Social Work
The Department of Social Work at Mount Saint Mary’s University offers a core Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree along with a minor degree program. No matter what your focus is, the Mount has a social work degree program that fits your life.
Advocating and caring for the most vulnerable in our society is the driving force behind social work. Social work is a highly rewarding, client-centered profession with a strong focus on advocacy, assuring that services and resources needed by clients are provided to them. Social workers provide counseling; crisis intervention; diagnosis, evaluation and assessment of a client's status and needs; and resource referral. Social workers serve in a variety of settings providing either direct care or acting as referral agents for clients. Service areas include substance abuse rehabilitation, healthcare, housing, eldercare, adoption services, foster care and grief counseling.
Social workers serve in city, county, state or federal agencies, as well as in nonprofit organizations such as schools, hospitals, mental health centers, corrections facilities and other health and human services settings. Demand for social workers is high and is projected to continue to grow.
/filters:format(webp)/prod01/channel_18/media/website/academics/departments/social-work/1IMG_9893-cropped.JPG)
Bachelor of Science in Social Work
Undergraduate ProgramA degree in social work prepares graduates for a rewarding career in social services across a variety of public, private and non-governmental organizations dedicated to helping others. These may include areas such as substance abuse rehabilitation, healthcare, housing, childcare, eldercare, adoption services, foster care, grief counseling and job training.
About the programWhile many graduates immediately enter the workforce with their Mount degrees, many more continue on to social work graduate studies. Indeed, a high percentage of our alumnae are admitted to some of the most prestigious universities in the field, including Columbia University, New York University, USC, UC Berkeley, UCLA and many more. In addition, Mount alumnae have found fulfilling careers at nonprofit social service agencies, health clinics, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Unified School District and the state of California鈥檚 Department of Child and Family Services and Department of Mental Health.
When you choose to pursue a degree in social work, you鈥檒l gain an education focused on social justice and founded on a classical liberal arts education. A cornerstone of our program is to promote and advance social justice and human rights understanding and advocacy. Our courses infuse human rights education and incorporate experiential learning, where you鈥檒l go into the real world as part of your curriculum. Your education will also include a full-year internship at places like nonprofit social services organizations and government agencies.
Our goal is to ensure our students learn to advocate for their communities and gain the knowledge and experience necessary to become change agents for the world of tomorrow.
We鈥檙e seeking students who share in our mission to help others and thereby help change our society to a more just place. We encourage you to contact us to explore our program and learn more about your career options when you earn your degree in Social Work from Mount Saint Mary鈥檚 University.
Hear from Our Alums
I had always been interested in a profession that not only involved helping people but also one that would allow me to engage in social justice issues. After taking an Introduction to Social Work class at the Mount, I knew this was the profession for me because of its endless opportunities to help, to be a leader, and to be an advocate. In the Department of Social Work, I had the opportunity to take classes with professors who empowered me to see myself as a change agent through various opportunities. As a social work major, I was challenged to be a critical thinker who can apply theoretical frameworks beyond a classroom setting. Faculty here taught me to lead with integrity, to be courageous, and to be a confident woman in this field of study.
During my time at the Mount, I was able to foster professional relationships with various individuals in the field that I would not have been able to had it not been for the various academic opportunities such as the Distinguished Global Scholars in International Social Welfare program, where I have been able to learn about social issues during travel study opportunities in Spain, France, Italy in 2017 and Brazil, and Argentina in 2018. In addition to these, some of the most meaningful experiences I had at the Mount were the research opportunities I had with Dr. Melendres outside of our Quantitative Research Methods and Qualitative Research Methods courses. The Quantitative Research Methods and Qualitative Research Methods courses gave me insight into what the world of academic research was really about.
During my time at the Mount, the classes I took in the Department of Social Work allowed me to learn beyond the classroom. I appreciated that professors combined curriculum with community-based experiential learning opportunities such as community immersions to learn about various issues such as the displacement happening in Echo Park, hosting guest speakers such as survivors of the Holocaust to share their experiences and discuss issues of immigration, and regularly bringing in Department of Social Work alumni to learn about the variety of the social work profession. I am thankful for the professors in the Department of Social Work, as they continue to guide and mentor me beyond my time at the Mount.
Course highlights
SW 129: Professional Development for Social Work Practice
This course provides students with an opportunity to learn and develop the necessary skills to engage in the preliminary stages of professional development as it relates to the field of social welfare. This course involves thoughtful self-assessment; addresses the social, economic and personal conditions affecting the decision-making process; and incorporate strategies aimed toward the development of a personalized plan.
SW 111: Social Welfare Policy
Students examine social welfare policies at the federal, state and local levels that form the context of direct practice. Students will analyze social welfare legislation and programs past and present. In addition, students will review and discuss social work roles in policy development, analysis and implementation.
SW 126: Case Management and Intake Assessment for Social Workers
This course assists students in developing skills associated with effective case management in a social service setting. The case management process is traced from the intake interview to termination of services, with in-depth attention given to the three phases of case management: assessment, planning and implementation.
The Department of Social Work at Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles is currently in pre-candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA).
Students that are admitted to pre-candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation.
. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation by email.