Skip to Main Content
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
oneColumn

Social Work

Program Mission Statement

The mission of the University of North Florida (UNF) Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is to prepare students with the generalist knowledge, values, and skills to provide effective social work services to diverse client systems (e.g., individuals, families, organizations, communities) in a variety of practice settings (e.g., schools, hospitals, not-for-profits, government agencies). Our curriculum is designed to enhance students’ understanding of and sensitivity to economic and social inequalities and foster commitment to serving and advocating for the well-being of those who are vulnerable, marginalized, and oppressed. To this end, all students are required to complete 450 hours of field education in which they work in a local human service agency under the supervision of one of the program's community partners. This field education is critical to students' preparation for generalist social work practice and reflects the program's overall commitment to community-based learning and service. BSW faculty are actively engaged in service and scholarship to improve social work service delivery to the impoverished and marginalized individuals and groups with whom our students will work.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able:

Content/Discipline-Specific Knowledge/Skills

  • Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
  • Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice
  • Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice
  • Engage in policy practice
  • Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

Communication Skills

Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

Critical Thinking Skills

  • Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
  • Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities

Other Skills (Opt.)

Engage in professional and ethical behavior

Assessment Approaches

In accordance with the accreditation requirements of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the BSW Program prepares students for generalist social work practice through the mastery of nine core competencies. Our assessment entails a three-pronged approach designed to collect data regarding the mastery of these competencies from the perspectives of the Agency Field Instructors, the students, and the BSW faculty. To this end, we utilize two standardized assessment measures for each competency area: The Social Work Education Assessment Project (SWEAP) assessment measures, that includes the Foundation Curriculum Assessment Instrument (FCAI) and the Field Placement/Practicum Assessment Instrument (FPPAI) that measures the application of these competencies during the field education experience. Each of these instruments was developed to assess student practice of the CSWE Educational Policies and Standards (EPAS). The FCAI measures how well a program’s curriculum prepares students with the knowledge necessary for competent professional social work practice. The FPPAI consists of a series of items, related to each EPAS Core Competency, and related behaviors, to be scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale by the field instructor. Finally, to assess the implicit curriculum of the BSW Program, students complete a Learning Environment Survey (LES). The LES is a locally constructed 60-item survey that invites students to indicate their level of agreement with statements regarding a variety of topics such as the BSW program’s commitment to diversity, the clarity of the BSW Program’s policies and procedures, and the effectiveness and accessibility of advising services.