What Is Social Work?

Simply put, social workers are individuals who help other people live their best lives. Social work, by definition, is the professional activity of helping individuals, groups or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning. As a trained social worker, you will be able to have a profound influence on your local community, the global community and the future of society as a whole. Here at Cedar Crest College, we are committed to preparing social work professionals who will strive to alleviate poverty, oppression, and discrimination through a dedicated advocacy for social, and economic, and environmental justice.

The Versatility of a Social Work Degree

By pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work (B.S.W.), you are opening the door to a future career that is meaningful, diverse, satisfying, challenging, principled, and highly adaptable. In fact, there may be more career paths open to you than you dreamed possible.

As you already know, the profession of social work offers tremendous emotional rewards. What you may not know about the B.S.W.:

• It’s very versatile. Social workers are in high demand in many areas, such as health care, career counseling, the criminal justice system, education, and government offices, to name a few.
• It’s the fastest path to becoming a therapist. If your goal is to work in a private practice, starting with a B.S.W. degree will get you to your goal more quickly and with fewer years of schooling. (See box.)
• It can save you time and money. Because the Cedar Crest B.S.W. program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, many of our program graduates are able to apply several of their undergraduate credits toward a master’s degree.

Career Opportunities for a B.S.W.

Many career paths will be open to you after you earn your bachelor’s degree in social work. Here are just some of the occupations or organizations for which this major is well suited. (Additional training may be required for some of them.)

• Adoption Agencies  
• Aging Services  
• Child Welfare Agencies  
• Counseling Centers 
• Disaster Relief Work 
• Family Service Agencies  
• Hospital & Health Care  
• Individual & Family Therapy 
• Military & Veterans Services  
• Nursing Homes  
• Addiction Treatment Facilities  
• Advocacy Organizations 
• Community Organizing 
• Corrections  
• Domestic Violence Services 
• Hospice Services  
• Human Trafficking Services
• International Social Work  
• Mental Health 
• School Social Work 

For More Information

Contact these professional organizations for additional information on the field and study of social work.

• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
• National Association of Social Workers, Pennsylvania Chapter (NASW-PA)
• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
• State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors
• International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)