The Social Work Degree Center has included Bemidji State University’s online social work program on its list of the 10 best accredited programs in the country.
Bemidji State’s program ranked ninth on the website’s list, “10 Best Accredited Online BSW Programs,” which includes universities accredited at the baccalaureate level by the Council on Social Work Education. The site also surveyed each degree’s curriculum. Schools featured on the list offer programs primarily online with limited on-campus residency.
“Using the U.S. News and World Report rankings, we judged the academic rigor of each university. Supervised field practice was a must-have to satisfy experience hours required for licensing,” the degree center said.
Other factors considered were transfer eligibility, financial aid, student-faculty ratio, pass rates, specializations and online technology.
Bemidji State University’s online social work program focuses on 10 social work competencies and 41 related practice behaviors. It is a 69-credit degree, drawing from departments such as social work, psychology and biology. The Council on Social Work Education accredited curriculum offers an optional alcohol and drug counseling certificate, and graduates have an average licensing exam pass rate of 96 percent. Students with an associate of arts degree can join the College of Health Science and Human Ecology’s online bachelor’s degree program in social work.
BSU’s online programs give students the same opportunities to participate in class discussions, post assignments and receive feedback from professors that they would have on campus. The Center for Extended Learning is dedicated to assisting off-campus students, beginning with the the application process and connecting them with the programs and services they may need.
LINKS
- Bemidji State University Social Work
- Bemidji State University Center for Extended Learning
- Social Work Degree Center’s “10 Best Accredited Online BSW Programs”
Contact
- Dr. Cheryl Byers, professor of sociology, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-2836, cbyers@bemidjistate.edu
- Center for Extended Learning; (218) 755-2068, cel@bemidjistate.edu
Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling nearly 5,000 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global and multi-cultural understanding.