Social Work

Degree

Bachelor of Science, Major

Three students walk with a Father on a stone path outdoors.

The bachelor of social work degree in the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies upholds and promotes racial, social, economic, and environmental justice to advance human rights and influence the elimination of oppressive systems and practices.

What You'll Learn and Do

Go where your interest takes you.

Social workers make a difference in the everyday lives of vulnerable individuals, families, and communities, practicing in settings such as schools, healthcare, eldercare, court systems, community organizations, corporations, employee assistance programs, child welfare, and government.

Gain hands-on experience in a setting that suits you.

The coursework reflects the interprofessional nature of the field, establishing a solid liberal arts base that is built upon through coursework in human behavior, theory, social policy, research, and generalist practice, including 450 hours of supervised fieldwork. Our field education program has partnered with mental health agencies, supportive housing programs, community outreach centers, substance abuse services, group homes, and a hospital network.

Become a “person for others”.

The program aims to help students develop intellectual rigor, personal integrity, informed decision-making, self-reflection, and social responsibility within a framework of Jesuit and social work values. It seeks to aid students in becoming "people for others" who dedicate themselves to service, respect the inherent worth and dignity of all persons, recognize social inequities, and intervene as leaders for social change.

Make the most out of your education.

Students will engage in interdisciplinary collaboration with both professional and community partners. With a dedicated faculty of practicing social workers, students will be provided with focused advising, mentorship, and support, both individually and collectively.

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Course Requirements

Contact Us

Undergraduate Admission
admis@fairfield.edu
(203) 254-4100

Accreditations

Accredited by the CSWE Board of Education

CSWE Board of Accreditation

The Egan School’s Bachelor of Social Work program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Learn More About CSWE Accreditation

Resources for Student Success

Social workers provide nearly 60 percent of the mental health services in the nation and, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, professional social work is one of the fastest-growing careers in the country.

The University Career Center serves Fairfield University students with comprehensive career support services, programming, and resources.

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Fairfield supports the scholarly success and intellectual growth of our students by providing various resources on campus including the Science Center, Writing Center, DiMenna-Nyselius Library, and more.

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Baccalaureate Social Work Program Assessment Outcomes

This form is used to assist the Commission on Accreditation in the evaluation of the program’s compliance with the accreditation standard below.

4.0.3: The program uses Form AS 4(B) and/or Form AS 4(M) to report its most recent assessment outcomes for each program option to constituents and the public on its website and routinely updates (minimally every 2 years) its findings.

All programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (COA) are required to measure and report student learning outcomes. All students are assessed using a minimum of two measures on their mastery of the nine competencies that comprise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) and any additional competencies programs may choose to add. These holistic competencies reflect the dimensions (knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive & affective processes) of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their professional training.

Programs determine a percentage-based benchmark for each competency and determine an outcome-measure benchmark (minimum score) for each measure. The competency benchmark (which can differ for each competency) represents the minimum percent of students the program expects to have achieved the outcome measure benchmarks in both/all measures for each of the nine competencies. The program then determines the percentage of students that attained each outcome measure (e.g., minimum score or higher), and aggregates the percentages for both/all measures together to obtain the percentage of students demonstrating competence inclusive of two (2) or more measures. The result of aggregating both/all outcome measure percentages provides the percentage of students achieving the competency benchmark. An aggregated percentage at or above the competency benchmark is considered an achievement of that competency. If the program has more than one program option, the program must report data for each program option, and also an aggregate of all program options combined to determine an overall percentage of students across all program options achieving the competency benchmark.

Per the requirement of CSWE COA’s recognizing body, the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and accreditation standard 4.0.3, programs must post this form publicly on its website and routinely update (minimally every 2 years) its findings. Upon request, programs must provide CSWE with the weblink to the published form on the program’s website where it is accessible to the public. Data presented on the form must be collected within 2 years of today’s date at all times.

Assessment of student learning outcomes for baccalaureate social work program assessment outcomes.
Competency Competency Benchmark Percentage (%) of Students Achieving Benchmark
Program Option #1 On Campus Aggregate of All Program Options
Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior 80% 1 100%
Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice 80% 1 100%
Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice 80% 1 100%
Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice 80% 1 100%
Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice 80% 1 100%
Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 80% 1 100%
Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 80% 1 100%
Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 80% 1 100%
Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 80% 1 100%

All students are assessed using a minimum of two measures on their mastery of the nine competencies that comprise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education and any additional competencies programs may choose to add. Summarize the program’s competency-based assessment plan. Programs may add/delete rows to accurately reflect the number of measures included in the data presented.

Assessment Measure #1: Journal/Scrapbook
Assessment Details
Dimension(s) assessed: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive and Affective Processes.
When/where students are assessed: Spring 2024/SWRK 4308
Who assessed student competence: Prof. Joshua Neitlich
Outcome Measure Benchmark (minimum score indicative of achievement) for Competencies 1-9:
3 out of 5
Competency Benchmark (percent of students the program expects to have achieved the minimum scores, inclusive of all measures) for Competencies
1-9:

80%
Percentage of Students Achieving Competency 100%
Assessment Measure #2: The Field Instructor Student Competency Practicum Evaluation Form Competencies Assessed 1-9
Assessment Details
Dimension(s) assessed: Knowledge, Values, Skills, Cognitive and Affective Processes.
When/where students are assessed: Spring 2024/SWRK 4952
Who assessed student competence: Field Instructor/Program Director, K. Oliver
Outcome Measure Benchmark (minimum score indicative of achievement) for Competencies 1-9. 3 out of 5
Competency Benchmark (percent of students the program expects to have achieved the minimum scores, inclusive of all measures) for Competencies 1-9: 80%
Percentage of Students Achieving Competency 100%

Explore More

  • A professor in a red sweater stands in front of a PowerPoint addressing a class.

    Faculty

    Learn more about the social work faculty members.

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    Egan in the News

    See what our students and faculty in the Egan school have been up to.

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