Social Work
Behavioral and Applied Social Sciences
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Major Brochure | Courses | Sample Plan of Study

Forms | Links | Events SW Field Manual Standards for Social Work Education SW Handbook

Social Work is a helping profession, dedicated to improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Social workers are problem solvers, advocates, mediators, counselors and brokers. They utilize and mobilize resources to help meet the basic needs of all people. They can be found in a variety of settings such as: hospitals, schools, jails, mental health centers, adoption and foster care agencies, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and substance abuse treatment centers. Social workers are required to adhere to high standards of professional and ethical conduct in their work with clients. This work requires compassion, integrity, determination, and a high regard for social justice.

Social work faculty at Defiance College have a high level of expertise in the field and are actively involved in social work practice. Students also benefit from an extracurricular organization, an honorary society, and an annual urban trip, on campus workshops presented by leaders in the field, and other social and academic events.

Accredited
The social work program at Defiance College is nationally accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. This is important for two reasons. First, to receive a license to practice the profession, the candidate must graduate from an accredited program. Second, some students may qualify for advanced standing in the graduate schools of Social Work.

Social Work Program Goals
1. To prepare the student for immediate entry into employment in a social work field at the beginning practice level.

2. To prepare the student for licensure as a baccalaureate social worker (LSW) in the state of Ohio.

3. To prepare the student for graduate school education.

4. To promote life-long learning and professional growth for students and area social work practitioners.

Major Brochure | Courses | Sample Plan of Study

Field Experience

Students are formally admitted to the social work program after the sophomore year. During the fall semester of the junior year, students will be engaged in a hands-on field experience consisting of 10 hours per week in a social service agency with limited duties. A second field placement will be conducted during the Spring semester of the senior year which involves working 30 hours per week as a fully functioning professional. In addition, students have many opportunities to participate in social agencies as volunteers or while completing class assignments or projects.

Program Opportunities & Campus Involvement

Empty Bowls
The annual Empty Bowls event is sponsored by the Social Work Organization in order to raise funds to help feed the hungry, with all proceeds going to the local PATH Center. - View Photos

Night Without a Home
Defiance College social work students partner with local agencies to conduct Night Without a Home on the DC campus to draw attention to the problem of rural homelessness.

Social Work Urban Chicago Trip.
Social work trip to Urban Chicago. - View Photos

After College -- What's Next?

Students may select to begin graduate studies or to become a working professional immediately after completing their degree. B.S. Social Work graduates are employed in many different work settings under public or private auspices that may include nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, home health care, substance abuse programs, mental health services, developmental disabilities services, family service agencies, youth services, aging services, domestic violence programs, schools, and homeless shelters. Defiance College students choosing to continue their social work studies have been accepted at more than 25 graduate schools across the country including the University of Chicago, Case Western Reserve University, The Ohio State University, Boston University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and many others.

The Faculty

Jeffrey S. Weaner, MSW, Professor of Social Work and Sociology, Program Director
419-783-2559 | jweaner@defiance.edu | Faculty Profile

Alesia Yakos-Brown, LISW, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Field Coordinator
419-783-2425 | aybrown@defiance.edu | Faculty Profile

Elizabeth KimJin Collardey, Ph.D., LCSW, Assistant Professor of Social Work
419-783-2556 | ecollardey@defiance.edu