Auburn University BASW Program
Mission Statement and Educational Competencies
Mission Statement
The Auburn University Bachelor of Arts in Social Work Program prepares generalist social workers to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities across Alabama. Grounded in systems and strengths-based perspectives, the program equips graduates to address the needs of vulnerable and diverse populations through community engagement, community partnerships, research-informed practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Program Goals
The goals of Auburn University’s Social Work Program reflect the university’s strong commitment to teaching, research, and outreach. The goals that serve as an organizing framework are the following:
- Prepare generalist social workers to apply social work values, ethics, critical thinking, and professional skills across all system levels.
- Guide generalist social workers to engage in cultural humility and effective social work practice with diverse groups.
- Promote scientific inquiry and research-informed social work practice.
- Strengthen community partnerships through education, service, research, civic engagement, and community empowerment.
Educational Competencies
The Auburn University Social Work curriculum prepares its graduates for generalist practice through mastery of 9 core competencies as identified by the Council on Social Work Education 2022 EPAS. Each competency describes the knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes that make up the competency at the generalist level of practice, followed by a set of behaviors that integrate these components. Students must demonstrate the integration and application of the competencies in practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.