Why Social Work at E-town College?

Service is our mission

At Elizabethtown College, we are guided by the motto "Educate for Service." If you are interested in pursuing a career in social work, you are likely already passionate about serving others. You'll fit right in. In and out of the classroom you will learn and prepare for your career while helping others.

700 hours experience

As a social work major at Elizabethtown College, you will graduate with more than 700 hours of field work experience. This far exceeds the CSWE accreditation requirements, which mandates 400 hours of experience.

Service learning opportunities

Get right to work with social work! In three of your introductory courses, you will complete 45 hours of service learning in an urban environment. Sites include elementary schools, low-income elderly housing, a parenting program in Harrisburg and the juvenile justice system in Lancaster.

International opportunities

The Department of Social Work at Elizabethtown College emphasizes international social work and encourages our students to study abroad for a semester or during short-term, service-learning overseas trips.

Junior and Senior internships

You'll shadow a social worker during your 40-hour junior internship. During this time, you will be introduced to professional social work and these experiences will help you shape your own career goals. During your senior year, you'll select an agency at which you'll complete a 600-hour internship – 200 hours in the fall, 400 in the spring. You will have caseloads and function as a social worker! Sites for both include schools, nursing homes, foster care agencies, correctional facilities, and social services agencies which serve victims of sexual assault or domestic violence.

Succeed after graduation

95% of Elizabethtown social work gradates have been accepted into graduate school or accepted a job offer by graduation. Of those numbers, it's an even split. Half our graduates go right onto graduate school; the other half begins social work careers immediately after graduation.