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The University of South Florida offers a program of study leading to a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree in the School of Social Work, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences. The BSW has been developed in accordance with the guidelines of the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting body for social work education programs, and in accordance with the recommendations of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The BSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.  The BSW program has as its primary objective to prepare and graduate professionals for entry level positions in areas such as mental health, aging services, child welfare, criminal justice, or substance misuse.  The secondary objectives of the BSW program are to:

• Provide for the social work human resources needs of the university service district (the central Florida west coast area), the State of Florida, and the Southeast Region;
• Provide an exposure to social work as a profession and to contemporary issues in the social welfare field;
• Prepare graduates for additional professional training at the graduate level in social work or in related human service professions.

To prepare the BSW graduate for beginning professional practice, the curriculum provides students with an opportunity to develop a knowledge base and skill base as a “generalist” practitioner. Students will develop an understanding of various methods of intervention and skills and how to apply these to a variety of client systems. Intervention methods that students will learn may take the form of case management, individual and group counseling, resource development, consultation, teaching, advocacy, etc. Client systems in this context include individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities. Students in the BSW program will develop an understanding of the dynamics of human behavior in individual, group and organizational contexts and the influences of those socio-cultural and spiritual contexts on human behavior. Students in the BSW program will also learn about the development of social welfare systems and institutions and about how the social, economic, and political processes, contribute to policy development and to the implementation of programs that impact client systems. Students will also develop an understanding of the use of basic social research skills related to the processes of problem-solving, planning, and evaluation of generalist social work practice. Students in the BSW program will gain awareness of the social work profession’s value base, and will also engage in self-examination and reflection to empower their ethical and effective application of social work values in professional practice. The BSW program places great emphasis on the development of professionally responsible graduates who are committed to the client systems they serve, to the organizations in which they work, to the general public, and to the social work profession .