As overall employment of social workers is projected to grow rapidly by 19% before 2022, there's a rising demand for students to earned one of the accredited social work degrees in Pennsylvania.
Located in the thriving Mid-Atlantic region as the nation's sixth most populous state, Pennsylvania is expected to add on to the nearly 35,000 social workers currently employed here to help citizens cope with mental health, behavioral, emotional, and social issues in their daily lives. The following is the social work degree programs that have been accredited by the CSWE for excellence in Pennsylvania.
Featured Social Work Programs
Alvernia University
Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW)
Deeply rooted in the Franciscan values of the Catholic faith, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at Alvernia is founded in an inclusive learning community where effective entry-level generalist social workers are produced to work against social, economic, political, and religious oppression. Due to the university's location in an ethnically diverse, economically distressed small city, students will gain hands-on experience through service learning and fieldwork to care for society's most vulnerable citizens. Within the 109-credit program, students can choose to minor in gerontology to meet the rapidly expanding market for working with older adults.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
400 Saint Bernardine Street
Reading, PA 19607
(610) 796-8294
[email protected]
Program Website
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bachelors Degree in Social Work (BSW)
Building up a liberal arts foundation, the Bachelors Degree in Social Work (BSW) at Bloomsburg has been designed to prepare undergraduate students for baccalaureate-level generalist social work practice. With an emphasis in critical thinking and human diversity, the program strives to develop the knowledge, values, ethics, and abilities to work with all sizes of client systems. Students will be required to complete a block internship placement in the fall and spring semester of their final year to acquire at least 400 hours of experience. Graduates will be evaluated on 10 core competencies and 41 practice behaviors before receiving their diploma.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
400 East 2nd Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
(570) 389-4237
[email protected]
Program Website
Bryn Mawr College
Master of Social Service (MSS)
As one of the country's oldest academic social work programs first founded in 1915, the Master of Social Service (MSS) program has a long-standing reputation for drawing on the college's Quaker roots to prepare students for advocating for society's marginalized groups. Through a trans-disciplinary approach, the program is focused on exploring the full range of skills needed for today's social work practitioners, researchers, and academicians. Within the two-year full-time or three-year part-time program, students can choose a concentration in Clinical Social Work or Community Practice, Policy, and Advocacy. Students can also select to pair the MSS degree with a Master of Public Health (MPH) for healthcare practice.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
300 Airedale Road
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 526-2600
[email protected]
Program Website
Cabrini College
Social Work Major
Leading to a bachelor's degree, the Social Work Major at Cabrini aims to cultivate social leadership in practice through classroom learning, fieldwork, and direct engagement in advocating against social or economic injustice issues. With a strong emphasis on self-awareness, the program encourages students to evaluate their own strengths and limitations to realize their aptitude for continuing in social work as a career. Within the 54-credit major curriculum, students will build on the college's core with courses in social policy, human behavior, social work practice, social welfare, sociology, ethnic relations, political science, multiculturalism, and psychology.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
610 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087
(610) 902-8357
[email protected]
Program Website
Cairn University
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
Fully accredited through the CSWE, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at Cairn is interested in producing entry-level generalist social work practitioners with the professional ability to work with individuals, groups, organizations, and whole marginalized communities. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the four-year program blends the social work field with theories in psychology, economics, natural science, religion, and philosophy to ensure graduates can meet client's physical, spiritual, and mental health needs. To better address human relationships with God, students can also choose to pair the BSW degree with a Bachelor of Science in Bible and earn the professional title of licensed social worker.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
200 Manor Avenue
Langhorne, PA 19047
(215) 702-4241
[email protected]
Program Website
California University of Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
First accredited in 1976 as one of America's earliest undergraduate programs, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is designed to prepare graduates for promoting improved human functioning through the enhancement of social interaction. From an ecological and problem-solving approach, the program develops generalist social workers who competently engage in their environments and develop the profession's knowledge. As an upper-division major, students will need to complete at least 50 credit hours before progressing into social work coursework and fieldwork.
