Oakland University Social Work Program - Social Work Program

Introduction

For a number of years, Oakland University offered a social work concentration, which was not an accredited program. During the academic year 2006-2007, the University developed and presented a proposal for an accredited baccalaureate social work program to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). In June of 2011 the program received full accreditation from CSWE.

Currently, the Social Work Program is housed within the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice in the College of Arts and Sciences.

BSW Program Mission:

Guided by a the principles of social and economic justice, cultural competence and the values and ethics of the social work profession, Oakland University’s BSW program prepares students for competent and effective generalist social work practice with multi-level systems (individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations).

Utilizing critical thinking and evidence based practice skills, graduates of the program are prepared to deliver empowerment based services to the oppressed populations of southeast Michigan.

BSW Program Purpose:

Social work practice is concerned with enhancing the interactions between people and their social environments in order to enable people to accomplish life tasks, mediate distress and realize their aspirations and values.
The purpose of the social work program is to:

1) Enhance the problem solving and coping capacities of people;
2) link people with systems that provide them with resources, services and opportunities;
3) promote the effective and human operation of these systems;
4) contribute to the development and improvement of social policy.