Social Work

Why study social work?

Students who study social work will join a profession that seeks positive change for individuals, families, groups and communities through enhancing problem-solving and coping capacities while removing institutional policies that are barriers to those individuals and groups.

  • The Harriet Emily Scott Social Work Program curriculum prepares students for generalist social work practice in both public and private settings with an array of clients.
  • The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree focuses on preparing practitioners who link individuals, families and communities with systems that provide them with resources, services and opportunities they may previously not have been able to access.
  • Students in the program are provided with two semesters of real-world field practicum experience in preparation for their transition to the social work profession.
Social Work Majors

BSW at AU


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Harriet Emily Scott Social Work Program, Sharon Lust School of Education


Latest News

Housed in the Sharon Lust School of Education, Augustana University will begin offering courses for a Master of Social Work (MSW) in Fall 2025 as part of its Harriet Emily Scott Social Work Program. The MSW program at Augustana is one of only two MSW programs in South Dakota. This comes after the university began offering a minor in social work in Fall 2023 and Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) in Fall 2024.

Jaida Haynes ‘25, of Philip, South Dakota, is a business administration major with minors in social work and sign language studies. This summer, she utilized her skills off campus and interned with The Foster Network in Sioux Falls — a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families who care for children placed through a licensing agency.

Augustana University is offering social work as a minor this fall, followed by all Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) courses for the major beginning in the fall of 2024 — part of Augustana’s Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 strategic plan to establish new academic programs grounded in the liberal arts that challenge the intellect while responding to the needs and interests of students. 


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