Bachelor of Social Work - BSW Degree

GMercyU’s history is rooted in service to the community. In our BSW program, you’ll prepare for generalist social work focused on economic and social justice concerns, from homelessness to community violence, substance abuse, organizational diversity, and child welfare. You’ll learn to work with individuals and communities in urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Our BSW program proudly offers these unique components:

A phased structure of simulations designed to grow your skills, learn from your mistakes in a safe environment, and build your confidence.

• Sophomores engage in classroom social work role-playing.
• Juniors participate in group simulations. (Here's one example.)
• Seniors engage in 1:1 simulations that coincide with the senior year field experience to further hone their skills.

An emphasis on trauma-informed care. Led by expert faculty Janice Nuss, LCSW with more than 25 years of experience in trauma-informed care, BSW students have the opportunity to participate in a trauma-informed care elective, professional workshops offered by leading clinicians in the field, and field placements working with trauma survivors.  

A focus on international service projects. Our students learn to advocate and serve locally, as well as on a global level. For example, in 2019-20, our students successfully raised funds to purchase a clean-water tank for a family experiencing poverty in Haiti. Juniors and seniors also can participate in an interprofessional global outreach course that involves a spring break service trip with Mustard Seed Communities in Jamaica where students engage with pregnant teens and individuals with developmental disabilities in a cross-cultural context.

More BSW program highlights include:

• Courses taught by highly experienced faculty (no teaching assistants) who are devoted to mentoring our students
• Fulfilling and exciting field experience opportunities in both suburban and urban locations
• Opportunities to network at events, such as the annual National Association of Social Workers Conference
• Co-curricular organizations such as Social Work and Psychology Club, Best Buddies, and Sigma Phi Sigma that provide experiential service learning opportunities to BSW students
• Alternative Spring Break and other service learning programs to further supplement your hands-on experience
• Opportunities to take part in advocacy, like this event
   

You’ll also gain a head start on your master of social work degree. Due to our CSWE accreditation, graduates of GMercyU’s BSW program have the eligibility for advanced standing in CSWE masters programs, which will take a full year off the time to complete your masters of social work (MSW). You may also choose to pursue a graduate degree in pastoral counseling, school counseling, clinical counseling, and applied behavioral sciences. GMercyU offers an accelerated master of school counseling.

Here’s a closer look at just a few of the courses you’ll take as a GMercyU Social Work major.  

SWK-206 Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care
This course is designed to introduce students to the meaning of trauma, the incidence and prevalence of trauma and the effects of trauma on human development. Students will learn what it means to provide client centered care in a trauma informed manner, and will be provided an introduction to evidence based trauma treatments. Active participation of students in this class will include open discussion of material presented as well as practical application of the course material. Self-assessment, awareness and growth are central to the student experience in this course

SWK-299 Interprofessional Global Outreach
The goal of interprofessional education is to prepare future healthcare providers and professionals to work together as a team to improve patient and population health care. This includes engaging in foundational research on interprofessional education/collaborative practice; the use of interprofessional collaborative practice models to provide better care for clients. Service learning provides an opportunity for health care providers to learn more about health vulnerabilities that communities face and gain firsthand experience of working with underserved populations. Service learning uses experiential learning, reflection and reciprocal learning to increase student awareness of community health needs. This course includes international service learning in Jamaica over spring break.

SWK-304 Social Work Policy and Administration
This course provides an awareness of societal response to social problems. It will explore how political, economic, and institutional thought contribute to public response by the social welfare system. Students will explore societal response on the micro-level by designing an agency to meet various societal needs, exploring management skills and administration inhuman service agencies. Students will learn about various agencies and their administrative needs including hiring, state and government regulations, and team building. Areas of study will include planning, goal setting, decision-making, leadership, conflict resolution, budgeting and fiscal management.

SWK-435 Social Work Field Placement I
After consultation with Director of Field Placements advanced students will be provided direct experience in selected supervised settings in social work agencies and programs. The field placement aims to provide a service to the community and enable the student to acquire the skills, experience, and knowledge necessary for the choice of a career.

