Pictured | Clarita Reynaga | Bachelor of Social Work | Elkhart, Indiana (hometown)
Athletic Partcipation | Cheerleading
Club Affiliations | Latino Student Union

Mission Statement

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

Policy on Nondiscrimination

Based on the 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, socioeconomic status, marital status, national or ethnic origin, age, religion or 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, and recruitment and retention activities; by participation in university committees dealing with oppressed populations; by numerous service activities, including advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged; by its selection of field practicum sites; and by school policies.

Overview

This four-year degree program prepares students for generalist social work practice. It helps students develop the competence to apply knowledge, values, and skills to practice with individuals, small groups, organizations, and communities. The program also prepares students for graduate education. The BSW degree equips the practitioner to work with people who are encountering challenges related to personal or social circumstances. In addition, qualified graduates may apply for advanced standing to the IU School of Social Work or other MSW programs nationwide.

Following the equivalent of a minimum of two postgraduate years of supervised social work practice experience, BSW graduates of IU are eligible to apply for licensure by the state of Indiana. Upon successful completion of licensing requirements, the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency designates the BSW graduate a Licensed Social Worker (LSW). The BSW degree is offered on the Indianapolis (IUPUI), Bloomington (IUB), Gary (IUN), Richmond (IUE) South Bend (IUSB) campuses. Students in the B.S.W. Program must complete all sophomore and junior social work courses and achieve senior standing before enrolling in the senior social work courses. A few social work courses are offered at Columbus and on the Kokomo campus.

Indiana University has a long history of preparing graduates for entry into social work practice. Courses in this area began to be offered in 1911 through the Department of Economics and Sociology. Between 1911 and 1944, various administrative and curricular changes were put into effect, and degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels were offered. In 1944, the Indiana University Division of Social Service was established by action of the Trustees of Indiana University. The organizational status was changed in 1966 when the Graduate School of Social Service was created. In 1973, the name was changed to School of Social Service in recognition of the extent and professional nature of the school’s graduate and undergraduate offerings. It became the School of Social Work in 1977 in order to reflect more clearly its identification with the profession.

The school provides opportunities for study leading to the associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The Labor Studies Program offers the following degree options: Bachelor of Science in Labor Studies, Associate of Science in Labor Studies, Certificate in Labor Studies and Minor in Labor Studies. The Labor Studies program prepares students to assume leadership roles in the work-place and in communities. The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program prepares students for generalist social work practice. The Master of Social Work (MSW) program prepares graduate students for advanced social work practice in an area of specialization, and the Ph.D. program in social work prepares social workers for leadership roles in research, education, and policy development. Although the degree programs vary in their emphases 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 service.

• 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, the learning resources laboratory, 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.

While the school’s main administration location is in Indianapolis, courses or programs are also offered on IU campuses in Bloomington, Gary (Northwest), Kokomo, Richmond (East), Fort Wayne (IPFW), South Bend, and at the Columbus Center. Reference to some of these offerings will be made in the text that follows.

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 and Master of Social Work program are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The MSW Program has been continuously accredited since 1923. The school is a member of 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.

Application Process

Enrollment in the BSW program requires formal admission to the IU School of Social Work as per accreditation standards.

The following are the minimum requirements for admission consideration:

• Regular admission to IU South Bend.
• Completion of a minimum of 12 credit hours.
• Satisfactory completion (grade of C or higher) of the required course SWK-S 141 Introduction to Social Work.
• A minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• Evidence of characteristics or potential required for competent social work practitioners as defined in the mission statement of the School of Social Work. Such evidence may be derived from application materials, letters of reference, pertinent work or volunteer experience, and performance in SWK-S 141 Introduction to Social Work.
• Complete and submit the current BSW application.