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School of Social Work
College of Health and Human Sciences

Social Work Bachelor of Social Work

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Bachelor of Social Work BSW Program Highlights

Students in our programs share our vision to advance social justice, environmental justice, and economic justice, and promote equity and equality in our local and global communities.

With a BSW degree, you will gain knowledge and skills about human behavior and social systems, with a particular focus on helping people who are vulnerable or oppressed. A professional degree in social work is a catalyst to being an agent of change for individuals, families, and communities.

Our BSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and prepares you for real-world practice with 450 hours of field internship education. Many of our BSW students choose to continue and earn their MSW or PhD in Social Work, including our Advanced Standing MSW program for students with an accredited BSW degree.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates social work professions will grow 14 percent through 2029. Social work practitioners focus both on the person and their environment in many critically essential areas, such as:

Undergraduate Social Work Study

You will master the six foundation generalist social work practice roles in our BSW program. We help you develop your dedication to ethical standards, sensitivity to human differences and cultural competence, social and economic justice especially as it applies to vulnerable populations, and research affirmed practice.

Advocate

As an advocate, you champion the rights of others with the goal of empowering the client system being served. Build skills to effectively speak on behalf of individuals and communities disempowered by society.

Broker

Build skills as a broker where you are the professional agent responsible for identifying, locating, and linking needed resources to clients. You broker the quality, quantity, and accessibility of services based on your client’s needs.

Community Change Agent

Community change agents are a valuable part of a group or organization seeking to improve or restructure community service provisions. Change agents achieve planned change at multiple levels to shift the focus of institutional resources to meet identified goals.

Counselor

A counselor focuses on improving social functioning. You empower people by affirming their personal strengths and their capacities to deal with their problems more effectively.

Mediator

Learn how to effectively intervene in disputes to find compromises, reconcile differences, and reach mutually satisfying agreements.

Researcher

Researchers critically analyze literature and evaluate practice interventions and program outcomes. You will learn how to extend and disseminate knowledge, and seek to enhance the effectiveness of social work practice.

Bachelor of Social Work Addictions Counseling Concentration

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The Addictions Counseling Concentration provides undergraduate students in Social Work with course requirements for becoming a certified addictions counselor (CAC Level 1) in the state of Colorado. Students will be placed in an addictions treatment setting for the required field placement in Social Work. This concentration will allow students to gain specialized knowledge and skills for working in the addictions field or with future clients with addictions.

  • Coursework for Certified Addictions Counselor—CAC Level 1 credentials in the state of Colorado
  • Includes substance abuse field placement internship
  • Field placement counts towards required 1,000 hours for CAC Level 1

Social Work Curriculum

Major in Social Work

Major in Social Work, Addictions Counseling Concentration

Resources Prospective and Current Students

Paying for College

There are several scholarships available specifically for School of Social Work majors, all you have to do is fill out the general CSU scholarship application. Search the College scholarship database to see the full list.

Student Organizations

As a Social Work major, you can become a Social Work Ambassador, join the Honor Society, and be active on our social network.

Advising and Support

We support you every step of the way through your experience at CSU. Connect with our Academic Success and Graduate Coordinators

Study Abroad

Experiential learning in another country can improve your skills in problem-solving, communication, and adaptability.

Featured BSW Program News

BSW student dedicating studies and career to dismantling oppressive systems

Colorado State University School of Social Work BSW student Riley Smith (they/them/theirs) is pursuing a double major in Social Work and Human Development and Family Studies. “In my second semester at CSU, I went on an Alternative Spring Break (a set of service-learning trips organized by students in partnership with CSU’s SLiCE office) to Los Angeles, where my peers and I volunteered with numerous organizations focused on serving folx experiencing homelessness. This ignited my passion for social justice.”

colorado state university bsw social work student riley smith

Embracing personal identity and advocating for social justice as an undergrad

Gabriella Zeidan made a difference as an undergraduate student. She co-presented a campus talk on being Arab and Muslim in America. She held meetings with the President of CSU, the VP for Student Affairs, and the CSU Provost to advocate for a mandatory class on dismantling privilege and oppression for all incoming students.

gabriella zeidan

Social Work grad focuses on policy and equity in education for her BSW and beyond

“Having a world-class university like Colorado State University in our community is such a great opportunity,” said Smith, who had searched thoroughly for the right program to support her as an undergraduate student. “I kept hearing how great the social work program at CSU was. I knew I found the perfect fit for my academics and have never regretted the decision.”

fall 2020 bsw graduate virginia smith and family