Every day, millions of people struggle with disabling social or physical conditions -- an elderly widow with a broken hip, a homeless child, a substance abuser on the verge of self-destruction, for example -- affecting their ability to live independently and productively. These people need help to cope with life’s challenges, and a rewarding career in social work presents the opportunity to lend vision and offer hope to those in need.

At Champlain, you’ll learn to shape solutions to a wide variety of interpersonal and social problems. The Social Work program emphasizes key concepts and theories of social services delivery and helps you to develop skills and competencies to address individual and community needs. You’ll build an understanding of the dynamics and consequences of all forms of human oppression and discrimination and develop the skills to promote economic and social justice with specific attention to populations at risk. Plus, you’ll learn to evaluate your own professional growth and development to ensure continued professional growth.

Champlain College combines knowledge, experience and an understanding of values and ethics in applying social work practice with the interviewing, active listening, teamwork and creative problem-solving skills needed to help individuals, families and communities achieve greater self-sufficiency and healthier functioning.

Program Particulars

• Start learning social work methods your very first semester to develop a solid foundation in social services by the end of Year 2. You’ll participate in the innovative E-Pal project, spending a full year mentoring a teenager in rural Vermont, helping him or her cope with the trials and tribulations of adolescence.
• In Years 3 and 4, you’ll complete advanced study in social welfare issues, research methods and a second internship.
• You’ll perform up to 600 hours of fieldwork in a variety of social-service agencies helping children and families, teens, or the elderly. Choose from dozens of opportunities ranging from working with emotionally disabled children to street work with drug addicts and the homeless.
• Career opportunities for Social Work graduates include serving as case managers, probation officers, nursing home activities coordinators, community organizers, live-in counselors in residential treatment facilities, and other human service occupations requiring strong communication and problem-solving skills.
• Learn from faculty with a variety of professional experiences, including those who have run an adoption agency, served in residential treatment centers, worked for child protective services, managed Vermont’s Welfare-to-Work program, and counseled clients in private practice.