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 aminor 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:
Social work practice is based on the intentional use of knowledge in collaborative
planned change efforts with human systems and social problems.
Social workers recognize human diversity as a strength and anti-oppression and social
justice as a responsibility.
Social work practice is based on:
professional values and ethics;
professional relationships;
reciprocal role performance; and
a strengths perspective.
BSW alumni work with people across the lifespan in a wide variety of service delivery
systems, including:
*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!
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.
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.
Ambra McMillian is an Assistant Professor of Dental Hygiene in the School of Therapeutic Sciences, where she combines her passion for the field with the fulfillment of guiding students as they learn and grow.
Dacia Davis, a clinical assistant professor in the School of Social Work and a graduate of UAA's MSW program, finds inspiration in teaching and community.
On September 27, the women’s volleyball team invited faculty to join them on the court for Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night. Among the honorees were four standout educators from the College of Health, each nominated by students.
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.
