Become a Social Work Major
Students who declare social work as a major in the freshman year, must adhere to the following procedures:
- Take SW 111 and 112 – Freshman Seminars I and II;
- Take SW 130 – Critical Thinking and SW 230 – Introduction to Social Work which has a 20-hour volunteer service component that must be completed in a human service agency;
- Complete the Application to Social Work Form.
- Complete a joint interview with the faculty who taught SW 230, and the department chair, or designee.
- *All other students must have their transcripts evaluated by the Department Chair or a designee and meet all the requirements of a social work major including numbers 2, 3 and 4 above.
Required Courses
Students who major in social work must successfully complete the courses listed below with a minimum grade of “C” and attain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in their foundation social work courses to be eligible to enter field and must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in their foundation social work courses to graduate. Students are required to complete a total of forty-two (73) hours.
The major courses include:
- SW 130 Critical Thinking in Social Work
- SW 230 Introduction to Social Work
- SW 231 Writing for Social Work I
- SW 232 Writing for Social Work II
- SW 236 SW & the African American Experience
- SW 330 Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Individuals
- SW 331 Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Larger Systems
- SW 332 Child Maltreatment I
- SW 333 Social Work Practice w/ Individuals,
- SW 334 Social Work Practice w/ Families & Groups
- SW 336 Introduction to Social Gerontology
- SW 337 Social Welfare Policy
- SW 338 Social Work Ethics & Cultural Issues
- SW 430 Field Practice Preparation
- SW 430 Selected Topics Course
- SW 433 Applied Social Work Research Methods
- SW 435 Social Work Practice w/Communities & Organizations
- SW 438 Social Work Program Evaluation
- SW 490 Field Instruction,
- SW 490s Field Instruction Seminar.
Required Activities
All students are required to present a senior research paper prior to graduation. All social work majors must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 in the required courses listed above to graduate.
Required Field Practicum
During the senior year, students are required to complete the block field practicum. This is a supervised educational experience in a human service agency. Students are in the field four (4) days a week for a semester and are on campus one (1) day for classes. Students must successfully complete both SW 490 Field Instruction and SW 490S Field Instruction Seminar with a minimum grade of “C” to receive field practicum credit.
Professional Certification
Certificate programs in Child Protective Services (CPS) and Gerontology.
These programs are designed for students interested in working with people across various points in life. From learning more about how to effectively work with abused and neglected children and families, to working with older adults, our certificate programs provide opportunities for students to deepen their knowledge in these specific areas of study.
