Students may complete a two-year Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies with a Social Work Concentration at Pierpont, then finish their final two years at WVU to earn the BSW degree. This arrangement is known as a "2 + 2" program. Completing the BSW degree allows students who are accepted into the master's program in social work at WVU to finish in 18 months instead of 24 months. Students must earn a BSW degree to become licensed social workers.
"Social work is an undervalued field. There is a lot of demand in West Virginia for licensed social workers," said Joseph Larry, Associate Professor of Psychology and advisor to the pre-social work concentration at Pierpont.
Graduates of the BSW program at WVU are regularly recruited for employment with child and adult protective service agencies, hospitals, mental health centers, nursing homes, criminal justice settings, as well as other public and private agencies.
Because entry into the social work major at WVU is competitive, Pierpont students will need to have an overall GPA of 2.25, 100 hours of documented paid or volunteer experience in social service-related activities, a written personal statement and one letter of reference. Students who qualify will compete with other West Virginia students and transfer students for 60 slots.
The Division of Social Work is one of three divisions in the School of Applied Social Sciences in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU, and is nationally-recognized in the areas of rural social work practice and non-profit management.
Rachel Stemple, a second-year student, chose Pierpont's pre-social work concentration because it allows her to move into WVU's bachelor's degree program.
"I want to work with children and I believe the 2+2 program is the perfect opportunity to realize my goals," she said.
For more information on the pre-social work concentration at Pierpont, call Joseph Larry at (304) 367-4696 or e-mail him at Joseph.Larry@fairmontstate.edu.
