Social Work
Uplift families, empower individuals, and heal communities with Champlain's Social Work major.
Be a force for good
Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), this ambitious and broad-based major is grounded in a social justice framework that will prepare you for change efforts with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. You will graduate with the professional knowledge, values, and skills of generalist practice from a local to global perspective, along with over 400 hours of direct field experience gained through your senior internship.
Our local and global communities need more leaders who are knowledgeable and compassionate. If you are driven by a need for justice and equality, you will find no better launchpad than the Social Work program at Champlain College. Dynamic classrooms and engaging community experiences align to build the skills you need to contribute to a more just world.
What is Social Work?
As a student of social work, you’ll explore the practice-based profession of empowering people and communities of different backgrounds. You’ll train as a professional to help assist and empower vulnerable individuals, groups, communities, and societies in overcoming challenges in their environment and everyday lives. As a social work professional, you have the ability to work and practice in a wide variety of settings, from schools to healthcare providers to child welfare.
Why study social work at Champlain College?
We believe some of the best learning comes from experience, so we make sure you graduate with a background rich in real social work. With our combination of broad social work learning and extensive field experiences, you’ll be prepared for a career of building a better world for the people who need it most.
At Champlain, you will jump right into your Social Work education. In our Upside-Down Curriculum, you’ll be enrolled in your first Social Work class in your first semester, and will begin to connect with the professional community the following spring.
You’ll also be able to explore related disciplines—such as Social Justice, Law, Psychology, Global Studies, or Business—through a minor.
Fieldwork Opportunities in the Social Work Major
Because you’ll be taking field-relevant courses from the start, you’ll be ready for meaningful internships much sooner than students at most other institutions.
Much of your social work education will be hands-on in the greater Burlington community throughout your four years here. The city’s culture and environment unite perfectly with our social justice mission. You will have multiple opportunities for practical application of your developing skills, in agencies focused on physical and mental health, human rights, crisis response, poverty and homelessness, child and family well-being, and community development.
Because Champlain College’s Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), it meets the requirements for licensure in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.
While you are feeding your passion for social justice with all of these practical experiences, you’ll also be building a résumé that will impress future employers.
Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Different by Design
Accelerated Master’s
Through our CSWE-accredited Social Work program, you can apply to a Master of Social Work (MSW) program that will allow you to earn a master’s degree in one year instead of two.
Our Progressive Community
Burlington’s culture and environment unite perfectly with our social justice mission.
Apply Your Skills
You’ll have multiple opportunities for practical application of your developing skills, in agencies focused on physical and mental health, human rights, crisis response, poverty and homelessness, child and family well-being, and community development.
Facts & Stats
92%
of Social Work majors in the Class of 2023 achieved career success within six months of graduation. That’s success you can see.
9%
Projected growth of overall employment of social work professionals 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Most
Champlain was named as “Most Innovative School” by U.S. News & World Report in its “America’s Best Colleges” 2024 ranking of universities in the North.
Sample Courses in the Social Work Major
Our Social Work curriculum is designed to equip you with the applicable skills and knowledge you’ll need to be successful in your career. You’ll engage with community members and organizations that will offer you valuable experience and perspective. Check out some of the engaging and hands-on courses in our program.
Second Year
You might also be interested in these…
Based on your interest in the Social Work major, we thought you also might like to check out these other academic programs and opportunities.
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Majors
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Applied Sustainability
The way we think about the environment can’t be separated from the way we think about people, and vice versa. Learn the skills to cultivate a career in a growing field.
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Degree Design Lab/Integrative Professional Studies
Design your own major through Champlain’s Degree Design Lab. You’ll combine courses and real-world learning experiences to personalize your own education.
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Education
Teaching is the ultimate way to shape the future. At Champlain College, you’ll be in classrooms during your first year, building deep expertise that leads to licensure.
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Psychology
Study human motivations and the latest neuroscience in a career-focused Psychology major that prepares you for this dynamic field.
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Law
Study law as an undergraduate at Champlain College and start your legal education right away, during your first semester. Go on to law school afterward or choose a different path; either way, you’ll be ready.
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Minors
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Conflict Management Minor
Develop a practical way of mediating conflict in your workplace, community, and personal life with Champlain College’s Conflict Management Minor.
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Criminal Justice Minor
Justice at all levels is a keystone of a functional society. Learn the criminal justice process at multiple levels and how your knowledge of this system can benefit your career.
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Gerontology Minor
Examine the physical, mental, and sociological aspects of aging, including the ways that society changes with an aging population with the Gerontology minor.
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LGBTQ Studies Minor
Examine the complex histories, cultures, political activities, and expressions of LGBTQ people while exploring larger social and institutional foundations like media representation and human rights.
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Social Justice Minor
See your work through the lens of social justice. Learn how social, economic, and political issues influence each other and affect an individual’s or community’s essential rights.
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Areas of Study
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Individualized Studies & Undeclared
Learn what you love, and love what you learn.
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Education, Humanities & the Sciences
The born educator, the team player, the change maker, the advocate.
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Law & Society
Uphold a system of justice through meaningful public service.
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Accelerated Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW)
Through our CSWE-accredited Social Work program, you may apply to a Master of Social Work (MSW) program that will allow you to earn a master’s degree in one year instead of two. If accepted, you will save a year of graduate tuition costs.
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Career Success
Social work students gain real-world skills and marketable experience. 91% of Social Work majors in the Class of 2023 were employed within six months of graduation.
Your Career Outlook
By the time you graduate, you will …
- Engage diversity and difference in practice.
- Advance human rights, and social, economic and environmental justice.
- Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
- Engage in policy practice.
- Engage with, intervene with, and assess individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
You’ll Find a Career In…
- Outreach work
- Case management
- Probation
- Child welfare
- Substance abuse counseling
- Social services
- Behavioral and mental health
More Inside Social Work
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Overview
Uplift families, empower individuals, and heal communities with Champlain's Social Work major.
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Curriculum
Gain real-world experience with Champlain's Upside Down Curriculum.
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Faculty
Learn more about the experienced professionals leading Champlain College's social work program who are dedicated to teaching and mentoring you.