Trinity Launches Social Work Program Designed for Adult Students

Aug. 25, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Palos Heights, Ill.–Trinity Christian College is pleased to announce the Spring 2022 launch of a Bachelor of Social Work degree geared towards adult students and taking place entirely online. This new degree program, specifically designed for adults with some college credit who are aged 23 or older, offers greater accessibility to a BSW degree for individuals who may otherwise not be able to engage with social work education due to various barriers such as work and family responsibilities.

This new program, along with the College’s traditional undergraduate BSW program, answers the call for the growing need for social workers with a focus on liberal arts education that prepares Trinity’s graduates for a world that needs them. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 13% employment growth rate for all social workers from 2019-29. Students who earn their BSW degree at Trinity Christian College are eligible to earn their MSW degree in 1-year through the advanced standing placement enrollment option at other higher education institutions with a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program.

Said Associate Professor of Social Work; Director of Social Work Program; and Department Chair Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein, DSW, “This new degree completion program offers adult learners’ access to an exciting opportunity beyond the traditional face-to-face undergraduate program. More specifically, this new online program provides greater access to an accredited Bachelor of Social Work program in which the integration of faith and practice is central to its mission and identity.”

This new online option for adult learners amplifies Trinity’s current BSW program, according to Bretzlaff-Holstein. “Assisting students in the development and discernment of their vocational call to be Christ-like change agents through the social work profession is at the heart of Trinity’s social work program.”

The program will continue the history of excellence demonstrated by those who have earned their BSW degrees from Trinity, according to Amy Tiemersma, MSW, LCSW, clinical social worker at Trinity agency partner Bethshan Association. “Trinity offers an excellent on-campus Bachelor of Social Work program, and I am excited about the increased accessibility the online program will offer, with flexible timing and location for adults who may be working full time or who may not able to access Trinity’s campus due to geography,” said Tiemersma, who has served on the advisory committee for the Trinity social work department, taught social work classes as an adjunct faculty member, and supervised many Trinity BSW interns during their field placements.

Tiemersma said she is confident that the online program will maintain the excellence that allows Trinity’s social work program to stand apart from others. “I can attest first hand to the excellence of instruction overseen by the social work professors, the provision of valuable social work learning experiences for students, and the incorporation of a Christian world view for informing social work practice, and I really encourage adults considering a BSW to look into this new option at Trinity.”

Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring 2022 semester. To learn more about Trinity’s new Adult BSW program, visit our website.

For further information, contact:
Amy Stickel
Communications Manager
amy.stickel@trnty.edu
708.293.4918