GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) _ The University of North Dakota is taking steps to help address an expected increase in demand for social workers.

UND in the fall will begin offering an online bachelor’s degree program in social work. The university cites a U.S. Labor Department study that demand for social workers will grow 19 percent by 2022, with the growth in rural areas potentially higher.

UND also will be working with a tribal college in Fort Totten, with faculty teaching several of the students there as they work toward their degrees.

The Spirit Lake tribe has been overhauling its child protection systems since it came under fire in 2012 for perceived lapses in protecting vulnerable children.