Social Work
The Keuka College Social Work program is progressive and forward looking, designed to prepare future social workers to work in a rapidly changing, multi-cultural society. The Keuka College Social Work program prepares students for generalist social work practice utilizing a foundation of liberal arts. A strong dual emphasis of social work theory and practical application form a cornerstone in this program*. Students also have unique opportunities to learn about practice as it relates to rural settings due to the rural location of the College and its support of area agencies and services.
* By the time of graduation, traditional campus students will have approximately 1,000 total hours of social work field experience.
Bachelor's in Social Work
The Social Work program at Keuka College promotes themes of social justice and social responsibility. These themes are woven throughout the curriculum, experiential Field Periods®, and senior practicum. The junior and senior year Field Periods® are specifically designed to synthesize the principles of social work theory and practice. Senior Practicum and Seminar is the program’s capstone experience where students are placed as professionals-in-training in a wide variety of human service settings. This practicum is taken in the spring semester of the student’s senior year.
Client-centered practice and systems ecological theory is a curriculum emphasis, acknowledging the person in the context of his or her environment. Students integrate knowledge, skills, values, ethics, diversity, and intervention methods for use in a variety of service delivery systems. The program actively seeks a diverse student population.
The Keuka College baccalaureate social work program (BSW) is accredited by the Commission on Social Work Education (CSWE). BSW students are prepared and encouraged to pursue further master’s level social work (MSW) education and training. Our accreditation entitles BSW graduates to apply for advanced standing in these programs.
Social work is repeatedly cited by employment sources as one of the fastest growing career fields.
BSW graduates are qualified to work in a variety of employment settings. Some of these include areas of children and adolescence, chemical dependencies, criminal justice, counseling, family services, gerontology, hospice, health care, policy, and government, to name a few. The Keuka College social work program is rigorous and has both academic and professional standards for acceptance and continuance in the program. The standards are outlined in the Keuka College Social Work Handbook. Some of these criteria are outlined here:
- Acceptance by the College;
- Completion of all course and GPA requirements as listed in the degree requirement section;
- Demonstration of commitment to the values and ethics of the profession, and capacity to enter generalist social work;
- Demonstration of professional conduct as outlined in the program’s non-discrimination statement, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, College Student Conduct Code, and Non-Academic criteria outlined in the BSW Student Handbook; and
- Completion of the social work program integration process, which includes at least three integration reviews with the social work faculty. The social work faculty determines whether the student meets the program criteria.
In addition, social work students receive ongoing feedback regarding their performance in meeting the knowledge, skills, and value expectations of the profession. Finally, all social work students must be accepted into the major and complete all necessary prerequisites for the major prior to enrollment in Senior Practicum.
Senior Practicum
SWK-450, Senior Practicum and Seminar, is a 15-credit learning experience only taken in the spring semester of a social work student’s senior year. To be eligible for placement in the senior practicum, students must have first satisfactorily completed all other course and program requirements prior to the senior spring semester. Students are not allowed to take any other course work or Field Periods® during this time. Students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.50 by the start of senior practicum. Students must receive full recommendation to progress toward Field Practicum in their final integration review with social work faculty. Students must successfully demonstrate a minimum competency level of practice skills, and a consistent demonstration of ability to adhere to the professional codes of conduct set forth by Keuka College, the Social Work program, and the NASW Code of Ethics.
The social work program field director works individually with students to develop practicum site placements that are of professional interest to, and challenge the student. The field director serves as the official liaison between the social work student, the placement agency, and the College while that student completes his/her practicum. Students complete a minimum of 416 total hours at the practicum site. On campus BSW students complete 32 hours per week and online BSW students complete 16-20 hours per week.
On campus students are required to attend senior seminar on Fridays at the Keuka College campus. Students in the online program meet for seminar every other week for a four hour block. This is keeping in line with the format of the online delivery system.
Some practicum placement sites include: Care Manage For All, LLC., Pathways Inc., The House of the Good Shepherd, Credo Community Center, Strong Memorial Hospital, Youth Advocate Program, Inc., The Neighborhood Center, Inc., Integrated Community Alternatives Network, Contact Community Services, Inc., Syracuse Jewish Family Services, Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes, Inc., Catholic Charities of Oswego County, Greater Southern Tier BOCES, Survivor Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes, Yates County Department of Social Services, Penn Yan Manor Nursing Home, and many more.
Faculty Goals
The social work faculty is committed to graduating BSWs of the highest caliber who are knowledgeable, skilled, ethical, compassionate, and an asset to their clients and profession.
Minors
Please note that there is no minor offered in social work. We do, however, recommend additional fields of minor study for those social work majors who wish to broaden their skills and marketability. These recommended minors are offered through Keuka College and include: Spanish, psychology, sociology, as well as criminology and criminal justice.
Master's in Social Work
By choosing to earn a master’s degree in social work, you’ve committed yourself to serving diverse, vulnerable, and oppressed communities in order to make a positive difference in the lives of others. As a profession, Social Work seeks to reduce social injustice, inequality, and discrimination, and alleviate the distressing effects of mental illness, trauma, and stressors of everyday life.
Why Earn an MSW?
An MSW degree is often required to provide therapy, supervision, expert court testimony, or to become a human service administrator, and advance your career. You’ll be able to provide services to individuals, families, groups, and communities in a national and international setting.
Social Workers are educators, researchers, practitioners, and political leaders and can be found in hospital settings, nursing homes, correctional facilities, courtrooms, schools, child welfare and human service agencies, mental health clinics, primary care doctor offices, hospice homes, military bases, and all levels of government.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social Work is one of the fastest growing careers, with employment openings expected to increase by 12% between 2020 and 2030. This rate is higher than the national occupational average. A Social Worker with a graduate degree can earn approximately $13,000 more a year than with a bachelor’s degree, depending on type of work, experience, and geographic location.
Program Curriculum
The Advanced Standing MSW curriculum includes coursework listed below and 500 hours of field instruction during the last two semesters of the program and concurrent with coursework. Students spend additional time outside of class to complete readings, assignments, case studies, online discussions, and group work.
Admissions Requirements can be found in the Admissions section of the catalog.