Mission
The mission of the Bachelor of Social Work Program at Winston-Salem State University is to provide undergraduate instruction that will equip social work graduates with the skills they need to become beginning generalist social work practitioners. The program will provide students with the knowledge and ethical skills needed in direct service positions in order to be able to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Our graduates will be able to employ integrated strategies in assessing human needs throughout their careers. In addition, graduates will also be able to affirm the dynamics of different groups, taking into consideration their unique racial, economic, ethnic, gender, physical and cognitive characteristics.
The Social Work program at Winston-Salem State University is seeking accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
Social Work Program Goals
The Social Work Program at Winston-Salem State University seeks to provide a beginning generalist (broad-based) level of preparation intended to equip undergraduates with competencies, such as critical thinking skills, which are needed to work with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Students receive high quality instruction from seasoned professors who hold terminal degrees and doctoral degrees in the field. Student instruction will be based on an interdisciplinary/liberal-arts and professional social work curriculum that includes courses in Human Behavior, Social Work Practice, Mathematics, Economics, Psychology, Research Methods, Music/Art, Field Education, Science, History, and Sociology. Furthermore, because of the ethnic diversity of our local community, 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.
Specific program goals and objectives are listed below.
1. To address the need for competent entry-level, beginning generalist social workers who can work on the micro, mezzo and macro levels of social work practice.
2. To address social and economic injustices within the context of the political economic structures currently in society.
3. To address issues surrounding social work values, ethics, and skills in professional practice.
4. To address the need for students and graduates to become critical thinkers through their professional careers.
5. To address the need for students to attend professional and continuing education seminars through their professional careers.
6. To address the need for students and graduates to become sensitive to the diverse needs of multi-ethnic populations and at-risk populations.
Social Work Program Objectives
1. To provide a historical background for the social work profession and current social work practice.
2. To prepare undergraduate students to identify social, political, and economic injustices that impact oppressed populations such as people of color, women, LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning) persons, and the elderly.
3. To prepare undergraduate students for employment as beginning generalist social work practitioners who will work with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations.
4. 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.
5. To prepare undergraduate students to affirm and adhere to the basic values and ethics that guide social work practice.
6. To prepare undergraduate students to appropriately use supervision in beginning generalist social work practice.
7. To prepare students for graduate and professional education and
8. To prepare and equip students with basic research competence within the context of social work practice
Formal admission to the Social Work Program involves a series of steps. Students generally apply for formal admission to the program during the spring or summer terms. The Social Work Program Committee will review applications and admit qualified students into the program.
To be admitted to the Social Work program, students must:
• successfully complete a minimum of 45 credit hours, which include 42 hours of core requirements;
• successfully complete SOW 3363-Introduction to Social Work, with a grade of “C” or higher, and have an overall GPA of 2.0;
• submit a current copy of their official transcript;
• sign a contract indicating that they read and agreed to the follow the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers;
• secure two letters of reference
A transfer student may declare Social Work as his or her intended major; however admission to the Social Work Program is dependent upon the following:
• Completion of the general education courses with a minimum GPA of 2.0;
• Completion of SOW 3363-Intro to Social Work with a “C” or higher;
• Submission of an application with supporting documents
Please check with the Social Work Program Coordinator for exact program application due dates.
A minor in some other discipline is not required of Social Work majors.
A minor in Social Work is not offered.
Academic credit for life experience and previous work experience is not given, in whole or in part, in lieu of the field practicum or for courses in the professional foundation areas specified in the EPAS. Social Work credit earned at a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education is reviewed and evaluated by the BSW Program Coordinator for transferability. No social work credit is given for credits earned at a non-accredited school.
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