Contact Us

Department of Social Work
Kyser Hall, Room 149
165 Sam Sibley Drive
Natchitoches, LA 71497
Phone: 318-357-5493
Fax: 318-357-6782
Email: socialwork@nsula.edu

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Welcome to Northwestern State University Social Work Department. Our social work program, which has been in existence since 1970, assists students in developing the knowledge, skills, competencies, and values to effectively help people confront and resolve personal problems and public issues. The Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW) prepares graduates for immediate entry into direct social work and human services positions. Additionally, our degree allows graduates going on to Masters-level (MSW) social work programs, in many cases, to pass over approximately one-half of the MSW courses. We are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Our Mission

The mission of the Northwestern State University BSW Program is, within the scope of the University’s mission and liberal arts foundation, to graduate competent and ethical generalist social work professionals prepared to meet the needs of diverse populations at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels, locally to globally.  Our teaching, advising, and student engagement focus on a responsive student-centered approach, both on campus and online, that encourages and develops life-long learners and critical thinkers.  Students and faculty engage in service and leadership that enhances human well-being, embraces human diversity, promotes human rights, and advances social and economic justice. The program’s foundational perspectives include person-in-environment, strengths, research-informed practice, scientific inquiry and the values and ethics of the social work profession.

Social workers can be found in all of the following fields of practice:

  • Aging
  • Income Maintenance
  • Alcohol & Substance Abuse
  • Medical and Health Care
  • Child Welfare
  • Mental Health and Illness
  • Community/Neighborhood Work
  • Occupational/Industrial Work
  • Corrections/Criminal Justice
  • Schools
  • Disabilities (Physical and Mental)
  • Social Policy
  • Family Services
  • Youth Services

Some social workers spend their entire career in one field of practice, while others move from one practice area to another over the course of their career. Our program provides a generalist foundation that is transferable among the different fields of practice, populations, and problem areas, so don’t worry if you are not sure of which area of social work you want to enter.

You will find the social work faculty to be friendly and interested in you. They stand ready to engage you in the classroom, advise you academically, help you to think through your career choices, consider further social work education, and even chat with you about their own experiences. I encourage you to get to know the social work faculty members to learn more about opportunities in social work. Their contact information can be found elsewhere on these web pages.

You will have opportunity to develop your interests in this profession outside the classroom, as well as through standard course work. The social work club is open to all social work majors and brings a social work perspective to university, agency, and community projects, putting students’ care and concern for others into action. Pi Delta is our local chapter of the national Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society and is for selected students committed to excellence in academic scholarship and professional standards. Social Work majors are represented by some of their peers on departmental and university committees, task forces, and councils. Some seek office in NSU’s Student Government Association and Union Board.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have about the opportunities in social work. The best way to contact us is through our department email at socialwork@nsula.edu or our phone at 318-357-5493.

Kind regards,
Susan Campbell, PhD, Social Work Interim Department Head

Webex Tutorial for Students and Attendees

BSW Ranks Most Affordable

HumanServicesEDU.org Recognizes the Northwestern State University of Louisiana BSW as One of the Most Affordable CSWE-Accredited Bachelor’s Programs in the Nation for 2019-20

BSW Ranks Most Affordable

BestColleges recognizes the NSU BSW Program as the 5th Best Accredited Online Social Work Program in the Nation.

Study.com

Northwestern State University of Louisiana has been ranked #2 on our list Best Online Bachelor's Degrees in Social Work!

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