The BSW program at Nipissing University is designed in accordance with the Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE) standards of practice to prepare students for generalist social work practice. The four-year degree is designed to provide a professional social work experience for students entering from high school, as well as college transfer students and mature students. The degree is structured to ensure that students have a solid grounding in the social sciences for two years prior to embarking upon the social work specific curriculum in the final two years of the program. The goal is to graduate self-reflexive and knowledgeable practitioners, with a solid background in the realities of northern and rural contexts. Graduates of the program will also possess research, communication and analytic skills. The practicum component of the degree will support Nipissing’s focus on service and experiential learning. A 700-hour practicum will be a core foundation of the program, designed to enable the development of practice skills and the integration of theoretical knowledge with practice

The program is grounded in principles of social justice, with a particular emphasis on the historical and contemporary position of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Concurrently, the program content will also focus on the practice of social work in rural and northern contexts.