Livingstone College Social Work Programs
Want to begin your career in social work? Livingstone College’s Social Work Programs can get you into professional employment in just 24 months. The college’s social work program is growing fast. Their 2021-2022 academic year saw 18 students earning bachelor’s degrees – a remarkable 64% jump from 11 graduates the year before and it continues to grow.
Livingstone College’s Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree opens doors to entry-level professional roles. Graduates work in child welfare agencies, schools, hospitals, and service centers that help elderly and handicapped people. North Carolina has 25 schools with social work programs, and 23 of them offer BSW degrees like Livingstone’s program. But Livingstone College stands out with its practical curriculum that gives you the skills needed to move smoothly from classroom to career.
Types of Social Work Degrees Offered at Livingstone College
Livingstone College offers a specialized Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree program that builds the foundation of your professional social work career. This undergraduate program gives you everything you need to address human needs and promote social welfare in communities of all types.
The BSW program at Livingstone College is their main social work educational offering. The curriculum combines theoretical knowledge with practical field experience as a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program. Livingstone has chosen to perfect their bachelor’s-level program instead of spreading resources across multiple degree types.
The BSW program helps you become skilled at:
- Conducting client assessments and developing intervention strategies
- Understanding social policies and their implementation
- Applying research methods to review practice effectiveness
- Developing cultural competency for diverse populations
- Making ethical decisions in complex situations
The BSW curriculum uses a well-laid-out approach that combines general education requirements with specialized social work courses. Students complete foundational courses before moving to more specialized social work content. The program ends with field placements that provide real-life experience under professional supervision.
Small class sizes ensure customized attention throughout your academic trip. Instructors can monitor your progress closely and provide targeted guidance as you develop professional skills.
The program’s strong connections with local agencies and organizations create great networking opportunities before graduation. These professional relationships often lead to internship placements and potential jobs as you move from student to practitioner.
Livingstone’s BSW program provides a direct path to employment in child welfare agencies, community centers, and social service organizations of all types for students who want to enter the social work profession without graduate studies.
Degree Specializations
Livingstone College’s Bachelor of Social Work program uses a generalist practice model to open up many career paths. The curriculum builds a broad foundation rather than narrow specializations, which helps you work well in multiple social work settings.
The program stands firmly behind human rights, social and economic justice, and aims to give people the ability to help themselves and others. Your training builds skills that work in many settings instead of focusing on just one area.
The curriculum gives you five key abilities:
- Developing competent beginning professional generalist social work practice with diverse client systems
- Advancing human rights along with social, economic, and environmental justice
- Engaging in policy-practice and prevention activities
- Applying practice-informed research and research-informed practice approaches
- Utilizing all stages of the general intervention model with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
While it’s a generalist program, you’ll be ready for specific roles after graduation. Entry-level positions will be open to you in child welfare agencies, family services, mental health centers, public assistance agencies, schools, hospitals, and elderly care facilities. You can also work with developmentally disabled populations, homeless shelters, and housing programs.
The program has a detailed structure. You’ll need 47 general education credits, 42 professional foundation credits, 15 cognate support course credits, 9 social work elective credits, and 9 free elective credits. The program also requires 6 credits in Spanish and 6 credits in college mathematics.
This balanced approach combines liberal arts education’s breadth with professional practice knowledge. You’ll graduate with both cognitive learning and social work’s core values, which sets you apart from liberal arts graduates. This prepares you to start working right away or continue with advanced studies.
Online and Hybrid Options
Working professionals who want education flexibility should learn about Livingstone College’s online and hybrid learning options. Right now, Livingstone College doesn’t offer its social work bachelor’s degree completely online. However, you can find other scheduling options that mix in some distance learning elements.
Livingstone’s Evening and Weekend College offers the most flexible learning path through an accelerated program. This program helps you balance your education, work, and family life. It recognizes how challenging it can be when adult learners need to handle multiple commitments at once.
Structure of the Evening and Weekend Program:
The accelerated format lets you attend classes just one night each week in eight-week blocks. You can focus deeply on fewer subjects while you keep up with your work and personal life. You also have flexible hours available on weekends – both Saturday and Sunday.
This program becomes partially hybrid through its approach to extra coursework. Your learning experience gets better with:
- Guided independent study components
- Online learning elements
- Collaborative group study sessions
This mixed approach gives you the best of both worlds – face-to-face teaching combined with convenient distance learning. You’ll get the support and community feel of in-person classes and the freedom to complete some work when it suits you.
The Evening and Weekend College works great for adults returning to school, people switching to social work careers, and anyone who can’t make it to daytime classes. The social work program prepares you to work in family service agencies and mental health centers of all sizes. The flexible format lets you build relevant experience through work or volunteering while you earn your degree.
