Social Work Degree Programs in Nebraska

The call to become a social worker requires that prospective students seek out social work degrees in Nebraska so as to become a licensed social worker in the state. Students usually need to complete a standard curriculum in college as well as participate in field study at actual social work locations before graduation. Like many states around the country, Nebraska is in need of more social workers and studying in this area offers the potential for a fast job search and long-term employment security as the need for social workers continues to grow. Nebraska is a welcoming state of friendly Midwesterners who value hard work and appreciate the help that social workers bring to communities around the state.

Online Social Work Programs For You

Chadron State College

School of Education, Human Performance, Counseling, Psychology, and Social Work

Established over a century ago in 1911, Chadron State College was built in the panhandle area of the state near Pine Ridge. The school counts around 3,000 students enrolled today and has a number of old buildings on its campus listed under the National Register of Historic Places. The school was originally founded to provide a college level education to students in the northwest part of the state. The campus is around 280 acres and has about 25 major buildings. The school has undergone expansion in the past decade and a half during which several new buildings have been built, such as the new Edwin and Avis Nelson Physical Activity Center.

Bachelor in Social Work

Chadron describes its degree as a comprehensive look into social work and the program prepares graduates to work as social workers and become valuable leaders within the community. Some of the topics addressed by the curriculum include economic justice, human diversity, poverty, social justice, and oppression. Students at Chadron learn how important social workers are to families who need help, and how the profession can empower families and individuals to overcome difficult problems. Chadron accepts transfer credits from several community colleges in the region and also provides classes at different satellite campuses so as to offer an educational opportunity to students in many regions across the state. The program focuses upon creating social workers who are able to assist families and individuals in the central United States in areas like western Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota. Students may also choose to head west and help people in northeastern Colorado or southeastern Wyoming.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation (CSWE)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact

Chadron State College
1000 Main Street
Chadron, NE 69337
Phone: 800.242.3766
[email protected]
Program Website

Creighton University

College of Arts and Sciences

Creighton University was established in 1878 as a Jesuit, Roman Catholic university. Today, there are around 7,700 students who attend classes on a 132-acre campus in Omaha. The university is the largest private, religiously affiliated institution in the state. The funds to create the school were donated by a woman named Mary Lucretia Creighton who left money in her will to create a school named in her late husband's honor. Mary's brother-in-law was instrumental in getting the college off the ground in the late 1870s, and the school was eventually split into two schools including a prep school and the present-day university.

Bachelor of Social Work

Creighton University defines social work as a unique type of profession in that social workers are meant to help individuals and families better their circumstances within their current environment. Other helping professions often focus upon removing families or people from a certain situation to change their circumstances. While enrolled in the program, students learn about an important code of ethics connected to the profession, as well as modern practice standards. In addition, students are offered information on becoming credentialed and certified to practice in the state. Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work are prepared to work in entry-level practice after having received a broad education in social work. Students must successfully complete a series of classes as well as a practicum spent on-site at a local community agency. After graduation, students may decide to pursue graduate-level study, and the accredited program at Creighton may offer students the opportunity to reduce the classes needed to obtain a graduate degree at another institution.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation (CSWE)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact

Creighton University
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178
Phone: 402.280.2700
[email protected]
Program Website

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Graduate and Adult Students

Nebraska Wesleyan University is a small school with around 1,600 students in attendance. The school has ranked highly with ranking publication "U.S. News & World Report" as one of the top liberal arts colleges in Nebraska and as one of the best colleges in the United States. The school was established in 1887 by Methodists who lived in Nebraska and developed a traditional liberal arts college curriculum for its students. Just 96 students attended the school when it opened and classes began before the first building on campus was completed. Some of the first programs offered by the school included business, education, and music.

Bachelor of Science in Social Work

Students who graduate from Wesleyan's program in social work are taught to deal with a variety of societal ills that impact communities such as poverty, domestic abuse, and disability. The program features a curriculum that requires research and an understanding of statistics. Upon graduation, social work students are eligible to work in an entry-level position in a general social work profession. Students are meant to become adept at promoting social justice and enhancing the well-being of families and individuals. Social workers help communities become stronger by creating a positive impact on society. To graduate, students must complete a total of 42 credit hours within the major, as well as 22 hours of coursework in supporting areas. The university also requires a variety of standard core courses that every student must take, whatever their major. The school features two sessions that run for five or eight weeks. Each class meets once a week from 6 PM to 10 PM.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation (CSWE)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact

Nebraska Wesleyan University
5000 Saint Paul Avenue
Lincoln, NE 68504-2794
Phone: 800.541.3818
[email protected]
Program Website

Union College

School of Human Development

A small school in Lincoln Nebraska, Union College is associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The school was founded in 1891 and was once situated on a rather barren plot of land near Lincoln. Over the last century, the college has seen its property grow and expand with several species of trees, as well as the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. The college focuses upon providing students with a college experience in a Christian environment, but invites students of all faiths and backgrounds to apply and attend. The college also keeps student to teacher ratios low so as to provide a superior learning experience for students.

