Social Work Major, BSW

Mission

The Bachelor of Social Work program at Winston-Salem State University provides undergraduate academic instruction to equip social work graduates with the skills they need to be generalist social work practitioners. The program provides students with the knowledge and skills they need in direct service positions in order to be able to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social work graduates are able to employ integrated strategies in assessing human needs. They are also able to acknowledge and respect diverse groups, taking into consideration their unique racial, ethnic, gender, physical, and cognitive characteristics.

The program equips students to be independent thinkers and creative problem-solvers in the context of professional social work practice. Furthermore, because of the ethnic diversity of communities across the nation, the social work program at Winston-Salem State University strives to help its graduates integrate knowledge and ethical values with social work skills in order to promote an effective and culturally competent practice.

The Social Work program at Winston-Salem State University is seeking accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Program Objectives

• To prepare undergraduate students for employment as generalist social work practitioners that will work with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations;
• To provide an undergraduate generalist curriculum that facilitates the acquisition and demonstration of knowledge in social work values, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy, research, practice methods, cultural diversity, populations at risk, along with social and economic justice;
• To prepare students for graduate and professional programs.

The curriculum for a Bachelor of Social Work requires a minimum of 125 semester hours, with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher. Students seeking the BSW degree must take a minimum of 48 credit hours of social work and complete the following courses with a grade of C or better: SOC 3363  Social Work As A Profession, SOC 3368  Social Welfare As An Institution, SOC 3306  Child Welfare, SOC 3370  Social Work Methods & Services I, SOC 4322  Recording for Social Work Practice, SOC 3352  Methods of Social Research, SOC 4340  Social Work Methods & Services II, SOC 3541  Field Practice I, SOC 4541  Field Practice II, SOC 4321  Group Dynamics, and three other courses currently under development.

In support of the social work major, students are required to take PHI 2302  Contemporary Moral Problems, CSC 1306  Computer and Its Use I or MIS 1380 Intro to Data Processing, PHS 2336  Physical Science, PHS 2136  Physical Science Lab, HIS 1301  and HIS 1302  World Civilization I and II, and ECO 2312  Macroeconomics. Also required are SOC 2356  Marriage and Family, PSY 2301  General Psychology, PSY 3336  Developmental Psychology, SOC 4364  Race and Culture, and nine elective hours in social work, sociology, gerontology, or education.

A minor in some other discipline is not required of Social Work majors.

A minor in Social Work is not offered.

Admission

Acceptance into the Bachelor of Social Work program is effective Fall 2008. Students must apply to the BSW Program no later February 15th of each academic year. At the time of application, a student must have successfully completed SOC 3363: Social Work as a Profession with a grade of “B” or better and obtained an overall GPA of 2.5.

A transfer student may declare social work as his or her (pre) major; however, formal admission to the social work program is dependent upon the following:

• Completion of the general education courses with a minimum GPA of 2.5,
• Completion of SOC 3363 with at least a “B,” and
• Completion of an application process after fulfilling these two requirements.

The Social Work Program Committee will review applications for acceptance each year and admit qualified students into the program.

Social Work Field Placement: Students must apply for Social Work Field Placement according to the deadlines set by the social work program. The Social Work Field Placement Coordinator must approve all placements. Each Field Practice course requires a minimum of 200 direct service hours to be completed in a program-approved human services agency.