The Social Work Student Experience

The Social Work program is much more than the curriculum. We educate, advocate, and continuously create opportunities for our students to shine.

Social Work Association

20 years ago, the Department Chair, Eloise Bridges founded the Coppin State University Social Work Association. She established this student organization to:

• help students learn about the field of Social Work.
• assist students in planning social work career goals.
• provide a mutual support system for students' educational and personal needs.
• provide services that support campus, neighborhood, and  community well-being.
• increase awareness on the Coppin campus of the Social Work program.

Social Work Honor Society

Phi Alpha Honor Society is the national honor society for students studying social work. Coppin State University is home to the Theta Rho chapter which was chartered in 1999. A primary goal of Phi Alpha is to nurture closer bonds among students of social work as well as promote humanitarian goals and ideals. It continues to foster high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.

Theta Rho inducts new members annually, and also conducts 2 meetings every year. The first meeting hosts a speaker, and the second one is a business meeting. Students run the business of the Theta Rho chapter under faculty advisement.

Admissions Eligibility

Any student who meets the eligibility criteria automatically gets an invitation to join. Once a student receives the invitation, they may submit an application. To be eligible for Phi Alpha admission, a student must have:

• Declared social work as a major
• Achieved sophomore status
• Completed 9 semester hours of required social work courses
• Achieved top 35% of the social work major

Social Work Alumni Association

The Social Work Alumni Association commits to support, mentor, and advocate the needs of students, social work faculty, and the University. It also exists to:

• maintain a close relationship between alumni and the University
• support the social work program
• promote the University's growth and development

Membership

Any graduate of the Coppin State University's Social Work Program may join the Social Work Alumni Association. Membership dues cost $40.00 per year.

Maxie Collier Scholars Program

The goal of the Maxie Collier Scholars Program is to educate and recruit more African-American professionals into public mental health and to address the shortage of trained clinicians available to serve seriously emotionally disturbed children, adolescents, and their families.

Influencing State Policy

Influencing State Policy (ISP) is an open group of policy-minded people who are interested in informing, creating, and evaluating state-level policy. Founded in Chicago in 1997 by social workers and educators, ISP works to help increase the efficacy of those in the social work profession in influencing policy and legislation.

Department of Social Work Student Handbook

The Department of Social Work Student Handbook is the catalog for the social work degree program at Coppin State University. The Handbook includes:

• a description of the social work profession.
• social work course descriptions and requirements.
• faculty profiles.
• admissions policies and procedures.

Several appendices include important documents for social work majors, including a degree check sheet that enables each student to track progress through the social work curriculum.

Dorothy I. Height Center for the Advancement of Social Justice

The Dorothy I. Height Center for the Advancement of Social Justice is a community-based resource that focuses on community engagement through social justice-related education, advocacy, research and referrals. The Center honors Dr. Height’s name and contributions by actualizing her visions, applying her strategies, and emulating her determination to affect positive social change locally and beyond. Our mission is to heighten awareness regarding national and international human rights and social justice issues that impact marginalized populations and communities.

The Coppin State University Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews all human research conducted under the auspices of Coppin State University.

The protection of human Subjects is of utmost importance. As such, we believe it is important to provide a “user friendly” environment by which you can seek approval to conduct research using human subjects at Coppin State University.

The IRB will not review applications for projects that are already completed. If a project is already underway, research should be immediately suspended until the application has been reviewed.

Function

The function of the IRB is to ensure adherence to all federal, state, local, and institutional regulations concerning the protection of human subjects in research. All human research conducted at CSU or associated with the university must receive IRB review and approval prior to conducting the research.

Application to Use Human Subjects in Research

The Application to Use Human Subjects in Research and appropriate forms should be completed and submitted to irb@coppin.edu. You will receive a response within 14 business days after the IRB has met.

The CSU Human Subjects Handbook provides guidance for applicants.

Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the IRB Chair at irb@coppin.edu.

Begin Your Application

CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) Program

Effective January 1, 2025 Principal Investigators, Faculty Advisors (for students serving as PIs), Co-PIs and research team members who will interact with human subjects and/or their identifiable data for the purposes of research must complete CITI Training before the Initial Application, Amendment Application, Continuing Review Application can be fully approved, or they must be temporarily removed from the research team until the training has been completed.

Register for training

Meeting Schedule

IRB monthly meetings are held on the 4th Wednesday of each month from August to May.

