Claudia Triche, Department Head - Dr. Wade Tyler, Acting Department Head
Department of Social Work
Students in NSU's Department of Social Work not only benefit from having experienced, licensed social workers as their instructors, but they are also given the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom in social work agencies in several Louisiana parishes. Being able to explore current applications of Social Work theory in real-life settings, students are better able to enter the work force after graduation. The department also sponsors the Social Work Club to further promote student involvement in the discipline. NSU Social Work students have the particular advantage of studying in an accredited program. Currently, our program is accredited through the year 2014 by the Council on Social Work Education. Students who complete the program and wish to pursue a Master of Social Work degree may apply for advanced standing in many graduate programs. If granted, advanced standing may reduce the amount of time needed to complete the Master of Social Work by as much as one year.
At NSU, we teach Social Work from an ecological systems theory perspective in the preparation for generalist practice, utilizing a problem-solving process. We examine public issues and private problems through nine main areas of study: Social Work Practice, Social Welfare Policy, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Cultural Diversity, Values and Ethics, Social and Economic Justice, Populations at Risk, Research, and Field Instruction. Our courses emphasize cultural diversity, women's issues, and populations at risk while promoting research into the various types of oppression in current social settings.
Students who have graduated from NSU's Department of Social Work are qualified to work in a number of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, hospice programs for the terminally ill, protective services, day care, schools, universities (as counselors), juvenile correctional facilities and agencies, mental health agencies, group homes, substance abuse treatment facilities, prisons, and business and industrial settings. The Bachelor of Social Work qualifies students for the general practice of social work, so their skills can be transferred to agencies like those listed above. This is called generalist practice and it is what we specialize in training our graduates to do.
Claudia Triche, MSW, LCSW
Department Head and Professor of Social Work
Send comments or questions to: Tyler@nsula.edu - Dr. Wade Tyler is currently Acting Department Head
