Social Work

The social work program at Cedar Crest College is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)—the only accrediting agency for social work in the United States. Some facts about Cedar Crest’s social work accreditation:

• Ours is the only accredited social work program in the Lehigh Valley.
• Our CSWE accreditation ensures that our program meets all of the standards set for a professional social work education.
• Cedar Crest’s program is one of the oldest accredited undergraduate social work programs in the United States.

A Superior Education

Receiving your degree from our accredited program means:

• Employers can be assured that you have received a superior education in social work.
• You may be eligible for advanced standing in most graduate school programs for social work (see below).

Advanced Standing in Graduate School

Students who meet certain academic standards during their bachelor’s studies in social work at Cedar Crest are able to apply for advanced standing in many schools that offer graduate-level social work programs. At these schools, you can receive credit toward the 60 credits typically required to complete a master’s degree in social work. Here are some of the graduate schools with programs related to this degree:

• Boston College
• Boston University
• Columbia University
• Fordham University
• Kutztown University
• Marywood University
• Rutgers University
• State University of NY at Stony Brook
• Temple University
• University of Denver
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina
• University of Pennsylvania
• Washington University in St. Louis
• West Chester University
• Widener University

Learn how you can transfer up to 90 credits with our generous transfer policy.You can also speak to your SAGE adviser to learn about earning your general education requirements here at Cedar Crest College.

A fully accredited curriculum

Our social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and is one of the oldest accredited BSW programs in the nation. Students who complete the social work major here will be prepared for beginning entry into a social work practice and are usually able to apply several of their undergraduate credits toward a graduate degree in social work.

Experienced faculty, individualized attention

All of our professors have terminal degrees and are licensed social workers with relevant professional experience. The social work faculty represent 35 years of practice, 70 years of teaching experience, and considerable international experience. Our faculty members closely monitor each student’s academic progress and participation in various field experiences.

Valuable field experiences

As a senior, you will work with a faculty member to select a local agency where you will participate in a field experience for one full year (450 hours). It is not uncommon for this experience to result in students receiving job offers prior to graduation.

Research opportunities

During Social Work Research Methods and Design (SWK 325), you will spend the fall semester learning research processes and develop research techniques applied to social policies. The following semester, you will take Evaluating Social Work Research (SWK 326), in which you conduct an original research project, which you will present at the annual Health and Wellness Conference.

Opportunities to specialize

As a social work major, you may dual-major in another field such as psychology or criminal justice. Or you may pursue an add-on certificate in gerontology or child welfare. These options enable you to explore a specialty during your bachelor’s studies to better prepare you for graduate school and/or future employment.

Alumni success

Our program is highly regarded by the social services community in the Lehigh Valley. Many Cedar Crest graduates of the social work program are currently caseworkers and supervisors at social service agencies throughout the greater Lehigh Valley area. The reputation of our students is so exceptional that many local agencies contact our program as soon as vacancies develop on their staff. Historically, up to one-third of the field instructors supervising our current students (during their practicum) are program alumni themselves.

At Cedar Crest College, all of our social work courses are taught by highly experienced and licensed professionals with experience and connections in social work—locally, nationally and internationally. Our faculty members have more than 35 years of experience in the social work field and 70 years of teaching experience.

» Read full profiles of faculty members.

Baker,K., Boland, K., Nowik, C. (May, 2012) A Campus Survey of Faculty and Students Perception of Disabled Persons. Journal of Postsecondary Education.Boland, K. (Fall 2011) Confidentiality, Privileged Communication, Duty to Warn and Mandated Reporting. Gannett Education. Approved by AASWB.Baker, K., & Boland, K. (2011). Assessing safety: A campus-wide initiative. College Student Journal, 45(4) 683-699.Baker, K. Boland, K., Meade, E., Weaver, S. (2011) The Democratic Academy: Pedagogies for Student Engagement. Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Vol. 1 and 2.Baker, K., & Boland, K. (2010). Female college students’ perceptions of organ donation. College Student Journal, 43(1) 178-187.Boland, K. (2010). Professional boundaries in healthcare. Gannett Education. Approved provider of social work continuing education by Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). Retrieved from http://ce.nurse.com/SW01/Professional-Boundaries-in-Healthcare/

Boland, K. (2009). Law and ethics in social work. Teaching social work values and ethics, 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: CSWE Press: Council on Social Work Education.

Baker, K., Boland, K, & Laffey J. (2006). The health connection at Cedar Crest College. National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, 43(3) 446-463.

Boland, K. (2006). Ethical decision-making among hospital social workers. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 3(1).