These flexible options are helpful, but it’s worth mentioning that you’ll still need to attend more in-person classes compared to fully online programs at other schools.
Graduation Rates
Graduation statistics at Livingstone College offer key insights into program outcomes. Students complete their degrees in 5-6 years instead of the traditional 4-year timeframe. This pattern lines up with the college’s comprehensive educational philosophy to meet students at their academic level and guide them toward professional readiness.
Recent cohort data shows the 6-year graduation rate for the class of 2017 was 24%, matching the 2016 cohort’s 25% rate. These numbers fall below the college’s internal measure of 30%. The college has launched new retention initiatives and improved student support services in response.
Graduation outcomes differ substantially between demographic groups. Female students consistently outperform male students in degree completion. 31% of female students in the 2017 cohort graduated within 6 years while only 17% of male students completed their degrees. The 2016 cohort showed similar gaps – 30% of women and 19% of men finished their degrees in that timeframe.
The college carefully tracks these rates through cohort analysis. Data from 2012 through 2017 reveals consistent patterns:
| Cohort Year | 4-Year Rate | 5-Year Rate | 6-Year Rate |
| 2012 | 16% | 23% | 24% |
| 2013 | 14% | 22% | 24% |
| 2014 | 16% | 25% | 28% |
| 2015 | 14% | 20% | 23% |
| 2016 | 17% | 21% | 25% |
| 2017 | 14% | 22% | 24% |
The social work program’s graduation performance fits within these institutional statistics. Leadership has acknowledged these challenges and expanded the Success Center’s services to boost student retention and completion rates. The college’s steadfast dedication to student achievement drives program development and resource allocation as it works to meet its target measures.
Career Outcomes
A social work degree from Livingstone College opens doors to many career paths. The program readies students for entry-level professional roles in both public and private sectors. This practical focus has made social work one of the most popular majors at the college, with 80 students currently studying in this field.
Our graduates build careers in many settings, including:
- Child welfare agencies
- Family service agencies
- Mental health centers
- Public assistance organizations
- School systems
- Hospitals
- Service agencies for elderly and handicapped populations
- Developmental disability services
- Homeless shelters
- Housing programs
The job market looks bright for social work graduates. Social and community service managers can expect employment growth of 9.5% from 2014 to 2024. These professionals earn around $59,700 yearly in the Greensboro-High Point, NC area. Child, family, and school social workers in the same region earn about $46,200 annually. Marriage and family therapists have even better prospects, with a projected growth rate of 14.8% during this period.
Livingstone’s social work graduates have a strong track record of success. The 2013 Commencement saw 19 students receive their bachelor’s degrees in social work. Many graduates now pursue higher education, and a large number go on to get master’s degrees and Ph.D.s in the field.
Recent demographic data reveals interesting patterns. Women dominated the program’s 2021-2022 graduating class. They earned 89% of the 18 bachelor’s degrees awarded in Social Work, while men received 11%. Black or African American students made up about 89% of these graduates.
Livingstone College’s program stands out by connecting classroom theory with real-world job outcomes. The curriculum encourages a practice approach rooted in human rights, social and economic justice, and ways to equip both individuals and communities. These principles help graduates work effectively in their chosen careers.
What’s Unique about the Social Work Programs at Livingstone College
Livingstone College’s social work programs stand out because of their thoughtful approach to education. The program offers a 24-month path from classroom to career that speeds up your entry into the profession without compromising quality. You can start working sooner compared to traditional four-year programs.
The program builds on core values of human rights and justice. These principles shape every course you take, helping you develop both technical skills and the ethical foundation you need to work in social work.
Professors bring their field experience right into the classroom. They don’t just teach – they mentor students through their educational experience. Their real-life knowledge adds depth to every discussion.
There’s another reason this program shines – its deep connection to the community. Field work starts early in your studies, not as an afterthought. Students naturally build networks with local agencies, which often lead to jobs after graduation.
Unlike larger schools that push early specialization, Livingstone takes an all-encompassing approach. You’ll gain versatile skills that work in a variety of settings – from helping children to caring for seniors.
Small classes make shared learning possible. Students and faculty engage in meaningful conversations, and you’ll get personal feedback as you develop your skills.
Livingstone makes professional education accessible to more people, especially those traditionally underrepresented in social work. Evening and weekend classes show their steadfast dedication to working adults and career-changers who might not otherwise complete their degree.
The program balances liberal arts foundations with hands-on skills. Graduates feel confident discussing social theory and helping people through complex situations.