Social Work Program at SUNY Plattsburgh - Careers in Social Work

Careers in Social Work

Begin your career equipped with the skills, knowledge, and values essential in social work practice.

Baccalaureate Social Work (B.S.W.) is the only undergraduate major that educates students to be professional social workers. Graduates are prepared for immediate entry into direct human service professional positions — ready to excel in careers in social work and ready to do post-graduate work at the master's degree level. They possess the intellectual, practical, and professional skills needed to promote beneficial change in the lives of their clients.

Social work employers recognize the specialized education and skills that empower B.S.W.'s to make an immediate impact on their organizations and in the lives of their consumers. While sociology, psychology, and related degrees provide generalized preparation for a number of careers, the B.S.W. degree provides specific, targeted training that treats the whole person within the context of his or her environment.

Our graduates can find employment in many different public and private work settings, including:

• Health Services
  • Nursing homes
  • Hospices
  • Public health agencies
  • Substance abuse programs
  • Aging services
  • Hospitals
  • Developmental disabilities services
  • Mental health services
• Public Agencies
  • Community action agencies
  • Legal services agencies
  • Domestic violence programs
  • Criminal justice agencies
• Child and Family Services
  • Child welfare agencies
  • Family services agencies
  • Child and adult day care centers
  • School (elementary and secondary)
  • Children & youth services
  • Home care agencies
• Community Services
  • Residential treatment programs
  • Homeless shelters
  • Vocational rehabilitation services
  • Income maintenance programs

Graduate School

Students in the Social Work Program at SUNY Plattsburgh have a 95% acceptance rate to graduate schools both in the United States and in Canada. Some of the schools that students have been accepted at are:

• University at Stony Brook
• University at Albany
• University at Buffalo
• University at Binghamton
• Fordham University
• Hunter College
• Syracuse University
• Rutgers University
• McGill University, Canada
• Springfield College
• Washington University; St. Louis
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Maryland
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Boston College
• Simmons

SUNY Plattsburgh Career Development Center

Our Career Development Center provides services, resources, and programs designed to help students and alumni to better understand the career development process, and to enhance their professional preparation and employability.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

If you would like more information about social work at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact

Lynne Soine, Chairperson
Office: Ward 101
Phone: (518) 564-4174
Fax: (518) 564-4161
E-mail: soinel@plattsburgh.edu