Bachelor of Social Work

Union College describes its social work program as one that offers the potential for a career with meaning and diversity. Students are meant to take action and engage in a satisfying career after graduation within many different facets of the social work industry. The school describes social workers as individuals who care about people and families who need help and who want to help those people lead better lives. Accredited by the CSWE, the school counts several local agencies where students may conduct field work and internships during study including a variety of homes for the elderly, companies offering hospice services, and retirement communities. Students may enter into a variety of potential careers after graduation including adoption specialist, career counselor, family services social worker, and patient advocate. The primary feature of each of these professions is that they always have significant contact with the public since social work is a very "social" type of employment.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation (CSWE)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact

Union College
3800 South 48th Street
Lincoln, NE 68506
Phone: 402.486.2600
[email protected]
Program Website

University of Nebraska at Kearney

Department of Social Work

The state legislature in Nebraska appropriated $50,000 in 1903 to build a school in western Nebraska and the state decided to build the school on 20 acres in Kearney. The first classes were held in 1905 and the school eventually grew to around 235-acres in size. The school has around 7,100 students attending classes today, and the school is part of the University of Nebraska system. The college also has an "eCampus," which offers undergraduate and graduate level courses online and also offers students the opportunity to attend classes in a blended format with online and in-classroom experiences so as to help students with different scheduling needs attend college.

Bachelor of Social Work

The University of Nebraska describes social work as a calling and personal mission to help others. As a profession, social workers make a significant moral impact upon society and it is their calling to ensure those in need are treated with compassion and aren't forgotten. As a social worker, students may graduate and become the voice of people in need who are vulnerable and in danger of being overlooked in society because of issues like poverty and domestic violence. Students may enter work in a variety of settings including family services and child welfare groups, residential treatment facilities, and programs that care for the elderly. The university suggests that the nation needs more social workers and that seeking a degree in this area offers exceptional opportunity for employment and career growth. Students benefit from three field work classes that ensure students have experience in actual social work settings before graduation, which helps students obtain work swiftly after graduation.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation (CSWE)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact

Department of Social Work
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Founders Hall 2001
Kearney, NE 68849
Phone: 308.865.8739
[email protected]
Program Website

University of Nebraska at Omaha

UNO Grace Abbott School of Social Work

Originally founded in 1908, the University of Nebraska at Omaha went through a few name changes until it became its modern incarnation in 1968. The university initially didn't cater to students who needed to live on campus and was mostly attended by commuters from Omaha. In the last few years that design has changed and the school has started to expand its available student housing. Around 15,000 students attend the university and it's set on a campus within Omaha that's bifurcated by a large green expanse called Elmwood Park. Interestingly, the first classes taught at the university were held in a local house called the Redick Mansion before actual university buildings were constructed.

Bachelor of Science in Social Work

The BSW at the University of Nebraska has been accredited by CSWE since 1975 and is appropriate for students who wish to enter a social work practice at the entry level in any number of different settings. The degree prepares students to become a Certified Social Worker within the state of Nebraska and also offers students the opportunity to become licensed in other states as well. The certification by the CSWE ensures that the degree will translate to licensure in other states around the country. Students will also find they are well-prepared to enter a graduate degree program after receiving a Bachelor of Social Work at UNO. There are two major parts to the BSW degree which include pre-professional social work classes as well as upper-division classes within the School of Social Work. Classes students may expect to take include Applied Statistics, Intermediate Algebra, and Introduction to Sociology before beginning upper-division courses.

Master of Social Work

The master's degree program at UNO is an accredited degree and is the only accredited program in the entire state of Nebraska. Students with a background in social work normally don't require any prerequisites to enter the program, but students who have a bachelor's degree in another area usually need to complete some preliminary classes before formal entry into the program is granted. Students may also choose to obtain a certificate in gerontology whilst studying in the master's program or the undergraduate program at UNO. The school's program allows students to choose to study in a generalist concentration or within a clinical concentration, depending upon the student's wishes for post-education employment. Students who wish to study in the general concentration may want to seek work as community advocates or participate in a community practice. Students who are interested in the clinical concentration may wish to investigate the psychosocial problems present in individuals who require assistance from social workers.

Accreditations

  • Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation (CSWE)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact

UNO Grace Abbott School of Social Work
6001 Dodge Street
CPACS Building 206
University of Nebraska-Omaha
Omaha, NE 68182
Phone: 402.554.2792
Fax: 402.554.3788
[email protected]
Program Website

Social work isn't a profession for everyone as it's a very social type of job which requires a lot of interaction with people who are in great need of help. A desire to help others is an inherent quality in most people who decide to go to school and earn a degree in social work, so students must be comfortable working with people in a variety of clinical and work settings. Students who wish to make a difference in their communities will want to investigate social work degrees in Nebraska.