The primary goal of the Department of Social Work at Ball State University is to prepare graduates for beginning level generalist social work practice.  The curriculum reflects the Department's mission, goals, and objectives.  Both the required social work courses and the field learning experiences systematically expose students to beginning level generalist social work practice.  The BSW curriculum is designed in such a way as to assist students in integrating the curriculum content and the field experiences.  Student are expected to assume  responsibility for their own professional development over time.  The curriculum covers the basic knowledge, values, and skills all social workers need to enable them to provide competent and effective services to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The curriculum content can be broken down into the following areas each with specific objectives as follows:

Students completing the BSW degree are able to:

Social Work Practice

• Demonstrate a commitment to the mission of the social work profession and to social change by providing services to individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations;

• Employ culturally competent, effective communication and critical thinking skills as generalist social work practitioners;

Ethics and Values

• Understand and adhere to the values and ethics of social work in all professional functions;

Diversity

• Recognize, understand, and appreciate diversity as a human strength and practice without discrimination with respect to age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, gender identity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation;

Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE)

• Use an evidence-based systems/ecological  perspective and a bio-psycho-socio-cultural approach in assessment and intervention planning for systems of all sizes;

Social Welfare Policy

• Possess a basic knowledge about the history and development of social welfare and the social work profession and how this history impacts current trends and practices;

• Understand the interrelatedness of social problems, social policies, services and social work practice;

• Demonstrate critical thinking skills in analyzing and formulating social policies and engage in strategies and tactics to influence social welfare policies and programs;

Social and Economic Justice and Populations-at-Risk

• Understand how economic, social, political, and cultural factors interrelate and result in discrimination and oppression;

• Engage in professional advocacy that promotes social and economic justice;

Research

• Critically evaluate research studies and conduct practice and program-based research to advance professional competencies and service effectiveness including the evaluation of one's own practice;

Field

• Use supervision and consultation effectively, and seek out continuing professional educational opportunities to improve practice;

• Understand the structure of human service organizations and work effectively within the social service delivery systems to promote organizational change.