For all Social Work course descriptions, please see the undergraduate catalog.

At a time when global social workers are needed more than ever, fewer students share the desire to pursue a career in international social work. In true Mercy fashion, Gwynedd Mercy University and the Conference for Mercy Higher
Education have collaborated on designing and implementing international Social Work curriculum for small, private institutions who possess insufficient resources and student enrollment rates to support global learning opportunities for
Bachelor of Social Work students. The program is funded by the Council on Social Work Education Katherine A. Kendall Institute.

Goals of the Collaborative

• Build a faculty and student global learning community
• Provide opportunities for Social Work student collaboration across Mercy universities
• Promote ethical international partnerships that enhance reciprocal mutually beneficial communityengaged service and global learning opportunities, at home and abroad
• Advance human rights through the inclusion of global learning framework in Social Work curriculum

Learn more here!

Built into the BSW program, every senior in the program participates in field experience with guidance and mentorship from Assistant Professor and Director of Field Education Janice Nuss, MSW, LCSW. You’ll complete 400 hours at an organization that best fits your specific interests and learning goals. Afterward, you’ll participate in 1:1 simulations back in the classroom to test and reinforce your new skills and expertise.

Our students have gained field experience at these organizations and more:  

• Area Nursing Care and Rehabilitation Centers
• BucksMont Collaborative
• Caring Hospice
• Christ’s Home
• Episcopal Community Services
• Indian Creek Foundation
• Interfaith Housing Alliance
• Laurel House
• Manna on Main Street
• Mitzvah Circle Foundation
• Montgomery County Human Services
• Peace Valley Recovery Center
• Variety Club

GMercyU’s BSW program prepares our students for careers and lives filled with meaning and purpose. Meet two recent graduates below.  

Aminah Johnson ’20

As a GMercyU Social Work major, Aminah completed a need assessment project for a domestic violence agency and then presented it with her classmates at a National Association of Social Workers Conference. She also completed a 400-hour internship with the Episcopal Community Services and was inducted into the Social Work Honor Society. Aminah is currently working as a Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) before she pursues her master’s degree.

"The [social work] classes I have taken made me more self-aware – my values, bias, and beliefs… it is important to have self-awareness before you enter a profession that will expose you to a lot of diversity."

Read more about Aminah’s experience.
 

Brian Irwin '20

Brian is currently earning his Master of Social Work degree. Thanks to GMercyU, he entered the program with advanced standing and will graduate in May 2021 — just one year after he earned his bachelor's degree. He plans to work as a medical social worker and also obtain his license to become a licensed social worker (LSW). 

"GMercyU’s BSW program prepared me so much for my master’s degree schooling, especially my Human Behavior & Social Environment course — it informed me on people’s behaviors in specific environments, which is very important in this field. I also really enjoyed working with Dr. Luquet in general and even got to propose a grant.”

Read more about Brian's experience to learn how his GMercyU field placement inspired him to earn his master's.

Carlisle Dixon ’20

The pandemic hit right as Carlisle's field experience began with Indian Creek Foundation, which serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As they moved to telehealth services, Carlise helped plan and modify lesson plans, offered feedback for improvement, and ran check-ins with group members, all while completing research she started on assessment tools prior to the shutdown.

Today, she is earning her master of social work in the Advanced Standing Program and hopes to eventually work with children or adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  

"At GMercyU, I was able to find my true self and see all the things I am capable of doing. I learned that social work is not going to be an easy job, that some days may be a challenge and to always take care of myself. I was able to see more of what social work is — what it is you truly do, not just the stereotypes you hear.”

Read more about Carlise’s experience.

Have questions about GMercyU's admissions requirements or transferring credits? Contact us! Our Admissions staff is ready to walk you through the process of applying to GMercyU’s Bachelor of Social Work program.

Email: admissions@gmercyu.edu
Phone: 215-641-5510

Mercy is our middle name. Addressing the needs of others is what we do. Begin your journey to earning your Bachelor of Social Work degree at Gwynedd Mercy University.