The Bachelor of Social Work Program is accredited by the national Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This accreditation, which the program has held continuously since 1983, insures high quality and competent social work preparation for practice.

BSW program graduates begin their careers in a variety of public and private social service agencies such as child welfare, mental health programs, drug and alcohol programs, programs for the aging, hospitals, nursing homes, neighborhood centers, and day care centers.

Many enter graduate schools of Social Work where they may apply for advanced standing based on the accredited status of this program. Advanced standing allows students to complete an M.S.W. in one calendar year rather than two, if attending classes full-time. Some students enroll directly in graduate school from Mansfield University while others work a year or two before entering graduate school. Most graduates believe that formal and informal continuing education and learning opportunities are necessary for the advancement of their careers in the Social Work profession.

Additionally, accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education provides access to licensing examinations in those states that regulate social work practice at the baccalaureate level.

BSW Work Settings

Social Workers provide human services in a wide variety of settings. Examples of settings that employ BSW graduates are:

Children and Youth

This includes an array of service delivery systems serving children and adolescents. Practice setting examples range from pregnancy counseling centers, foster care and adoption agencies, agencies investigating neglect and abuse, residential service settings such as group homes, school-based social work, and programs for youthful offenders. 

Gerontology

This includes service delivery to elderly people in a variety of settings. Examples of settings include adult day care centers, public social services, at-home support services, and skilled care nursing homes.

Health Care

This focuses on people of all ages and diagnoses involved in health care settings.  Examples of such settings include medical care in hospitals, services provided in hospice settings, and home-based health care settings.

Developmental Disabilities

This includes a wide variety of service options for people with developmental disabilities. Practice settings typically include independent living arrangements, group homes, and day treatment centers.

Mental Health/Mental Illness

This encompasses services provided to people with mental illness and mental health issues. Practice settings include in-patient, out-patient, community-based, long-term residential, psychosocial day programs, partial hospitalization, and transitional living centers.

Poverty

This deals with issues related to poverty and economic disenfranchisement as manifested in unemployment, homelessness, malnourishment, starvation and illiteracy. Practice settings range from public welfare offices to a network of public and private charitable organizations.

Substance Abuse/Alcoholism

This covers issues related to abuse and addiction. Practice settings include detoxification centers, in-patient, out-patient treatment programs, and community-based groups.

Additional Possibilities

Other possible areas of practice not mentioned in the categories above: