Social Work (BS)
Why Social Work?
Social workers are dedicated to enhancing the well-being of people and the pursuit of a more just and equal world. A Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Iona University establishes you as a member of the social work profession and connects you to a wide range of practice areas.
In hospitals, police departments, mental health clinics, schools, military facilities, government and corporations, social workers apply their unique person-in-environment knowledge with professional skills to help people solve problems and improve their lives. If helping others is your passion, a social work major may be perfect for you.
Why Study Social Work at Iona?
Your Path to a Meaningful Career
Iona's Bachelor of Science in Social Work program offers a comprehensive curriculum that prepares you for a rewarding career in social work. Our program is part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences and is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), ensuring a competency-based approach. Supervised practicum experiences provide direct practice experience that allow you to develop your professional competence and identity while building strong professional networks.
Benefit from Iona's Well-Regarded Program
The need for social workers is increasing, and because Iona University’s Social Work program is well-regarded in the greater New York metropolitan area, you will have an advantage with employers and graduate schools.
Immerse Yourself in a Supportive Community
Throughout your time in the social work major, you benefit from small class sizes and personal attention from our highly qualified and caring faculty who want the best for you and expect the best from you. You join a genuine learning community where you prepare for a professional career in social work with the support of your peers and faculty.
Expand Your Perspective, Enhance Your Skills
Majoring in social work provides opportunities for collaboration with faculty and peers in other Iona professonial degree programs–including Communication Science Disorders, Education, Marriage & Family Therapy, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and School Psychology–to give you a holistic approach to helping others, and to prepare you for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice.
What You'll Learn
In the Classroom
Our rigorous curriculum builds upon a strong liberal arts foundation and focuses on building and integrating generalist social work knowledge, skills and values. You'll develop competencies in:
- Developing your professional identity as a social worker
- Social work practice with individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations and society
- Person-in-Environment, Strengths and Empowerment oriented approaches
- Engaging human diversity
- Advocating for human rights
- Challenging injustices and pursuing racial, social, economic & environmental justice
- Analyzing and influencing social welfare policy and services
- Using research to support generalist social work practice
- Applying the values and ethics of the profession to guide your social work practice
- Working collaboratively with professionals in other disciplines
Social Work Practicum
Apply your developing social work knowledge, values and skills in community-based organizations that empower change
- Competency-based practicum learning
- 500 practicum hours under the supervision of professional social workers
- Placement coordinated and supported by the program
Interprofessional Education to Enhance your Collaborative Practice Effectiveness
As a professional degree program of the New York-Presbyterian School of Health Sciences, you will be actively engaged in Interprofessional Education (IPE) bringing you together with students from nursing, education, mental health counseling, marriage & family therapy, occupational therapy, school psychology and speech-language pathology to learn “with, from and about one another” enhancing your capacity for collaborative practice.
- IPE modules on interprofessional communication, roles & responsibilities, teamwork, and values & ethics
- IPE Experiential Learning Opportunities (IPE Field Fellowships; Simulations)
Position Yourself for MSW Advanced Standing Admission
Graduating with a social work degree from Iona positions you to apply for Advanced Standing admission at any accredited Master of Social Work program in the nation. Advanced Standing admission allows students holding a bachelor’s degree in social work to complete a Master’s Degree in Social Work in one year instead of two.
Careers & Outcomes
Recognition as a Professional Social Worker
With a bachelor’s degree in social work from Iona you are recognized by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as a professional social worker!
Range of Social Work Career Possibilities
An Iona bachelor’s degree in social work prepares you for a wide range of career possibilities – in community-based organizations serving a variety of populations, in nursing homes or hospitals, on mobile crisis teams or early intervention programs, within shelters or even in political offices! For those interested in a career in clinical, school medical, or forensic social work Iona’ s Bachelor of Social Work degree ensures that you are very well prepared to take on the rigors of graduate study as well.
A bachelor’s degree in social work prepares you for a wide range of career possibilities, including:
- Advocate
- Behavioral Health Worker
- Caseworker
- Child Welfare Specialist
- Care Coordinator
- Community Outreach Manager
- Counselor
- Family Support Specialist
- Group Facilitator
- Intake Coordinator
- Substance Use Specialist
Iona Social Work Alumni Work at:
I chose to complete my degree at Iona because I knew they had an exceptional Social Work program.
Wanda McDonald ’20
Read More About Wanda
Social Work Program Highlights
Interprofessional Education
Through engagement in interprofessional education, you will gain experience that will allow you to work confidently with colleagues from other professions/disciplines to deliver high quality, integrated services to support positive outcomes for clients.
Direct Entry to the Social Work Profession
The BS in Social Work degree from Iona’s accredited program earns you recognition as a professional social worker by the National Association of Social Workers.
Program Points of Pride
- Iona undergraduate social work students consistently awarded prestigious Behavioral Health Summer Fellowships at Mt. Sinai Hospital
- 100% of graduates seeking Advanced Standing MSW admission have been successful
- Nationally ranked #2 as a high-value accredited BSW Program in U.S. metro areas
Learn More about Iona’s Bachelor’s in Social Work!
Iona University’s Bachelor of Science in Social Work offers students the foundational knowledge needed for a graduate degree in social work and future professional licensure. Alternatively, employment opportunities for entry-level (i.e., those who hold a bachelor’s degree in social work) has historically been quite strong.
Request information to learn more, or begin your undergraduate application.
Find Out what an Iona Education Can Do For You
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Let us show you around, answer your questions and give you a feel of our tight-knit community.
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