BSW Missions, Goals, and Outcomes
Mission
The mission of the Baccalaureate Social Work (BSW) degree program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) is to prepare students for competent, generalist evidence-based practice. As generalists, graduates will have a common body of social work knowledge and skills informed by the social work profession’s core values and ethics as outlined in the NASW Code of Ethics that are globally transferable across diverse human service settings and population groups. The program is committed to mentoring and empowering students to engage in interprofessional practice experiences, scholarly research, and community service partnerships with the goal of enhancing the well-being of individuals, groups, and organizations from diverse cultural, social, and economic backgrounds, reflecting the UTC mission as an engaged metropolitan university.
Program Goals
The UTC BSW program seeks to create a quality professional program:
1. To prepare competent BSW professionals to practice ethical generalist social work effectively by applying a range of social work theories and evidence-based interventions with individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities in all types of settings.
2. To prepare competent BSW professionals who respect and value local and global diversity and apply evidence-based culturally competent social work skills.
3. To prepare competent BSW professionals who apply innovative social change strategies which promote both social and economic justice.
4. To prepare competent BSW professionals through a learner-centered curriculum that provides opportunities for students to apply developing skills in a variety of learning environments.
5. To prepare BSW students to succeed in the world of work by providing opportunities for students to connect with professionals in the community through a variety of activities.
Core Competencies
Competency-based education is an outcome performance approach to curriculum design. Competencies are measurable practice behaviors that are comprised of knowledge, values, and skills. The goal of the outcome approach is to demonstrate the integration and application of the competencies in practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Nine core competencies for social work practice identified in the Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy Standards for Professional Social Workers are:
- Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
- Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
- Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
- Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
- Engage in Policy Practice
- Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Assess with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities