Social Work

One person can make a difference—you—and the social work program at Cedar Crest College will better prepare you to put your compassion into action.

Today, more than ever before, our increasingly interconnected world is faced with poverty, oppression and discrimination that need to be countered by compassionate, dedicated, and educated professionals. Simply put, there is a critical need for people like you who are dedicated to community service and to bringing about social change.

Because Cedar Crest College is a small, private school, we are able to offer you a personal level of faculty mentorship that is unheard of at larger institutions. Here, you will also experience a wider range of valuable real-world experience at local organizations including a homeless shelter, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, adoption agencies, mental health, foster care, child and adolescent behavioral health centers and a full-year senior-level field education experience—all of which makes our graduates the ideal candidates for both graduate schools and a wide variety of professional positions.

Your experience here will also prepare you be a leading force of social change, thanks to our unique and highly specialized course offerings, including community organizing and poverty and income redistribution. (We invite prospective students to come and observe a social work class in progress!) Also, the skills you learn here—including interpersonal communication, how to influence others, and how to motivate large groups of people—will serve you well in any future endeavor.

Recent B.S.W. graduates of Cedar Crest College have gone on to employment in hospitals, long-term care facilities, mental health settings, substance abuse and family service agencies, occupational settings, and child welfare, day care, and Head Start agencies. Many of our graduates have been accepted into master’s level programs at respected institutions such as Aldelphi University, Bryn Mawr College, Columbia University, Kutztown University, Marywood University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, West Chester University and a wide range of state universities and colleges nationwide.

The Cedar Crest College Advantage:

Accreditation
Our social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and is one of the oldest accredited B.S.W. programs in the nation. Students who complete the social work major here will be prepared for beginning entry into a social work practice and are usually able to apply several of their undergraduate credits toward a graduate degree in social work.

Experienced faculty
All of our professors are licensed social workers with relevant professional experience. Our faculty members closely monitor each student’s academic progress and participation in various field experiences.

Valuable field experiences
Our program is highly regarded by the social services community in the Lehigh Valley. As a senior, you will work with a faculty mentor to select a local agency where you will participate in a field experience for one full year. This experience frequently results in students receiving job offers prior to graduation.

Opportunities to specialize
As a social work major, you may dual-major in another field such as psychology or criminal justice. Or you may pursue an add-on certificate in child welfare. These options enable you to explore a specialty during your bachelor’s studies to better prepare you for graduate school and/or future employment.

Mission Statement

The Social Work Program at Cedar Crest College is dedicated to the provision of the highest quality educational preparation of students for entry into beginning generalist social work practice that maximizes the welfare of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in local, national and global settings. Consistent with the mission of the College, the Social Work Program seeks to provide students with a professional education grounded in a liberal arts perspective with a particular focus on the holistic development of students to engage effectively as leaders in a global community. The Social Work Program is philosophically guided by a generalist approach that is informed by the person-in-environment framework as well as the knowledge, skills, values, the ethical principles of the profession grounded in scientific inquiry as well as by the CSWE core competencies and related behaviors. The Social Work Program is also devoted to preparing professionals who have a lifetime commitment to service that values diversity, upholds human rights, advocates for social, economic, and environmental justice, and that advances the quality of life for all people.