Master of Social Work (MSW)
Offered at the California or Southpointe locations, the Master of Social Work (MSW) program is dedicated to fostering professional growth from an advanced generalist perspective to produce highly qualified practitioners for making a difference in rural communities. Built on the complex matrix of unique rural human needs in southwestern Pennsylvania, the program includes a total of 57 credits. Students can choose to complete the degree full-time over two years, part-time over three years, or with advanced standing in just one year after a CSWE-accredited BSW.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
250 University Avenue
California, PA 15419
(724) 938-4053
[email protected]
Program Website
Carlow University
Social Work Major
For undergraduate students, the Social Work Major at Carlow leads to a bachelor's degree to prepare entry-level generalist social work practitioners for providing direct services that promote social and economic justice. With an emphasis on the Code of Ethics, the four-year program equips students with the knowledge, skills, values, and abilities to serve oppressed groups of all sizes. Within the 120-credit program, students can choose a concentration in Behavioral Health Service Coordination or Crisis and Trauma. All majors are required to participate in a one-year fieldwork placement at a local social service agency.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
3333 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 578-6025
[email protected]
Program Website
Cedar Crest College
Social Work Major
At the baccalaureate level, the Social Work Major at Cedar Crest is accredited by the CSWE for providing students an introduction to beginning generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. From a liberal arts perspective, the program is guided by a holistic approach to prepare professionals who will work to alleviate poverty, oppression, social injustice, and discrimination with a spiritual dimension. In addition to 120 credits, students will be required to complete a 450-hour field placement at a social service agency during their senior year for experiential learning.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
100 College Drive
Allentown, PA 18104
(610) 606-4666
[email protected]
Program Website
Chatham University
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
Established on a solid liberal arts foundation, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) at Chatham is designed to provide undergraduate students with an essential context for better understanding human behavior and social interaction. On the pathway to becoming entry-level generalist social workers, the program includes 54 major credits in applied human biology, statistics, behavioral research, sociology, social issues, human behavior, social welfare, assessment, interventions, group dynamics, and community health as well as fieldwork. Students also have the freedom to declare a minor in social service administration to build important leadership skills.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
1 Woodland Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
(412) 365-1100
[email protected]
Program Website
Eastern University
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
Consistently training successful generalist social work practitioners since 1974, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) at Eastern University is focused on preparing compassionate agents of God's mercy with the knowledge and skills to actively advocate for our society's vulnerable populations. Through small class sizes and a rigorous 127-credit curriculum, students are encouraged to think critically about societal issues and implement alternative solutions for improving social functioning. The program offers a unique integrated model of field education in which students complete two internships over three semesters at just two days per week while being enrolled in upper-division social work practice courses.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
1300 Eagle Road
Saint Davids, PA 19087
(610) 341-5876
[email protected]
Program Website
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
With the mission of preparing undergraduate students with the knowledge, values, skills, and ethics needed to successfully enter beginning-level generalist social work practice, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program focuses on the importance of social justice, cultural competency, advocacy, human relationships, and lifelong learning. For working with client systems of various sizes, the program implements a four-year curriculum of 120 credits to better understand the social, psychological, and biological factors of human behavior. Students will complete 32 hours a week of fieldwork during the final semester at internship sites across Erie and Crawford counties.
Master of Social Work (MSW)
Offered in a regular 60-credit program and a 39-credit advanced standing program for students who have completed a bachelor's degree from a CSWE-accredited institution, the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at Edinboro is focused on developing the knowledge, skills, and values for advanced social work practice with families. Whether students attend on-campus or completely online from anywhere, the program will include two field placements for a total of 900 hours of hands-on experience. Graduates often find plentiful job options in public welfare, justice, addiction treatment, gerontology, school social work, mental health, and policy planning.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
235 Scotland Road
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2013
[email protected]
Program Website
Elizabethtown College
Bachelor's in Social Work (BSW)
Dedicated to preparing competent social workers to work for social justice locally, nationally, and globally, the Bachelor's in Social Work (BSW) program offers an introduction to generalist social work practice in urban and rural environments. With the meaningful motto of "Educating for Service," the program requires students to complete two 40-hour internships in the junior year, a 200-hour internship in the fall of senior year, and a 400-hour internship in the spring of senior year. Thanks to their extensive hands-on experience, graduates have achieved a high job or graduate school placement rate of at least 95% for five years.
Accreditations
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
1 Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
(717) 361-3766
[email protected]
Program Website
If you're intrigued by the thought of pursuing a career in which you'll help others tackle struggles against social and economic injustice, Pennsylvania is a large state that offers a wide range of CSWE-accredited educational opportunities for making your dreams a reality. Be sure to include these top-notch social work degrees in Pennsylvania in your search for the program that fits your professional interests and learning style.