Social Work Major

Owned by Laura Lehman (Deactivated)
Last updated: Dec 16, 2021
3 min read

Advisors: Carol Hurst and Deanna Durham
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Semester Hours: 61

Program's Mission Statement:

The mission of the Social Work Program at Eastern Mennonite University [EMU] is structured within three essential contexts: 1.) the Anabaptist faith tradition of EMU as an educational institution of Mennonite Church USA now serving students of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, 2.) the purpose and core values of the social work profession, and 3.) the Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Grounded within these contexts, the EMU Social Work program:

  • prepares students to serve and lead together as generalist social work practitioners seeking justice in a global world,
  • engages students in rigorous curriculum and cognitive and affective processes that form intersectional self-understanding and appreciation for the strengths-based potential of diverse persons, families, and communities.
  • mentors students for trauma responsiveness and sustainable stewardship of human capabilities and earth's resources.

Program Goals

  1. Equip students with generalist social work knowledge, values, and skills required for entry-level social work practice and/or graduate study.
  2. Provide rigorous curriculum and engagement with community learning and experiential field education.
  3. Mentor students to engage with diverse individuals, families, communities, and organizations with self-awareness, ethical boundaries, and cultural humility.
  4. Support 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.


The social work major is a professional degree program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the standard-setting commission for social work degree programs in the United States. Graduates qualify for Baccalaureate in Social Work (BSW) licensure exams and for opportunities in master of social work advanced standing programs. The EMU social work program's emphasis on social justice and cross-cultural learning in domestic and international venues is distinctive. Graduates are prepared for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities within the context of various human service organizations. 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.  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.

The curriculum includes course sequences in the discipline's focus areas including Human Behavior and Social Environment (HBSE), policy, and practice. HBSE courses provide social scientific perspectives of patterns of human behavior. Policy courses focus on understanding organizations and government and legislative advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations and social programs. Practice courses provide structured skills practice at the micro or direct one-to-one interpersonal level, at the mezzo or group and family interpersonal level, and at the macro or large system level requiring community and organizational leadership skills.  Students can develop knowledge in particular interest areas through class projects, choice of their elective social work topics course, and through selection of field practicum setting.

Students must apply for formal admission into the social work program after the initial social work courses.  Transfer students apply to the program after their first semester in the social work major at EMU. The social work program does not grant credit for life experience or previous work experience. Admission to and continuation in the social work program is contingent upon academic performance (a minimum of C in all social work/sociology courses required in the major and a minimum overall GPA of 2.5) as well as personal qualities essential for working with people such as a value orientation consistent with the profession, compassionate sensitivity towards others, self-awareness, and a sense of personal and global responsibility.  Students must demonstrate capacity to meet professional standards through conscientious timely attendance and follow-through in all coursework, as well as maintenance of a minimum 2.5 overall GPA, to be accepted into a practicum placement.

Foundation Requirements (15 SH)

  • PSYC 101 General Psychology - 3 
  • PSYC 202 Developmental Psychology - 3 
  • SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology - 3 
  • Choice of either ECON 201 Survey of Economics or ECON 212 Principles of Macroeconomics or PXD 365 Social and Political Economy - 3 
  • SOWK 101 Exploring Social Work - 3 

Human Behavior & Social Environment (HBSE) Courses (14 SH)

  • SOWK 200 Social Behavior and Diversity - 3 
  • SOWK 210 Social Stratification - 3 
  • SOWK 360 Race and Gender - 3 
  • STAT 120 Descriptive Statistics - 2
  • SOC 336 Methods of Social Research - 3 

Policy Courses (8 SH)

  • POL 111 Comparative Politicsor POL 112 American Politics - 2
  • SOWK 220 History and Philosophy of Social Welfare - 3
  • SOWK 330 Social Policy Analysis - 3 

Practice Courses (24 SH)

  • SOWK 310 Social Work Practice I - 3 
  • SOWK 400 Social Work Practice II - 3 
  • SOWK 410 Social Work Practice III - 3 
  • SOWK 420 Topics in Social Work - 3 
  • SOWK 430 Senior Practicum in Social Work - 12