Social Work Major (BSW)

Our Upside-Down Curriculum allows you to start taking your Social Work courses and get hand-on field experience beginning in your first semester.

Why Social Work?

How do you reconcile the culture of abundance with that of poverty? Who takes the time to listen to someone who feels left behind by society? How can people transition from a difficult circumstance to a better place in their lives? The passion of people who go into social work fields is a deep-seated desire for social justice and a better quality of life for people who’ve experienced tough times.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of social workers is expected to increase by 16 percent during the 2008-18 decade, which is faster than the average for all occupations. If you are driven to bring change to the world through your professional life, you will find no better place to start than the Champlain College Social Work program.

Why Social Work at Champlain?

The Champlain Social Work generalist practice program prepares you to help individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities overcome life's most difficult challenges. Our Upside-Down Curriculum is the only social work program in the United States that enrolls students in their first social work class in the fall of their first year, and their first field experience the next spring.

At Champlain College, you'll enjoy close and supportive interpersonal relationships with your field practicum coordinator, program director and social work instructors as you gain the knowledge, values and skills you need to help people improve their lives.

Coursework on theory and practice will combine with a wealth of field experience working with real people in real situations, with opportunities in Montreal, Canada; Dublin, Ireland; and Burlington, Vermont, which has an internationally recognized refugee resettlement center and a blend of urban and rural populations.

It's preparation that will let you graduate to a career rich in the personal and professional satisfaction that comes from offering help and hope to those who need it most. Social workers interact with a variety of people, including children, families and elders, and in a number of settings, such as schools, community centers, mental health centers, residential facilities, private practice, local and federal government, and the military, as well as in home-based care and street outreach work.

Ninety percent of the 2010 graduates of Champlain's program report full-time employment in a social work field. The Social Work program is in its third year of candidacy toward Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation, which is targeted for spring 2013. Students who enter the program can expect to graduate from a fully accredited Social Work program.

Apply and formally enter into the social work program at the same time you apply to the College, instead of during your sophomore or junior year.
Take Introduction to Social Work in the fall of your freshman year.
Perform a minimum of 420 hours of fieldwork in varied settings. Work with emotionally challenged children; help in substance abuse treatment facilities and assisted living facilities; and work with refugees from eastern Europe, Asia and Africa as they enter into and acculturate into Burlington and the surrounding communities.
Learn from experienced, professional faculty who have worked/managed and/or created adoption agencies, residential treatment centers, child protection agencies, welfare-to-work programs, private practiced and other settings.
Complete a semester in Montreal, Quebec, or Dublin, Ireland, where you'll attend classes at Champlain's international campuses and work with social service agencies.
Enter into your first field experience in the spring of your freshman year with 40 hours of field work that allows you to engage with children at a local magnet school.
Explore a variety of career opportunities, including child, family and school social work; medical and public health; mental health and substance abuse; administration, planning and policy making.

The Social Work program at Champlain College is in candidacy for accreditation status by the national Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Spring 2013 is the expected date for accreditation status; all students currently in and entering the program have the right to apply for an advanced standing status in a MSW program and can sit for a bachelor’s level license after the required number of supervised clinical hours.

Ask a Question about our Social Work Degree Program

Ask a question, and someone from our Admission team will put you in touch with the faculty or staff member who can best answer your questions.

Recommendation and Supplemental Application Requirements

As an applicant to the Social Work Program, you will be required to submit two additional pieces of information: a supplemental application as well as a letter of recommendation. You may submit these pieces of information electronically or by using the document links below.

Social Work Program Supplemental Application
Social Work Program Letter of Recommendation - The letter should speak to your history of social service/volunteerism and commitment to the principles of working in a helping profession which focuses on social justice. References can come from teachers, employers, religious leaders, coaches, volunteer supervisors, etc., but not from family members, friends or coworkers.

Once both pieces have been received, the information is given to your admission professional so that it can be incorporated into your College admission application.

Please contact your Admission Counselor for specific questions on the Social Work Supplemental Application and Recommendation requirements.