New Degree: Social Work Administration
As the job market grows and changes, Hardin-Simmons University aims to offer degrees that best prepare students for their desired careers. One such example of the pursuit of this goal is the recently implemented Bachelor of Behavioral Science in social work administration. This new degree will meet the needs of students interested in professional administrative roles within the social work field.
Professor and Department Head of Social Work, Melissa Milliorn, shared the goals of this program. Read her thoughts on the emerging program below.
Melissa Milliorn, Professor of Social Work
The Hardin-Simmons University Social Work Program has been accredited since 1985 by the Council on Social Work Education and has maintained full accreditation since that time.
With the continued growth in the social work profession, HSU faculty recognized areas of industry need that as a university could be met through the addition of new courses and degree plans. Specifically, the market needs more licensed clinicians as mental health professionals and licensed professionals who can serve in administrative roles at the undergraduate level. This led to two new degree plan offerings: a BS in social work and psychology, beginning in 2019, and a BBS in social work administration, beginning in 2022.
The social work and psychology degree plan was developed in 2019 for those seeking graduate school and clinical practice to become mental health providers. This path provides an opportunity to earn a professional license, to obtain a master’s degree in social work, and start clinical hours to serve as a much faster pathway to clinical practice. A student will leave Hardin-Simmons after five years with an undergraduate degree, graduate degree, and professional license.
The new social work administration degree offers students opportunities to study in both the Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberals Arts and the Kelley College of Business and Professional Studies. This degree plan provides a hybrid approach of administrative training and boots-on-the-ground field work. This degree addresses the career path where students want to go into a service field by working in an administrative role, while still becoming a licensed professional.
Students enrolled in the BBS degree take all the required social work courses that provide the benefits of potential licensure upon graduation, and like the other two social work degree plans, the ability to go on to graduate school to pursue a master’s in social work with advanced standing. This means they can essentially obtain the master’s degree within one year after completing their bachelor’s degree.
Jobs expected upon completing the BBS include social work services and administration in businesses, nonprofits, corporations, and as coalition leaders. Graduates with a social work administration degree can obtain any social work-related job, such as being a case manager, investigator, and social worker, all in public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Other potential job opportunities would include governmental work, such as working in offices of congressional leaders at the state or national level.
We were inspired to start the social work administration degree after several recent social work alumni found themselves employed in professional, administrative positions. The feedback from these alumni gave insight to needs in the community and course content not being offered through the traditional social work degree. We are not aware of other undergraduate programs providing offerings like ours here at HSU.
Our goal is to produce competent and effective social work professionals who are in high demand. Students will become professionals who promote justice, equity, human rights, and the dignity and worth of the person. We hope that they will recognize the importance of living in community and pursue lifelong learning through scientific inquiry, characterized by integrity and service all the while.
