Bachelor of Social Work - BSW Degree

GMercyU’s planned BSW degree will be a practical, hands-on program for those who want to dedicate their lives to helping others. As a student in GMercyU’s social work degree program, you will gain the knowledge and skills needed for generalist social work focused on economic and social justice concerns, ranging from homelessness to community violence, substance abuse, organizational diversity, and child welfare, to name a few.

Offered through the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bachelor's in Social Work degree will provide a holistic approach to addressing the social and economic needs of individuals and communities in urban, suburban and rural areas.  

Once you complete your BSW degree at GMercyU and pass your Pennsylvania social work exam, you'll be eligible to apply for licensure through the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Professional Counselors.

Other benefits of choosing our social work program at GMercyU include:

• A BSW program that addresses social problems and social and economic justice issues in keeping with our Catholic identity and the critical concerns of the University’s founders, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
• Co-curricular organizations, such as Best Buddies, Mercy Works, Peer Mentoring, and Sigma Phi Sigma that provide experiential service learning opportunities to BSW students
• Alternative Spring Break and other service learning programs where you can gain practical hands-on experience before you graduate
• More than 60 years of experience preparing  Distinctive Mercy Graduates to become leaders in their chosen professions
• Fulfilling and exciting real-world learning opportunities in both suburban and urban locations
• Courses taught by experienced faculty who take the time to mentor and engage their students
• Eligibility for advanced standing in CSWE master’s degree programs, which means you can complete your MSW in just one year

*Gwynedd Mercy University’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Educations’ Commission on Accreditation.

Accreditation of a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the Council on Social Work Education’ Commission on Accreditation indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process. An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals and the Commission on Accreditation has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all sections of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.

Accreditation applies to all program sites and program delivery methods of an accredited program. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.

For more information about social work accreditation, you may contact Accreditation.

*Licensure: This program was designed to meet the licensure requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you reside in a different state, you should carefully review your home state’s licensure requirements prior to enrolling in this program. For more information, please visit our Program Licensure Requirement page.