BSSW Program

Department of Social Work
Social Work Program (BSSW)

Welcome

Welcome to the Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) program at the College of Staten Island, CUNY.  Social work is a respected helping profession that seeks to alleviate human suffering, improve the quality of life for the most marginalized in society, and ensure equal access to resources.  Social workers are employed in a variety of settings (schools, hospitals, child welfare agencies, homeless shelters, battered women’s centers, criminal justice settings, and more) where they work on a variety of issues (school safety, end-of-life care, sexual assault, poverty and social inequality, discrimination, crisis intervention, advocacy and support services for vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, and more).  Social work is grounded in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics with a commitment to diversity, self-determination and social and economic justice.

Students who complete the BSSW program with a GPA of 3.0 or above will be eligible to apply for admission to the one-year Advanced Standing MSW program.

Social work students engage their learning both in and out of the classroom.  Beginning in the junior year, social work majors participate in a 65-hour community service learning experience. Service-learning opportunities expose students to community-based human service agencies and support students in preparing for their senior field practicum. During senior year practicum, social work majors are placed in one of nearly 50 social service agencies serving Staten Island and/or the surrounding area.  In this 480-hour field internship, social work knowledge, values, and skills are brought together in real-life settings, working with vulnerable people from a variety of backgrounds on a range of social problems.

Social work is a challenging and rewarding profession with endless opportunities to help others, solve problems and change the world.  If you, too, believe in making a difference, we invite you to join us in the BSSW program. For a copy of the BSSW Student Handbook, please contact the Department of Social Work.

Patti Gross, MSW, LCSW-R
Director, BSSW Program
Department of Social Work