Undergraduate Social Work Program

Social Work majors are prepared as entry level generalist social workers upon graduation with a Bachelor's degree from The College of St. Catherine or the University of St. Thomas. Our graduates are highly regarded by the social services community and are sought to fill the social work manpower needs in our metropolitan area. Students are also prepared for graduate studies upon graduation.

"I enjoy my job and feel my learning experience at St. Thomas and St. Catherine has well equipped me to perform as a licensed social worker. I am also currently active at the macro level as well as the micro. Because of my education, I now enjoy my income of $31,000 within my first year of graduation. I tripled my income for my family."

"Many, many thanks to my wonderful instructors on both campuses and my supportive, well-informed advisor. You all were the force behind me and you all changed my life. I am forever grateful!"

Graduates of the Social Work program have been consistently successful in finding employment. The majority (80-90%) of our job-seeking graduates tend to be employed in professional jobs within six to eight months of graduation and all job-seeking graduates usually attain professional employment within ten months after graduation.

Our school is dedicated to providing education and training for students to fill jobs in traditional and newly emerging areas where a Bachelor's degree is considered the appropriate entry level as well as in areas formerly reserved exclusively for Master of Social Work graduates. Some of the traditional areas are: adolescent and child care in residential facilities for physically and mentally handicapped, work with elderly in nursing homes and in their own homes, multi-service community centers, and youth work.

Among the newly emerging areas of practice are residential and in-home services for the elderly, women's advocacy centers, shelters for battered women and children, day care facilities, crime victim's assistance centers, industrial social work, community mental health programs, chemical dependency facilities and treatment programs, neighborhood health centers, self-help groups, political activism, crisis centers. Social work advertisements, National Association of Social Workers' employment ads, and the Minnesota Social Service Association's bi-weekly bulletins list employment needs for social workers with Bachelor's degrees.

NOTE: The College of St. Catherine awards both a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) and the University of St. Thomas awards the Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.), but graduates from our program may use the title ?Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)? because of our accredited status with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).