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About the BS in Social Work Degree

Why Study Social Work at Cedarville?

Get involved. Make a difference. Care for people. Light up the darkness. Change your world.

If you feel called to serve and care for others, Cedarville's BS in social work program is the perfect match for you! You'll learn through a variety of experiences, including an internship, professional conferences, service to the needy, and even the opportunity for international field experience in Ecuador, India, or Uganda. You will be equipped to help others in a way that reflects the love and humility of Christ.

From working with vulnerable children and adopting families to supporting elderly and individuals or communities in crisis, you'll get a wide range of knowledge and experience in social work. No matter your area of focus, you will graduate prepared to integrate your faith into both your personal and professional life, equipping you to influence those around you for Christ.

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What Sets Cedarville Apart?

Program Overview

Program Highlights

Biblical - Our approach to social work is unique. We begin with a biblical, Christian foundation. You will be equipped to meet human needs through the lens of a biblical worldview. Principles from God’s Word guide discussions about public service, meeting human needs, and social justice. Theology is integrated in very practical ways with the social and cultural issues we confront every day. This careful integration is essential to developing Christian social workers who are caring, committed, and competent.

Balanced - Cedarville’s social work program provides the balanced education prized by employers and graduate schools: a strong core of required courses, electives that allow you to specialize and explore further, and two separate field experiences that bring together all elements of your academic achievements.

Accredited - The social work program at Cedarville University received initial accreditation from The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in June of 1998. CSWE reaffirmed the program in June 2002, again in 2010, and most recently in June 2017. Graduating from an accredited program positions our students to complete graduate school in one year instead of two.

Placement Success

We’re proud of our successful graduates! 100% of recent social work graduates were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation. Check out Cedarville’s other placement rates.

Cedarville's Placement Rates

What Can You Do With a Bachelor's in Social Work?

Your degree will prepare you for a variety of social work careers as well as graduate programs.

Our graduates have been accepted to prestigious Master of Social Work programs such as:

  • University of Michigan
  • Case Western Reserve University
  • Georgetown University
  • Boston College
  • Bryn Mawr College
  • University of Pennsylvania

Due to our accreditation, our graduates receive advanced standing, allowing them to complete an MSW program in about one year. Some have gone on to complete a law degree and have become legal advocates for the poor and disenfranchised.

Our graduates are employed in hospitals, domestic violence prevention centers, foster care/adoptive agencies, congregational social work in larger churches, assisted living facilities, rehab facilities, mental health facilities, counseling centers, higher education as social work professors, hospice services, inner-city youth programs, and refugee resettlement programs. You will also find our graduates serving as youth ministers, pastors, and missionaries.

Our graduates are prepared for the state Licensed Social Worker (LSW) exam; last year 93 percent of our students passed the exam on the first attempt (state average is 70 percent).

We also have graduates who have served on the state of Ohio task forces dealing with sex trafficking, as well as the Ohio Attorney General’s Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness.

  • Agape for Youth – foster/adoptive services
  • Area Agency on Aging
  • Buckeye Ranch – providing individual and family behavioral health counseling to children ages 6–17
  • Catholic Social Services
  • Choices – adoption services
  • Church congregational social work and community outreach Rock City Church, Columbus, OH
  • Council on Rural Services – Head Start programs
  • Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care
  • Davita Dialysis Center – medical social work
  • Dayton Children's Hospital
  • Dayton Veterans Administration
  • Family Violence Prevention Center
  • Forensic Interviewer, Mental Health Advocate, at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus
  • Lebanon Correctional Facility
  • Miami Valley Hospital Social Services Department
  • Missionaries – Germany, So. Africa, Brazil, Philippines, inner-city Chicago ministry
  • Ohio Living – assisted living facility in Wilmington, OH
  • Open Door Ministries, Denver
  • Salvation Army – sex-trafficking initiative
  • The Glen at St. Joseph’s, a residential program for low-income single mothers and their children
  • World Relief – programs for refugee resettlement and assimilation
  • Youth Pastor, Florida

Graduate and professional programs and employers welcome Cedarville University graduates each year. It is important to note that some professional career fields you may pursue require additional education, experience, and/or licensure beyond the completion of your Cedarville University undergraduate degree.

Opportunities to Learn Outside the Classroom

Internship — You will complete a two-tiered internship: 150 hours during your junior year and 450 hours during your senior year. Field Experience allows the student to put into practice with real-life clients what they’ve learned in the classroom.

International Field Experience — You can choose an international field experience for your internship. Choose from Ecuador, India, or Uganda.

Experiential Opportunities — You’ll experience social work practice courses that provide experiential opportunities:

  • Poverty simulation experience
  • Team-building exercises
  • Serving the needy

Conferences — You will have the opportunity to attend area conferences for professional social workers.

Student Organizations — You can participate in two social work student organizations to enrich your academic and professional experience.

2021 Social Work Majors Academic Recognitions and Senior Celebration

Watch as new members were inducted into the Phi Alpha Honor Society, academic achievements of students at all levels were recognized, and graduating seniors were celebrated. This event took place on April 15, 2021.

Program Curriculum

Building on your general education and Bible minor courses, you will take core foundational social work courses, leading to practice courses that help you develop strategies for working with individuals, families, groups, and communities.

Sample Courses:

  • Social Work Practice with Diverse Populations
  • Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families

Start Your Degree in High School!

Save time and money in college by taking dual enrollment courses now. Discover how you can complete your social work degree in just three years with the Dual Enrollment 3-Year Pathway.

Explore the Dual Enrollment Pathway

Program Format and Related Programs

Cedarville offers graduate and undergraduate programs with flexible completion options. You may also want to consider these related programs as you consider the degree or program that is the best fit for you.

Program Level and Format

  • Undergraduate
  • Residential
  • 4-Year
Two people seated at a table and talking.

From Our Students:

  • I have been pushed continually to excel academically, while being taught by professors who are competent in their specialties and passionate both for social work and the Word of God. Through the yearlong internships that we are required to complete and professors who do not stray from discussing difficult social topics in the classroom, I feel especially prepared for where God will lead me next, and I know that this comes largely in part to my experience in Cedarville University’s social work program.
    Hannah Lankford
    Hannah Lankford
Job and Grad School Placement

Program Faculty

Photo of Michael Sherr

Michael Sherr, PhD, MSW

Associate Dean, Director of Social Work, Professor of Social Work

Contact

Photo of Melissa Brown

Melissa Brown, MSW

Associate Professor of Social Work

Contact

Photo of George Huff

George Huff, MSSA

Senior Professor of Social Work

Contact

Department of Social Work
School of Education and Social Work

Program News

  • The BTS and Dixon Ministry Center as seen across Cedar Lake on the campus of Cedarville University.

    Continued Growth: Cedarville Trustees Approve Key Initiatives

    Nearly six years after launching the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in Cedarville University’s 138-year history—a $175 million initiative--the final building from the campaign was approved for construction by the board of trustees at its annual meeting on January 31.
  • Justin and Cheryl Martens Family 1920

    God's Grace Through a Foster Family

    When Justin and Cheryl Martens decided to start caring for children in Florida’s foster care system, they never imagined how it would transform the children’s lives — or their own lives. During a six-year period, the Martens fostered 23 children and adopted one of them as part of their own family. This adoption eventually opened the door to a unique relationship with the child’s biological parents.