Undergraduate
At the University of Maine School of Social Work, we offer both on-campus and online program options so undergraduate students can choose a plan of study that meets their needs. Both on-campus and online, our BSW curriculum builds on a liberal arts foundation, using a generalist framework to ensure graduates are equipped to practice across levels and populations and in a variety of roles and settings. Rooted in social work values and ethics, our program provides students with skills engage, assess, and intervene with individuals, families, group, communities, organizations, and institutions; frameworks for understanding the interplay of human behavior and the social environment; analytical capacities for understanding and impacting research and policy; and deepens their commitment to improving the quality of life for people in Maine and globally.
BSW Program Options
Curriculum
Students in the BSW program complete general education requirements to provide breadth of exposure to courses in the sciences and humanities. Social work perquisite courses, which students typically complete in their first two years of study, ensures BSW students have foundational knowledge in philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, statistics, and writing. Core courses in social work cover social work values and ethics; the range of roles and settings in which social workers practice; frameworks for understanding the interplay of human behavior and the social environment; and skills for understanding and impacting research and policy. As junior and seniors, BSW students complete course work to foster skill development in engagement, assessment, and intervention of individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations, and institutions. These courses are completed in conjunction with internship experiences that foster connection between classroom knowledge and real-world practice with a wide range of client systems in various community settings.
Internship
The internship experience provides students with an opportunity to apply and connect their classroom knowledge to real-world situations by working with a wide range of client systems in various community settings. According to the Council on Social Work Education, internship is the “signature pedagogy” of social work, providing students with both direct instruction and socialization into “the fundamental dimensions of professional work in their discipline: to think, to perform, and to act intentionally, ethically, and with integrity” (2022 EPAS, p. 20). As juniors, BSW students take SWK 395, Junior Internship Experience, Parts One and Two. A central emphasis in SWK 395 is on breadth of exposure to underserved client populations and different areas of practice. As part of SWK 395, students engage in service learning. As seniors, BSW students complete a 400 hour, two-semester internship during the senior year and take the course SWK 495 BSW Generalist Internship concurrently. Learn more about the internship experience here.
Social Work Licensing
In Maine there are three levels of social work licensure. Each requires an applicant to attain a specific social work degree (BSW or MSW) and pass a required examination. BSW-level practitioners are eligible to become a Licensed Social Worker (LSW). Detailed information about State of Maine licensing regulations and processes can be found on the Maine Board of Social Work Licensure website. MSW students may find this resource on the licensing process helpful.
MHRT/C Certification
Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician/Community (MHRT/C) certification qualifies recipients to work with adults with serious mental illness in settings that include assertive community treatment, behavioral health homes (BHH), community integration, day support programs, family psychoeducation, mental health psychsocial clubhouses, and skills development. BSW students are eligible for certification as a MHRT/C following graduation provided they complete SWK 380: The Biological Person and the Environment (3 credits) and the elective SWK 485: Mental Health and Work in Social Work Practice (3 credits) alongside their required coursework. SWK 380 and SWK 485 are online, asynchronous courses designed to be accessible to students in both the BSW On-Campus and BSW Online programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
The BSW program at the University of Maine is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. BSW program graduates are qualified to take the examination for certification as a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Maine and in other states that license baccalaureate social workers. BSW graduates can apply for Advanced Standing in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program and go on to earn a master’s degree in one year of full-time or two years of part-time study.