Mission & Goals of the BSW Program

BSW Program Mission

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at SVSU prepares ethical, skilled, and diversity-competent generalist social workers committed to promoting human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice. Rooted in the core values of service, social justice, and respect for human dignity, our program emphasizes evidence-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, and an anti-racist, anti-oppressive perspective. Through a person-in-environment framework, we equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to empower individuals, families, groups, and communities across rural, suburban, and urban settings.

(Adopted by the faculty June, 2025)

BSW Program Goals

With the liberal arts as its foundation, BSW graduates are prepared to engage in evidence-based generalist social work practice at the licensed bachelor’s level. Students are prepared for continuing their formal education in social work or another graduate discipline. As such, it is our goal that by completion of the program, students will be prepared to: 

• Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities 
• Demonstrate and model ethical and professional behavior in social work practice 
• Apply a practice framework that engages anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion while advancing human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice 
• Engage in and critique practice-informed research and research-informed practice 
• Engage in and analyze policy practice 

(Adopted by the faculty November, 2023)