Chair's Message

Welcome to the Department of Social Work at Albany State University! With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting that there will be a 12% increase in the need for social workers in the next ten years, our faculty has developed a bachelor’s and master’s program to meet that growing need. We are proud that both the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs are nationally accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE). This accreditation allows our BSW graduates to apply to graduate programs in social work throughout the United States. Our accreditation status also enables our MSW graduates to not only sit for the Georgia licensed master of social work (LMSW) examination and the national licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) examination, but also be eligible to apply for federal and state government social work positions.

Our BSW program prepares students for beginning generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. In their junior and senior years, our students complete coursework in human behavior and the social environment, social work policies and programs, social work research, generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations, and a field internship.

Our MSW program offers a program that focuses on specialized practice in clinical practice with children, adolescents, families and vulnerable adults. We offer a traditional two-year program as well as a three-year and four-year part time program, as well as a one year advanced standing program for qualified applicants. We have numerous field sites throughout Southwest Georgia and beyond in which our students can integrate the knowledge, values, and skills learned in the classroom and apply it to an actual social work setting in the community. Students also have opportunities to engage in social work practice through valuable service-learning projects, study abroad courses and volunteer experiences, as well as through their field internships.

Both the BSW program and the MSW program embraces the purposes of social work education, as explicated by CSWE. We seek to promote human and community wellbeing by delivering a curriculum focused on the person-in-the-environment theoretical framework, a global perspective, a respect for diversity, a practice knowledge based on practice-informed research and research-informed practice, and an understanding of how social programs and policies support or prevent the achievement of social, economic and environmental justice.

Our faculty members are committed to excellence in teaching, research and community service, publishing their research in peer-reviewed social work and interdisciplinary journals and presenting at regional, national and international conferences.

Our alumni are actively engaged in social work practice that is changing the world in which we live for the better. We are so happy you are choosing Albany State University’s social work programs so that you can continue the critical work of the social work profession. Your unique talents, passion for the empowerment of all people, commitment to justice, and your voice are needed in the world today more than ever. Please join with us as we seek to create a world that fosters inclusion, fairness, and opportunity for all.

Dr. Barbara Nowak, Ph. D.

Chairperson of Social Work Division