General Information

The Division of Social Work is a collaborative effort of the Indiana University School of Social Work and Indiana University Northwest. Both the Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) and Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degrees are offered on the IUN campus. The Master of Social Work is available on a three or four year part time schedule designed to meet the needs of working professionals in Northwest Indiana.  The Bachelor of Social Work is offered on a full time or part time schedule. 

Graduates of the school move into a broad variety of social service settings, including those concerned with aging, family and child welfare, corrections, mental and physical health, and adjustment in schools. In anticipation of such professional activities, the school provides field instruction placements throughout the state where students engage in services to individuals, groups, families, communities, and organizations or function in leadership roles.

The Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) program prepares students for generalist social work practice.  The Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program prepares graduate students for advanced social work practice in an area of specialization.  Although the degree programs vary in their emphasis and levels of complexity, the school’s curricula embody features that are systemic in their educational effects:  The total curriculum articulates the relationship of the undergraduate and graduate levels as components of a continuum in education for social services.

• The mechanisms of instruction provide opportunities for a range of experiences in substantive areas of interest to students and of importance to society.
• The curriculum focuses on problem-solving and strength-enhancing experiences that involve the classroom and field experience.
• Excellent library and technology resources make social work students effective users of social science information.
• An exploration of educational procedures and arrangements optimizes effective training, including institutional self-study of the entire curriculum as well as the exploration of specific educational tools.

As part of the Indiana University School of Social Work, the IUN program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.  The Council is the national body authorized to accredit the baccalaureate and graduate level social work programs in this country and to assure student exposure to a quality professional educational experience. The Council conducts its accrediting responsibilities through the Commission on Accreditation. After initial accreditation, all the programs must be reaccredited every eight years.  For information on the Council on Social Work Education, including the national accredited program list, contact:

Council on Social Work Education
1725 Duke Street, Suite 500
Alexandria, Virginia  22314-3457
              
Telephone:  (703) 683-8080
Website at http://www.cswe.org.

The School is a member of the International Association of Schools of Social Work.  The School’s administrators are active participants in the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work, the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors and the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education, among others.

Indiana University School of Social Work Vision and Mission Statements

As an overall guide to its educational activities, the Indiana University School of Social Work holds the following as its mission and vision statements:

The mission of the Indiana University School of Social Work is excellence in education, research, and service to promote health, wellbeing, and social and economic justice in a diverse world. Vision:  An exemplary university and community-based collaboration advancing social and economic justice, empowerment, and human well-being in a changing global landscape.

Policy on Non-Discrimination 

Based on tradition of the social work profession, and consistent with Indiana University’s Equal Opportunity Policy, the Indiana University School of Social Work affirms and conducts all aspects of its teaching, scholarship, and service activities without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, socio-economic status, marital status, national or ethnic origin, age, religion/creed, disability, and political or sexual orientation.

The School of Social Work has a strong commitment to diversity and nondiscrimination.  Indeed, diversity is celebrated as a strength.  This perspective is demonstrated by the composition of its faculty and student body, curriculum content, recruitment and retention activities, participation in University committees dealing with oppressed populations, numerous service activities, including advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged, selection of field practicum sites, and School policies related to promotion and tenure of its faculty.