bachelor of social work
Successfully offering social work education since 1978, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) UAA program provides structure, support, instruction, and advising to prepare you for an entry-level professional social work career or graduate school opportunities. Social work is a profession committed to assisting individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their quality of life through the improvement of social problems, equitable distribution of social resources, and client empowerment. The UAA BSW program prepares graduates for beginning professional social work practice, building on a broad-based liberal arts education accomplished through the completion of General Education and major degree requirements. Our student-centered faculty engage students in carefully planned experiences to achieve the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for beginning professional practice, which take place in the classroom, laboratory, volunteer experience, small seminars, and selected field work practicum placements. We also offer a minor in Social Welfare Studies.
Within an overall emphasis on consumer-centered planned change, the BSW degree program at UAA is guided by the following principles:
BSW alumni work with people across the lifespan in a wide variety of service delivery systems, including:
Catalog: Bachelor of Social Work*
Catalog: Minor in Social Welfare Studies
*The Bachelor of Social Work program is designed to meet the educational requirements
for professional licensure or certification in Alaska. However, the program might
not meet the educational requirements for other states' professional licensure or
certification. Please see UAA’s Licensure and Certificate website for more information.
WHY CHOOSE bachelor of social work AT UAA?
About 90% of UAA School of Social Work alumni are either employed or accepted into a Master of Social Work program by the time they graduate.
The UAA Bachelor of Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and prepares you for positions leading to advancement and leadership roles in many areas and settings.
Our faculty have experience and expertise across multiple areas of practice, including behavioral health, child welfare, disabilities, criminal justice, veterans, schools, health care, homelessness, food insecurity, community development, senior services, organizational leadership, and more!
Get involved with groups and activities that match your professional and personal interests, such as the Social Work Student Coalition, the National Association of Social Workers, or the Epsilon Chi chapter of Phi Alpha.
NEWS & Stories
Almost half of UAA students have experienced food insecurity. UAA offers several resources to combat hunger and food insecurity, including the Seawolf Food Pantry, which supplies non-perishable foods, as well as three-day emergency food support.
Dr. Corrie Whitmore, an associate professor in the Division of Population Health Sciences, and her team at UAA’s Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services are celebrating the recent publication of a new article. The paper, which was published in the Dec. 2025 issue of Nursing for Women’s Health, offers a framework and actionable strategies for nurses to improve communication and patient experience in discussions around substance use and contraception.
School of Social Work Assistant Professor Amana Mbise and ISER Research Assistant Professor Nathan West are exploring the relationships that Black barbershops play in men's health. Their community-based research prioritizes the lived experiences of the men they talk to, and is revealing how barbershops function not just as grooming spaces, but as social and cultural hubs.
As a neonatal nurse practitioner at Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital and adjunct faculty member for the UAA School of Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice alumna and graduate student hooding ceremony speaker for the fall Class of 2025 Stacy Brunquist weaves education into everything she does — training new caregivers, guiding parents learning to care for their newborns, and sharing knowledge with professionals from Utqiaġvik to Sitka.
On Nov. 13, the College of Health hosted a legislative event highlighting the Alaska Comprehensive Forensic Training Academy (ACFTA) in the Health Sciences Building. Co-led by Nursing Professor Angelia Trujillo, D.N.P., and Social Work Professor Kathi Trawver, Ph.D., the event brought together health care professionals, community partners, and legislators to learn more about ACFTA’s mission.
Message from the program chair
Thank you for your interest in the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program at UAA! Our accredited BSW Program offers full- and part-time course plans delivered face-to-face on the Anchorage campus. Graduates of the BSW Program gain generalist practice skills and complete a practicum experience in one of the many fields of social work practice. Additionally, graduates of the BSW Program are eligible to complete the accelerated Master of Social Work (MSW) through the advanced standing program following a 4+1 program plan. As the BSW Program Chair, it is my responsibility to support all UAA students who engage with the BSW Program. I look forward to meeting you.
— Tracey Burke, Ph.D., MSW tkburke@alaska.edu
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Contact Us
Phone: (907) 786-6900
Email: uaa_socialwork@alaska.edu
UAA School of Social Work
UAA Professional Studies Building
2533 Providence Dr, Suite 234
Anchorage, AK 99508
Mailing Address
UAA School of Social Work
3211 Providence Dr, PSB 234
Anchorage, AK 99508
