Social Work

Valpo’s Social Work Programs

Social work is a profession of highly trained professionals who care about people. We foster success in others and alleviate suffering in tangible ways. Whether it’s in the classroom, community, or around the globe, our students and graduates use their compassionate, skilled, and creative selves to change lives in ways they never imagined.

Social Work at Valpo

Valpo’s social work education is built on a strong liberal arts base and a solid social work curriculum that provides students with core foundational knowledge, values, and skills that are transferable to various settings, populations and social issues.

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.

Our Mission and Vision

Mission Statement

Valparaiso University Department of Social Work (VUDSW) educates culturally-responsive, strengths-based, system-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 (VU Mission). Our Social Work Department mission grows out of this 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.

Vision Statement

We are a community of critical thinkers applying ethical, culturally responsive, generalist social work practice to enhance equity, well-being and social justice.

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Objectives

Program Goals and Competencies

Program Goal:

The curriculum is designed and organized around one primary goal, namely to educate and prepare students for ethical, effective, and culturally competent generalist social work practice for service in the world.

Program Competencies:

Program Competencies, adopted from CSWE foundational competencies, are covered in courses central to the foundation curriculum (CSWE, EPAS, 2015). These nine competencies guide faculty as they prepare students to engage in the necessary knowledge, values, and skill development for ethical, effective and culturally competent entry-level generalist practice.

Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
Engage in Policy Practice
Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

CSWE Assessment of Learning Outcomes

We invite you to explore our guiding documents:

CSWE Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Bachelor’s of Social Work (BSW)

Overview

The Bachelor’s in Social Work (BSW) is a specialized degree from a long-standing accredited program that prepares graduates for generalist practice in direct human service positions. Students attracted to this career are ones who:

Are caring and compassionate and desire to use their creativity to make a positive difference in the lives of others
Believe in the capacity of people, institutions and society to change for the better
Are motivated by a strong sense of social and economic justice and want to promote the success and well-being of all people

If you desire a career working with diverse people that provides meaning, purpose and satisfaction in your life and those you serve, consider a Bachelor’s of Social Work degree from Valpo.

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Rigorous and Integrated Learning

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.

Internship Requirement

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.

Highly Marketable

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.

Master’s of Social Work (MSW)

Overview

Join Valpo’s new master of social work (MSW) program, preparing passionate leaders to serve and practice at the forefront of social change. The MSW program continues a legacy of excellence within the field that will set you apart as a high-quality and distinguished social work professional within mental health settings, schools, the criminal justice field, and beyond.

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Three Academic Pathways

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.

Flexible Program Options

Students can complete the MSW program full-time (mostly in person) or part-time (mostly 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.

Resources for Social Work Students

Professional Organizations

Employment Resources

Other Resources

social Work

Embracing the Call to Serve Others

Valparaiso University’s social work programs shape young leaders into community advocates capable of change. Watch the video to hear from students about their experiences in social work at Valpo.