Social Work

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Social Work

Fast Facts:

  • Above 95% of our social work graduates who have taken the Kansas State Licensure Exam have passed the first time.
  • Nearly all social work graduates are employed within two months of graduation.
  • We show a very high acceptance rate for social work majors going on to graduate school for a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) degree.
  • More Bethel Fast Facts...

Social work is a profession that focuses on enhancing and restoring people’s capacity for social functioning. Baccalaureate-trained social workers help people solve problems they experience in the context of their various environments. Social work requires knowledge and skills for work with a variety of human systems including individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Activities include enhancing people’s problem solving skills, connecting people with resources, making resource systems more responsive to people and creating new resources when none exist. An underlying objective of social work is to help marginalized people achieve social and economic justice.

If you study social work at Bethel College, you will gain a heightened awareness of social inequality and social justice issues that are often a backdrop for personal issues and problems. Personal and family problems frequently represent larger public issues and you’ll find ways to identify and begin to remedy those issues.

The liberal arts are the foundation upon which a social work major rests — a foundation for understanding human beings in the context of their social, cultural and economic environment. The liberal arts also help you develop skills necessary to be an effective professional social worker — oral and written communication skills as well as the ability to think analytically and synthesize information from a variety of sources.

Graduates of this department are highly sought after by employers of social workers. Through our network of contacts (faculty with professional social workers), our faculty can link you with internship placements as well as potential professional positions.

Some distinguishing characteristics of Bethel’s social work program are:

The mission of the social work program is to prepare social workers whose practice embodies the following core values:

The primary objectives of the social work program are (1) to prepare graduates for entry into professional practice, (2) to prepare graduates for continued social work education at the graduate level and (3) to provide opportunities for continuing education for practicing social workers and other human service professionals.

Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education