General Catalog 2024-2025
Social Work Education
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About the Department
Irán Barrera, PhD., LCSW, Professor & Department Chair
Professional and Human Services 128
559.278.3992
FAX: 559.278.7191
chhs.fresnostate.edu/social-work/
The profession of social work is dedicated to meeting the diverse social service needs of special populations of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. As a practice-oriented profession, social work deals with social concerns that range from societal oppression to people’s emotional/behavioral problems.
The Department of Social Work Education offers two degree programs to educate beginning and advanced social work practitioners who can meet complex client needs in a broad range of public and private human service settings and who can perform in a variety of roles using a multisystems approach. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree program prepares students for beginning generalist social work practice as well as for graduate study in the human service field, including social work. The Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) prepares the learner for advanced multisystems social work practice as well as for doctoral study in social work and related human service arenas. Both the B.A. and the M.S.W. programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Pre-Health
Pre-Social Work as a preparatory program for the Social Work program has been changed and is now part of the larger Pre-Health Program. The College of Health and Human Services Pre-Health Program provides support to students exploring careers in the health and human services professions with academic advising and career exploration. The Pre-Health Program allows students interested in: Nursing, Kinesiology-Exercise Science, Health Science-Community Health and Social Work to explore these majors and career pathways. The Pre-Health Program is a three semester program that will blend in all lower-division general education. Students in the Pre-Health Program will enroll in HHS 18A in their first semester and HHS 18B in their second semester to help in the exploration process. During the second semester an academic counselor will work with students’ to identify a major appropriate to their career path and then in the beginning of their third semester they will apply to the major of their interest.
Interesting Classes You Might Take
- Child Welfare
- Treatment of Chemical Dependency
- Cross Cultural Human Services
What You Can Learn
While the discipline of social work is deeply rooted in a rich, 100-year history of service, what social workers “do” is no longer traditionally defined. The role of the social worker is constantly expanding into innovative service fields wherever a compassionate response to human need is indicated. The department educates beginning (B.A. in Social Work) and advanced practice (M.S.W) who can meet complex needs, perform a multiplicity of social work roles, promote institutional change, and enhance the problem solving capacities of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Faculty
The faculty members of the department represent a wide spectrum of theoretical orientations and approaches to professional social work practice. All have substantive practice experience and many engage in active research programs and social policy interests. In addition to the on-campus facilities of the university, the department uses the San Joaquin Valley’s unique urban-rural configuration of people, social-political institutions, and the accompanying host of social service needs as the setting for field internships.
Numerous public and private social service agencies in our region make their facilities and professional social work staff available for the internship requirements of the programs. Internship experiences are available in the schools, healthcare settings, behavioral health, probation, and social services departments in the counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Tulare, and San Luis Obispo. A representative sample of settings include Community Regional Medical Centers of Central California, Valley Children’s Hospital, Fresno Unified School District, Focus Forward, and Kings County Human Services Agency.
Career Opportunities
The profession of social work is dedicated to meeting the diverse social service needs of special populations of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. As a practice-oriented profession, social work deals with social concerns that range from societal oppression to people’s emotional/behavioral problems.
What You Can Earn
- Social Worker (MSW), $57,406 (in our region)
- Social Worker (BSW), $48,562 (in our region)
Source: HR Reported data from salary.com as of December 2012
What You Can Do
The undergraduate social work program prepares students to enter supervised professional social work practice and/or pursue admission to a range of graduate studies programs.
ProgramsCertificatesBachelorMasterCredential
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