Spiezio, K., Baker, K., & Boland, K. (2006). General education and civic engagement: An empirical analysis of pedagogical possibilities. The Journal of General Education, 54(4), 273-294.

Baker, K., Spiezio, K., & Boland, K. (2004). Education and training in I-O psychology: Student engagement: transference of attitudes and skills to the workplace, profession and community. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 42(2) 101-107.

Weaver, Suzanne, & Meade, Elizabeth. (2004) Toolkit for Teaching in a Democratic Academy. Cedar Crest College.

View academic calendar.

All of the social work courses listed below are offered during the evening.

Foundation Courses

The major in social work consists of the following foundation courses:
ANT 100 Cultural Anthropology
SOC 100 Introduction to Culture and Society
SOC 321 The Family as a Social Institution
PSY 100 General Psychology
PSY 250 Life-Span Development

Additional Requirements

Social work students are required to demonstrate proficiency in Math 102, College Mathematics, and take Sociology 324. To fulfill their scientific reasoning requirement, social work students must take Biology 111, The Human Agenda: Environment, and BIO 112, The Human Agenda: Health Issues, in their freshman or sophomore year. Students transferring from other programs who have completed upper level biology courses may be exempted from this requirement with the approval of the faculty.

Plus the following required professional courses:
SWK 201 Introduction to Social Work
SPS 170/171 Understanding and Using APA Editorial Style for Social Work Majors (To be taken concurrent with SWK 201.)
SWK 202 The Social Welfare Institution
SWK 243 Social and Psychological Aspects of Aging
SWK 300 Community Organizing and Social Planning
SWK 303 Human Behavior and the Social Environment
SOC/SWK 313 Minorities and Human Relations
SWK 324 Social Sciences Statistics
SWK 325 Social Work Research Methods and Design
SWK 326 Evaluating Social Work Research
SWK 327 Social Work Processes: Individuals, Families, Groups
SWK 328 Poverty and Income Redistribution
SWK 329 Generalist Social Work Practice
SWK 339 Field Education in Social Work I (Capstone Experience)
SWK 345 Field Education Seminar I (Capstone Experience)
SWK 346 Field Education Seminar II (Capstone Experience)

Many social work majors choose to double-major in psychology, criminal justice or art therapy, affording them an even wider array of professional opportunities and expertise. For example, there are more social workers providing therapy for clients in the United States than there are psychologists and psychiatrists combined. Social work students can also add any other major or minor offered by Cedar Crest or one of the following certificates:

» Child Welfare Certificate
» Gerontology Certificate

Read full descriptions of courses.Social Work
Social Justice – A Global Perspective

Your SAGE adviser will assist you in developing a schedule of studies that works best for you. Typically, students take 2 or 3 courses during the fall and spring semesters. You may also take a course during the winter semester.

The social work major requires:
57 credits: Professional CoursesTransfer Your General Education Credits

Learn how you can transfer up to 90 credits with our generous transfer policy.You can also speak to your SAGE adviser to learn about earning your general education requirements here at Cedar Crest College.

Many career paths will be open to you after you earn your bachelor’s degree in social work. Here are just some of the occupations for which this major is well suited. (Additional training may be required for some of them.)

• Addiction treatment facilities
• Adoption agencies
• Advocacy organizations
• Aging services
• Child welfare agencies
• Counseling centers
• Crime victims counseling
• Domestic violence services
• Family service agencies
• Group homes
• Hospice services
• Hospitals
• Mental health centers and hospitals
• Military bases
• Nursing homes
• Public welfare offices
• Research centers
• Schools
• Trauma services
• Veteran services

Our alumni are well-known in the social work community—locally, nationally and internationally—for their high ethical standards and exceptional skills and knowledge. In fact, many of our students have received job offers or advancement prior to graduation. Others have gone on to pursue an advanced degree in graduate school. Within 3 months of graduation from our BSW program, all of our students have obtained full-time employment or admission into graduate school.

Where Our Graduates Work

• Queens University in Belfast, Ireland (as a faculty member)
• Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
• Hospice
• Hospitals
• Pediatric hospitals
• Long-term care facilities
• Mental health settings
• Substance abuse agencies
• Family service agencies
• Occupational settings
• Child welfare, day care, and Head Start agencies

Where Our Graduates Study

Within five years of graduating from Cedar Crest, 90 percent of our program graduates attend a master’s level program in social work at many of the most highly rated graduate schools in the US. Some of the graduate schools that our students have been accepted into include:

• Bryn Mawr College
• Columbia University
• Fordham University
• Hunter College
• Kutztown University
• Marywood University
• Rutgers University
• University of Maryland
• University of Michigan
• University of Nevada
• University of North Carolina
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Southern California
• Washington University
• West Chester University