Indiana University has a long history of providing preparation for entry into social work practice. Courses in this area began to be offered in 1911 through the Department of Economics and Sociology. Between 1911 and 1944, various administrative and curricular changes were put into effect, and degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels were offered. In 1944, the Indiana University Division of Social Service was established by action of the Trustees of Indiana University. The organizational status was changed in 1966 when the Graduate School of Social Service was created. In 1973, the name was changed to School of Social Service in recognition of the extent and professional nature of the school's graduate and undergraduate offerings. It became the School of Social Work in 1977 in order to reflect more clearly its identification with the profession.
The school provides opportunities for study leading to associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. The Associate of Science (A.S.) program prepares students for paraprofessional practice; the Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) program prepares students for generalist social work practice; the Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program prepares graduate students for advanced social work practice in an area of specialization; and the doctoral program prepares social workers for leadership roles in research, education, and policy development.
Although the degree programs vary in their emphases and levels of complexity, the school's curricula embody features that are systemic in their educational effects:
The total curriculum articulates the relationship of the undergraduate and graduate levels as components of a continuum in education for social service.
The mechanisms of instruction provide opportunities for a range of experiences in substantive areas of interest to students and of importance to society.
The curriculum focuses on problem-solving and strength-enhancing experiences that involve the classroom, the learning resources laboratory, and field experience.
Excellent library and technology resources make social work students effective users of social science information.
An exploration of educational procedures and arrangements optimize effective training, including institutional self-study of the entire curriculum as well as the exploration of specific educational tools.
Although the school's main location is in Indianapolis, courses or programs are also offered on IU campuses in Bloomington, Gary (Northwest), Kokomo, Richmond (East), South Bend, and at the Columbus Center.
Graduates of the school move into a broad variety of social service settings, including those concerned with aging, family and child welfare, corrections, mental and physical health, and adjustment in schools. In anticipation of such professional activities, the school provides field instruction placements throughout the state where students engage in services to individuals, groups, families, and communities or function in planning and management roles.
Both the Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
Mission Statement The mission of the Indiana University School of Social Work is to educate students to be effective and knowledgeable professional social workers prepared for practice in the twenty-first century. Such practitioners are committed to the alleviation of poverty, oppression, and discrimination. The school is dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life for all people, particularly the citizens of Indiana, and to the advancement of just social, political, and economic conditions through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Within the context of a diverse, multicultural, urbanized, global, and technologically oriented society, the school prepares social workers who will shape solutions to a wide range of interpersonal and social problems by developing and using knowledge critically as they uphold the traditions, values, and ethics of the social work profession.
Teaching The teaching mission is to educate students to become professional social workers equipped for a lifetime of learning, scholarship, and service. Graduates embrace person-in-environment and strengths perspectives that are linked to the welfare of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. They learn to keep abreast of advances in knowledge and technology, be self-reflective, and apply best practice and accountable models of intervention. The school prepares social work practitioners and scholars ready to assume leadership roles at the B.S.W., M.S.W., and Ph.D. levels.
Scholarship The scholarship mission includes the discovery, integration, application, dissemination, and evaluation of client-centered and solution-focused knowledge for and with social work professionals and other consumers. Innovative forms of scholarship are encouraged in developing knowledge for use in practice, education, and service concerning social needs and social problems.
Service The service mission is dedicated to the promotion of the general welfare of all segments of society. Service includes work in the school, university, profession, and community and reflects the school's expertise in teaching, scholarship, and social work practice. Service in the interest of persons at greatest risk is consistent with the social work profession's attention to social justice.
Policy on Nondiscrimination Based on the tradition of the social work profession and consistent with Indiana University's Equal Opportunity Policy, the Indiana University School of Social Work affirms and conducts all aspects of its teaching, scholarship, and service activities without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, socioeconomic status, marital status, national or ethnic origin, age, religion or creed, disability, and political or sexual orientation.
The School of Social Work has a strong commitment to diversity and nondiscrimination. Indeed, diversity is celebrated as a strength. This perspective is demonstrated by the composition of its faculty and student body, curriculum content, and recruitment and retention activities; by participation in university committees dealing with oppressed populations; by numerous service activities, including advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged; by its selection of field practicum sites; and by school policies related to promotion and tenure of its faculty.
TO CONTACT OUR MAIN CAMPUS: Indiana University School of Social Work 902 West New York Street Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 46202 Voice: 317.274.6705 FAX: 317.274.8630 TDD/TTY: 317.278-2050
