evaluated according to stringent criteria established by the Council on Social Work Education. Practicum Education consists of educationally directed internships in a variety of community settings. In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work degree, social work majors are required to successfully complete two internships- a 100-hour internship in the spring semester of their junior year and a 450-hour internship over the entirety of their senior year. These internships are sequential and must be completed in conjunction with specific coursework.

Junior Internship Admission & Academic and Behavioral Progression Standards

The first required internship takes place during the spring semester of the junior year. Screening of students for admission to the field practicum begins in the fall semester of the junior year. Social work majors must meet the following criteria to be considered for placement in a junior internship:

Successful completion of the foundation-level social work curriculum which consists of: SOCW 151 , SOCW 210 , SOCW 220 , SOCW 240 , and SOCW 260 .
Current junior standing at the university.
Completion of formal entry to the program (as described above).
Submission of Junior Practicum Education Application materials which are distributed by the Director of Practicum Education no later than the fall semester of the junior year.
Approval of the social work faculty.

Should a social work major not meet these requirements prior to the beginning of the second semester of the junior year, the student will not be eligible to begin the first required practicum placement. In such a case, the student will be counseled out of the major or must wait until the following spring semester to re-apply for the first required field practicum.

Students must meet the following standards to remain eligible to participate in the practicum education component of the social work major.

Academic:
1. Meet the standards for academic progression as noted above
2. Earn at least a C+ in all practice and internship-related courses (SOCW 356 , SOCW 376 / SOCW 386 , SOCW 455 , SOCW 456 , SOCW 475 / SOCW 485 , SOCW 476 / SOCW 486 )
2. General Behavior:
1. Behavior in internships and courses conforming to the Social Work Code of Ethics
2. Adherence to the Valparaiso University Honor Code and its application as laid out in individual courses
3. Adherence to federal and state laws
3. Professionalism:
1. Demonstrate an ability to create a safe emotional environment for clients and fellow students
2. Respect clients and fellow students, in word and action, as valuable individuals
3. Seek to build on client and classmate strengths
4. Seek to learn client and classmates’ vantage points and language used to describe related issues
5. Learn and adhere to basic classroom and workplace expectations
6. Resolve differences with clients, agency colleagues, classmates, and faculty assertively and professionally

Failure to meet these expectations will require either corrective action, dismissal from the internship, or dismissal from the program, depending upon the nature of the problem.

Senior Internship Admission & Progression Standards

The second required field practicum is completed during both fall and spring semesters of the senior year. To be eligible for the senior-level practicum, social work majors must demonstrate the following:

Successful completion of all required classes
Satisfactory evaluation of junior field internship
Completion of the Senior Practicum Education Application which is distributed by the Director of Practicum Education during the spring semester of the junior year
Must maintain the academic, behavioral, and professional standards outlined above for junior field and in the Social Work Handbook.

To be eligible to remain in the senior-level internship for its entirety, social work majors must maintain the academic, behavioral, and professional standards outlined above.

Double Major with Social Work

Because students graduate from Social Work with a Social Work, BSW degree, students wishing to have a major in addition to social work must declare social work as their first major. Those who desire to enhance their learning by pursuing co-curricular plans of a double major or minor are encouraged to do so. This is not uncommon for students who declare their desire to major in two programs early on in their career.

Study Abroad

Social Work supports students in participating in off-campus study abroad. Students making this plan of action as a means to enhance the educational experience and broaden their worldview should do so in the fall semester of their junior year or sooner.

Graduation

To be eligible for the Social Work, BSW degree, a student must complete the prescribed curricula found on the following pages. The student must also meet the academic, behavioral, and professional standards stated above and all additional requirements for graduation established by the university.

Student Organization & Honor Society

Social Work has a Student Social Work Organization (SSWO), as well as a Servant Scholar Award, for students who have at least a 3.000 social work GPA and 350 hours of field completed by March 1 of their senior year. SSWO provides students with the opportunity to lead and serve around their interests within the program and on campus. Additionally, as an organization, it represents the voice of the students in formulating and modifying program-level policies affecting academic and student affairs within the program.

Student Fees

Upon entry into the program, all majors are expected to participate in several on- and off-campus co-curricular educational events to support learning pertaining to the competency-based curriculum. These hallmark opportunities require the collection of an annual fee from each student, which is based on a student’s year in school and the experiences in which each student will partake in that upcoming year. These comprehensive fees cover costs pertaining to practicum education and required classroom activities and co-curricular events like trips to the statehouse, internship fees, group training, challenge course activities, etc. Currently, these fees are set at $350 each year for juniors and seniors and $90 each year for sophomores and first-year students.

Currently, there are no fees for Minors. Minors and non-majors are invited to participate in social work community events but may be asked to pay a small fee if they choose to attend events such as social work lobbying trips or as part of the Policy Practice minor curriculum in SOCW 410 and SOCW 456 . For information about the typical cost for non-majors to attend the capitol lobbying trip, please contact the Administrative Assistant for social work at 219.464.5336. The program does not want fees to be a barrier for students. Students facing financial hardship should contact the BSW Program Director.