At a glance:

Social Work is a profession that responds to human needs, primarily of a social nature.  It incorporates a constellation of values, purposes, knowledge, and skills directed to serve both individuals and society.  Social Work is concerned with the interactions between people and their environment which affect the ability of people to accomplish their life tasks, alleviate distress, and realize their aspirations and values.

Why should a student choose the program at UT Martin?

The UT Martin Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education which assures you that you will receive high standards of professional education in social work at UT Martin. Students graduating with a major in Social Work are prepared for entry into employment at the first professional level in Social Work practice. Social Work majors also receive preferential consideration and advanced standing as candidates for graduate study.

The faculty provide the students with many opportunities to not only learn about the variety of academic areas of social work but also provide hands on practical applications of skills learned in the classroom.

Are there any special opportunities available such as internships, global travel, etc?

Perhaps the greatest strength in the Social Work Program is field instruction (known also as "field experience" and "internship"). Field instruction is designed to accomplish objectives of the Social Work Program by preparing the student for practice, by bring about readiness for graduate study, and by enhancing the student's ability to cope with the pressures, stress, and frustration of day-to-day living and working.

The field instruction course is Soc Work 490, Social Work Field Instruction. It is a block placement in an agency setting. The student is in the agency each working day during the semester and maintains the same hours as employees of the agency. Numerous agencies in West Tennessee area, as well as other areas of the state participate.  

What can a student do after graduation – graduate school, possible careers?

Career Opportunities
As mentioned earlier, students graduating with a major in Social Work are prepared for entry into employment at the first professional level in Social Work practice.  Social work is assisting others to bring about healthy change within themselves and their communities.  Becoming a social worker entails working with people in order to develop their capacity and potential for creative and fulfilling human relationships.  Social work offers a variety of career opportunities for working with people and helping them meet their needs.  Some of these opportunities include:

Child Welfare Services - For those who like working with children who are abused, neglected, runaways, or abandoned, social service agencies across the nation have positions in adoptions, foster care, protective services, residential care, as well as services to unmarried parents.

Medical Social Services - Medical social workers practice in general hospitals, public health departments, home health care, hospice, and long-term care facilities.  They work with people experiencing social, psychological, and economic problems associated with their illness, and are also involved in discharge planning.

Mental Health - Social workers are members of the psychiatric team in mental health centers and hospitals for the mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, and the chemically dependent.
  
Corrections - Social workers are employed in penal and correctional facilities serving both juveniles and adults.  Probation and parole services, juvenile courts, and delinquency prevention programs are examples of practice settings.

Social Services - Many different social service agencies employ social workers to work with victims of spousal abuse, the aged, the homeless, dependent children, the disabled, and families experiencing social and economic problems.

Advocacy Services - Social workers are employed in areas to advocate for populations at risk who are unable to speak out for many different reasons.  They work with public and private groups to change policies and laws which will enhance the ability of many people to accomplish their life tasks, alleviate distress, and realize their aspirations and values.  Social workers employed in this area may work with the legislature, professional organizations (i.e. the National Association of Social Workers, etc.), private advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, etc. 

Career Opportunities - Graduates of the UT Martin Social Work Program are currently employed in a variety of positions in county, state, and federal organizations, particularly in rural West Tennessee.  These agencies include alcohol and drug treatment programs, child health and development, programs for abused children, developmental disabilities programs for children and adults, habilitation and training programs, hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care settings, Juvenile Court, mental health counseling, public schools, Tennessee Department of Corrections, Employment Security, TN Department of Human Services, public health, Social Security Administration, vocational rehabilitation, etc.

Graduate School

What kind of student organizations, clubs, or honor societies can a student join?

UT Martin Student Social Work Association (SSWA) - The purpose of the UT Martin SSWA is to provide students with an opportunity to investigate major social problems from both an academic and service oriented frame of reference, and to participate in activities which will serve to coordinate those two approaches.  Its aim is to make students more knowledgeable about social problems of national and international scope and to provide students with opportunities to devise and implement meaningful remedies for the problems at the community level.  The Association is open to all students who are interested in becoming involved through service to the University community, as well as the larger geographic area of Northwest Tennessee.

Alpha Delta Mu is a national honor society exclusively for social work majors.  This Society gives special recognition to social work majors who have performed at an exceptionally high academic level.  An Alpha Delta Mu chapter is active on the UT Martin Campus.  Junior and senior students whose GPA is 3.0 or above are eligible for membership in Alpha Delta Mu.

What kind of facilities and equipment will be available to the student?

All the classrooms available to Social Work majors at UT Martin had the latest technology available for students and faculty presentations and instruction.

Does the faculty specialize in certain areas?

The social work faculty at UT Martin come from a variety of practice back grounds.  The full-time faculty are supplemented by professional practicing social workers who offer the latest approaches from their various areas of practice.  Current specialty areas include:  diversity, mental health, corrections, child welfare, school social work, health care, drug and alcohol treatment, administration and advocacy.