The curriculum includes a strong liberal arts foundation, including courses in communication, biology, natural sciences, math, history, politics, psychology and sociology. Beyond this are the professional foundation courses that develop knowledge, skills and values relating to interviewing, problem solving, social research and understanding the complexities of social welfare policies and services. Social work majors complete 600 hours of field instruction in two different social work agencies. The first field placement requires 120 hours and is scheduled in the summer between the student's first and second years in the program. It is usually completed in the student's home town. The second field placement requires 480 hours over the senior year and is usually located in the region surrounding Ferris. The Ferris Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.