• August 27, 2025
• September 24, 2025
• October 22, 2025
• November 19, 2025
• December 17, 2025  
• January 28, 2026
• February 25, 2026
• March 25, 2026
• April 22, 2026
• May 27, 2026

Through fieldwork, students get to put their skills, commitment, and knowledge directly to practice, while seeing how interventions can make an impact in clients' lives.

The Value of Fieldwork

Fieldwork is an important part of the social work curriculum because it allows students to the opportunity to apply theories, and concepts learned in the classroom to experiences in the field through a supervised placement.

The goal of field instruction is to engage students in supervised direct and indirect service activities and provide practical experience in all the foundation competency areas as guided by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This effort is accomplished through partnerships with a variety of agencies that meet the required learning outcomes as outlined in the Social Work Field Education Manual.

Through fieldwork, students identify professional strengths and growth areas, while also gaining the skills, knowledge, and values needed to succeed as a social work practitioner and leader.

Learn · Lead · Liberate in Field Education

The theme Learn · Lead · Liberate is woven throughout every stage of the BSW student experience, especially in field education. Students learn by applying classroom theories to supervised practice, developing core social work skills, and identifying strengths through reflective supervision and real‑world engagement. They lead by demonstrating professionalism, initiative, and ethical responsibility as they collaborate with agencies, support client needs, and grow into emerging practitioners. They liberate by promoting empowerment, equity, and social justice—advocating for individuals, families, and communities while advancing the mission and values of the social work profession.

Together, these themes illustrate the developmental journey students undertake in field—building competence, strengthening leadership capacity, and contributing to meaningful change—while mirroring the purpose of fieldwork itself: transforming students into thoughtful, effective, socially conscious practitioners.

Fieldwork Eligibility

Each student is responsible for becoming familiar with the social work requirements for the major as outlined in the University Catalog. To qualify for a field placement, a student must:

• Be accepted as a full social work major (no pre-social work majors)
• Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better by the end of the spring semester before field work begins:
  • SOWK 379
  • SOWK 388
  • SOWK 265
  • SOWK 210
• Have a minimum cumulative 2.5 grade point average by the end of the semester before your placement begins
• Be able to graduate within 3 semesters of starting field work
• Submit all application materials by the appropriate deadline:
  • March 31st for fall placement
• Regularly demonstrate responsible and professional student conduct as outlined in the Social Work Field Education Manual.

Field Instruction Forms

Field Application & Guides

Field Forms

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (OSPR) is institutionally responsible for all pre-award and non-financial post-award functions, including proposal submissions, the negotiation and acceptance of all sponsored agreements on behalf of Coppin State University, award modifications, subrecipient monitoring and non-financial closeout of awards.

Our office works with the unit administrators to provide assistance to administration/faculty/staff with proposal preparation, applicable sponsor guidelines, as well as sponsored programs training, education and communication. OSPR works closely with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to safeguard and protect human research subjects and in conducting responsible research and the Office of Grants and Contracts in managing all extramural awards and campus outreach initiatives for sponsored projects.

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (OSPR) is institutionally responsible for all pre-award and non-financial post-award functions, including proposal submissions, the negotiation and acceptance of all sponsored agreements on behalf of Coppin State University, award modifications, subrecipient monitoring and non-financial closeout of awards.

Our office works with the unit administrators to provide assistance to administration/faculty/staff with proposal preparation, applicable sponsor guidelines, as well as sponsored programs training, education and communication. OSPR works closely with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to safeguard and protect human research subjects and in conducting responsible research and the Office of Grants and Contracts in managing all extramural awards and campus outreach initiatives for sponsored projects.

Dr. Hegde is available to participate in events within the community that focus on vision health or other health education topics. To request Dr. Hegde present at an organization or community event, please email khegde@coppin.edu.

Dr. Hegde is available to participate in events within the community that focus on vision health or other health education topics. To request Dr. Hegde present at an organization or community event, please email khegde@coppin.edu.

Comparison of Hydroxyapaptite Deposits in Primate and Human sub-RPE Deposits

Research Collaboration with University of Maryland School of Medicine

Dr. Kavita Hegde is working on a collaborative research project with Dr. Richard Thompson, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. The project involves detection of sub-RPE hydroxyapatite deposits, the putative early markers of age-related macular degeneration, using fluorescence techniques.

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Imaging Hydroxyapaptite in sub-RPE Deposits by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)

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Infusion labeling and FLIM imaging of hydroxyapaptite spherules in human sub-RPE deposits

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