Advisors: Carol Hurst and Deanna Durham
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Semester Hours: 61
The mission of the Social Work program at Eastern Mennonite University is to:
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- Equipping students with generalist social work knowledge, values, and skills required for entry-level social work practice and/or graduate study.
- Providing rigorous curriculum and engagement with community learning and experiential field education.
- Mentoring students to engage with diverse individuals, families, communities, and organizations with self-awareness, ethical boundaries, and cultural humility.
- Supporting students in collaborating with diverse clients on micro, mezzo, and macro levels through respectful relationships that rebuild lives and communities and create hope for a positive future on earth.
Graduates are prepared for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities within the context of various human service organizations. The EMU social work program's emphasis on social justice and cross-cultural learning in domestic and international venues is distinctive. The social work major is a professional degree program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the standard-setting association for social work degree programs in the United States. Graduates qualify for Baccalaureate in Social Work (BSW) licensure exams. Graduates may also pursue graduate degrees in social work including advanced standing admission to CSWE accredited masters’ in social work programs to finish an MSW degree on an accelerated basis.
Professional social work practice requires grounding in the core values of the social work profession: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence, with attention to human rights and the alleviation of poverty. Throughout the curriculum students grow in self-awareness of their own family backgrounds and their own cognitive and affective responses to trauma, injustice, and marginalization of persons. Ethical boundaries and self-care are emphasized as students learn to provide compassionate presence and healing care to others. Practical service learning, community engagement, language study, and cross-cultural experience build capacity to care competently for diverse populations.
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