Why should I seek the BSW degree from Thomas University?
Thomas University offers the BSW degree that guarantees you a low student/faculty ratio in your classes and a flexible class schedule designed to accommodate the needs of full-time students and full-time professionals. Our faculty is experienced in supporting first generation students, working parents and other interested groups in obtaining their BSW degree. Our curriculum is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)–which means you are receiving a degree that is as rigorous as any accredited program in the country.
What characteristics do you look for in a student who is interested in the BSW program at Thomas University?
That’s a great question! The most important characteristic is that you are interested in helping people, and you are open to learning about new ways facilitate these practices. To accomplish this, you will need to take risks and be flexible by trying new things (interviewing people, asking the correct questions) and be open to receiving feedback regarding areas of improvement. One must possess several key characteristics in order to properly excel: studious, as well as being able to critically examine research in order to discern the best ways to help people, knowledge of computers, as many of our program elements are online. One must also be willing to work hard on developing communication skills – both written and verbal – as that is the most important quality cited by employers about valued employees in this field. Lastly and most importantly, one needs to be a responsible and ethical professional who realizes that behavior not only affects ones’ self, but those you serve.
What does accreditation do for me?
Accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) enables professionals and other schools to know that you have achieved a certain standard of excellence in your education. Accreditation also enables graduating BSW students to be considered for “advanced standing” in a Master of Social Work (MSW) program. This may allow the student to skip courses in their Master degree studies and obtain a MSW in a full calendar year (summer, fall, spring). However, please note that accreditation does not guarantee a student advance standing – MSW programs decide that on a case-by-case basis.
Thomas University’s program has been fully accredited by CSWE since 2005. A CSWE accreditation is considered the “gold standard” of social work education, entailing the achievement of numerous benchmarks and achievements.
What makes social work different than other helping professions?
All of the helping professions seek to assist persons using a knowledge base of expertise developed by researchers. Social workers use the “generalist” perspective which means using information, technology or resources that are ethical, effective and available to help the client. We utilize a “person in environment” or “ecosystems” approach which maintains that in order to help someone, you must also deal with the situation that contributed to causing their problem.
