About

Social work is a profession in which practitioners work directly with individuals, families, and groups, helping people cope, change, and solve problems in all facets of their daily lives. Social workers also work with community stakeholders, organizations, neighborhoods and communities, and in activities such as community organization and development, policy and legislative advocacy. They are employed in a wide variety of agencies, positions, and areas of service, such as mental health, aging services, domestic violence, child welfare, school social work, healthcare services, geriatric social work, and substance abuse treatment and prevention. In addition, social workers may advance to positions of management of social service agencies or establish their own private practice. The uniqueness of social work as a profession includes the emphasis on the person-in-environment, identification with the most marginalized and oppressed of society, and commitment to core values of social work—social and economic justice, respect for the worth of others, cultural diversity, and the principle of self-determination for individuals, families, and groups. At both the BSW and MSW level social workers may be licensed for social work practice within their state.

Accreditation

For information regarding accreditation at UNLV, please head over to Academic Program Accreditations.

Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
    • Make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context;
    • Use reflection and self-regulation to manage personal values and maintain professionalism in practice situations;
    • Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication;
    • Use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes; and
    • Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.
  • Engage diversity and difference in practice.
    • Apply and communicate understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels;
    • Present themselves as learners and engage clients and constituencies as experts of their own experiences; and
    • Apply self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse clients and constituencies.
  • Advance human rights and social, economic and environmental justice.
    • Apply their understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice to advocate for human rights at the individual and system levels; and
    • Engage in practices that advance social, economic, and environmental justice.
  • Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
    • Use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research;
    • Apply critical thinking to engage in analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings; and
    • Use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.
  • Engage in policy practice.
    • Identify social policy at the local, state, and federal level that impacts well-being, service delivery, and access to social services;
    • Assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services;
    • Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
  • Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
    • Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to engage with clients and constituencies; and
    • Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and constituencies.
  • Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
    • Collect and organize data, and apply critical thinking to interpret information from clients and constituencies;
    • Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and constituencies;
    • Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within clients and constituencies; and
    • Select appropriate intervention strategies based on the assessment, research knowledge, and values and preferences of clients and constituencies.
  • Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
    • Critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies;
    • Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in interventions with clients and constituencies;
    • Use inter-professional collaboration as appropriate to achieve beneficial practice outcomes;
    • Negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of diverse clients and constituencies; and
    • Facilitate effective transitions and endings that advance mutually agreed-on goals.
  • Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
    • Select and use appropriate methods for evaluation of outcomes;
    • Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the evaluation of outcomes;
    • Critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate intervention and program processes and outcomes; and
    • Apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.

Career Possibilities

Social work is a profession in which practitioners work directly with individuals, families, and groups helping people cope, change, and solve problems in all facets of their daily living. Social workers may also provide mental, behavioral, and emotional counseling and therapy. Social workers work with community stakeholders, organizations, neighborhoods and communities, and in activities such as community organization and development, policy and legislative advocacy. They are employed in a wide variety of agencies, positions, and areas of service, such as mental health, aging services, domestic violence, child welfare, school social work, healthcare services, geriatric social work, and substance abuse treatment and prevention. In addition, social workers often manage human services agencies or may establish their own private practice. The uniqueness of social work as a profession includes the emphasis on the person-in-environment, identification with the most marginalized and oppressed of society, and commitment to core values of social work—social and economic justice, respect for the worth of others, cultural diversity, and the principle of self-determination for individuals, families, and groups.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the year 2000 there will be more than half a million social workers in the United States. Preparation for social work can occur on the undergraduate and/or graduate level, with licensure eligibility at both levels. Bachelor-level (BSW) social workers often work as direct-service case managers in social service agencies. Master’s level (MSW) social workers are eligible for state licensure at an advanced clinical level, following a supervised clinical internship at 3000 hours in most states. Median pay for social workers is about $42,500 per year (2010), generally higher than other counseling and mental health therapists. The top 10% of social workers earn over $70,000 per year, while social work managers and similar administrative positions may exceed $100,000 per year. The job outlook for social workers shows about 650,500 positions nationally for social workers in 2010. The profession is also growing 25% faster than the national average, given the expected increase in health-related social work and other social services in the coming decades. Growth in areas of mental health and substance abuse is expected to grow by 31 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).

Requirements

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Documents/Downloads

Bachelor of Social Work

Contacts

School of Social Work

The programs offered by the School of Social Work strive to instill values of social and economic justice, respect and worth of others, cultural diversity, and self-determination. We also foster a strengths-based environment that emphasizes openness, collaboration, and engagement striving towards individual and community resiliency.

Website
https://www.unlv.edu/socialwork
Email
socialwork@unlv.edu
Phone
702-895-3311
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Greenspun College of Urban Affairs

The Greenspun College of Urban Affairs is committed to creating contemporary solutions for resilient communities. Our academic programs focus on making effective public policy, creating support structures to meet behavioral and mental health challenges, ensuring cities are safe and prepared to meet emergency situations, effective and ethical journalism, and interpersonal and public communication strategies.

Website
https://www.unlv.edu/urbanaffairs
Phone
702-895-3291
More
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