Social Work Department

Valpo’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs are characterized by their quality, high-touch, student-centered approaches to education. Whether in the BSW or MSW program, students receive outstanding experiential education from their professors, who know them by name and use cohort models to ensure built-in peer support. Students gain a fantastic education, with one foot in the classroom and one foot in community-based practicums, graduating with the skills and professional presence ready for a career that is meaningful, practical, and sustainable.

A social work degree is perfect for students who want to help people but want flexibility to work with a variety of populations and in a vast array of settings. Social workers are in schools, healthcare, criminal justice settings, libraries, counseling centers, communities, and many more places. Come learn more about why a BSW or MSW from Vapo is a terrific career choice and why a minor or graduate certificate program will give you the skills the world needs! 

The BSW and MSW programs follow current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards put forth by the Council on Social Work Education. Details about accreditation for both programs are below: 

BSW Program

The BSW program has been continuously accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since the 1970s. Here is the official statement regarding Valparaiso University’s BSW program accreditation:

Valparaiso University’s BSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). 

Accreditation of a social work program by the BOA indicates that it meets or exceeds standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals, and the BOA has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all accreditation standards. 

Accreditation applies to all program options, which include locations and delivery methods. 

Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program. 

Review our program’s accredited status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.

MSW Program

The MSW program is a newer program and has currently achieved official “Candidacy” status from the Council on Social Work Education. Accreditation is a multi-year process. Here is the official statement regarding Valparaiso University’s MSW Candidacy Status:

Valparaiso University’s MSW Program has achieved candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). 

Candidacy status indicates that it has made progress toward meeting standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. A program that has attained candidacy status has demonstrated a commitment to meeting the accreditation standards but has not yet demonstrated full compliance. 

Students that are admitted to candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. 

Candidacy is typically a 3-year process and attaining candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain initial accreditation. 

Candidacy applies to all program options, which include locations and delivery methods. 

Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program. 

Review our program’s candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation. 

Students are engaged in learning both in and out of the classroom. The social work major consists of 45 credits plus general education requirements and 12 credits of required interdisciplinary courses (of which most are interchangeable in the general education requirements for the BSW). Students also are involved in learning activities that allow them to apply classroom knowledge such as internships at a social service agency engaging in cross-culture communication and interchange to learn and practice cultural competency, visiting the state legislature to examine the role of advocacy, and preparing at undergraduate research to investigate the role research has in informing practice.

Our internships truly set our graduates apart. This experience integrates empirical and practice based knowledge and promotes the development of professional competence. Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated according to stringent criteria established by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This educationally directed internship program offers students opportunities for practice in a variety of settings in the community. Students complete a 100 hour internship in the spring semester of their third year and a 450 hour internship in the fall and spring semesters of their fourth year.

Graduates from our program are highly marketable and are employed in child welfare, mental health, schools, hospitals, elder care, churches, shelters, corrections, and other social service settings.  Alumni typically enter graduate school to pursue a MSW within five years of graduation and are eligible to apply with advanced standing which gives them credit on courses taken within the BSW curriculum and reduces graduate school to two to three semesters. Some of our graduates pursue post graduate, gap year experiences in the Peace Corps, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, and Americorps.

We invite you to explore our guiding documents:

Our 60-credit MSW program offers multiple pathways to graduation:

• The direct pathway prepares students to work directly with individuals, families, and groups in clinical or community settings.
• The macro pathway equips students for leadership in policy, administration, and advocacy roles rooted in Valpo’s high-touch social work tradition.
• The individualized pathway offers a customizable course of study tailored to each student’s goals, with flexible scheduling and a mix of online and in-person options that support both full-time and part-time learners.

Students can complete the MSW program full-time (largely in person) or part-time (primarily online), with evening courses designed to accommodate working professionals. Summer courses are brief, intensive, and in-person to foster strong relationships and maintain Valpo’s student-focused philosophy. All electives are online, and students also have the option to earn the public safety social work certificate for careers in police, fire, and emergency service settings.

We invite you to explore our guiding documents:

The MSW program is currently pursuing a formal School Social Work Certificate with the Indiana Department of Education. We have submitted our application for a certificate to the State of Indiana and have developed an advisory board with school social workers from our community and the director of accreditation for the Department of Education. While the certificate is under development, current students can follow the state requirements for certification, including required state trainings on suicide prevention, child abuse, Mental Health First Aid, and CPR, and engage in preparation for the Licensed Social Worker (LSW) exam, which they may be eligible to complete beginning in the final semester of their last year.

Students in this program are required to take:

• SOCW 690 Topics: School Social Work
• SOCW 691: Psychopathology for Social Workers

The following electives are also encouraged:

• SOCW 692: Community Mental Health and Recovery 
• SOCW 693: Public Safety and Crisis Intervention
• SOCW 694: Ethics and Cross-Disciplinary Teams: Navigating Healthcare, School, Criminal Justice, and Other Settings

Students who are interested in this certification should reach out to their advisor or Professor Caroline Ban, MSW program director.

• Valparaiso University Career Center
• Career Information from The New Social Worker
• NASW Joblink
• SocialService.com
• Social Work Job Bank

• NASW Code of Ethics Online
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
• The Urban Institute
• The Social Work Action Network (SWAN)
• National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse
• The New Social Worker Online
• Access Indiana Information Network
• The New Social Worker’s Publications Page
• How to Become a Social Worker
• Introductory Guide to Clinical Social Work
• Social Work License Map
• Social Work Degree Programs FAQ’s